Art Director

Art Director, Editorial

Location: 

Los Angeles, New York, Remote

Gear Patrol is seeking a full-time Art Director to join our Creative Team. This position is intended specifically for well-rounded creatives looking to develop leadership skills while working at an innovative digital and print media company. 

The Art Director will play a key role in shaping the Gear Patrol brand. They will work to execute both exciting campaigns and evergreen work, bringing our offerings to life across our Editorial division. They will be responsible for translating strategies into audience-specific concepts and executions, with a focus on cross-platform visuals and storytelling.

The objective of the Art Director is to produce compelling and memorable visual narratives via evocative and original design, illustration, photography, and typography, concurrently distinguishing and evolving the brand’s visual presence.

The Art Director will report directly to the Creative Director while interfacing regularly with the Executive Editor and other departments, including members of the Product, Platforms, and Commerce Teams.  

Like all Gear Patrol team members, the right candidate should live and breathe products, operate optimistically, and lead by example.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the standard bearer of the visual look & feel of Gear Patrol Editorial content. 
• Work closely with the Creative Director and Executive Editor in leading the development, production, and design of the website, print magazine, and flagship stories 
• Ideate and execute visuals to create more impactful and resonant storytelling for editorial features, whether this is through photo illustration, commissioning of illustrations and infographics, or direction of photo and video shoots 
• Distill complex ideas into efficient pieces of visual communication within a strategic lens 
• Regularly present work and serve as creative lead in meetings with a range of audiences and stakeholders at different levels of experience and functional distance
• Select, Brief, and effectively Art Direct outside collaborators (Photographers, Illustrators, Developers, and Designers) to create their best work
• Art Direct photoshoots with a deep understanding of and knowledge of pre-production, production, and post-production of original photography
• Manage direct reports and external contractors while effectively delegating work based on workload, capabilities, and experience
• Implement design toolkits and guidelines to be used in-house and potentially by freelancers for Editorial franchises
• Communicates (and over-communicates!) on project statuses, especially during critical times (i.e., magazine production)
• Present out status for all Editorial / Content projects in multiple weekly meetings with unique stakeholder groups
• Monitor the quality and quantity of all designs to ensure it’s in line with Creative Team goals and guidelines
• Ensure Asana is up to date with the current project status and task completion
• Monitor the competitive publishing landscape and identify potential best practices, tools, and strategies that Gear Patrol’s creative team should adopt
• Support Gear Patrol’s efforts to earn industry recognition and awards
• Serve as an ambassador of Gear Patrol’s Creative team while attending external events and projects

Requirements:

• 6+ years of professional experience at an agency, publisher, or brand 
• Exceptional skills in the formal aspects of design, including typography, grid systems, composition, form, hierarchy, scale, proportion, and color
• Fluent in Adobe Creative Cloud
• Must have experience designing responsively for web using XD, Figma, and/or Sketch
• Proficiency and familiarity with web design, CSS, and digital design best practices 
• Familiarity with content management systems and blogging platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace. Media-OS a plus 
• Proficient in project management applications Asana and Slack
• Ability to understand sustainable project workflows at scale.
• Outstanding organizational skills; able to re-prioritize on the fly and operate autonomously, seeing work through to completion with minimal supervision from the Creative Director (once established)
• Strong teamwork and communication skills—you’re open to listening to new ideas and taking thoughtful action to bring them to life
• Detailed knowledge of print production processes
• Ability to view and action projects with both a strategic and a tactical lens
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to meet business needs while avoiding over-commitment 
• Ability to balance efficiency and quality in all aspects of work. 

Benefits & Perks

• Flexibility to work remotely
• Healthcare plans are fully paid for by Gear Patrol for the primary individual
• Unlimited personal time off, plus an industry-leading amount of company time off, including alternating four-day work weeks and a week-long company holiday in Q4
• 401K program with company match
• Generous paid parental leave
• Charitable gift matching
• Phone plan stipend

How To Apply

Please send your well-designed CV/résumé in PDF form, + a link to your portfolio and Linkedin profile, and a cover letter to [email protected] with the subject heading: “Art Director.” In your email, please also include the following:

1. A brief introduction of yourself and why you’re a great fit for GP. 
2. Links or files of 3–5 work samples or a portfolio that gives us a clear idea of your skill set(s), problem-solving ability and creative approach.
3. Links to any other previous work applicable to Gear Patrol.

Only those candidates considered for an interview will be contacted. Please regard your résumé as having been received unless your email bounces back.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 to $100,000, depending on candidate experience. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; the associated discipline; market considerations; budgetary considerations; geographical considerations; tenure, and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s background, pertinent experience, and qualifications.

About Gear Patrol

Founded in 2007, Gear Patrol is an award-winning print and digital publication, store, and content studio based in New York City. We believe that the things we create and own and the habits that surround them play a crucial role in our global culture. Products, in short, are culture. From the Model T to the iPhone and anything before or since, products hold the power to revolutionize the way we work, relax, communicate, travel, look, learn, and more.

That’s why we’re focused on something we call Product Journalism, a.k.a. #ProJo. Our mission is simple. We are a team of creators, users, and enthusiasts hell-bent on building the definitive resource for discovering products and exploring the stories that surround them. Our goals are not limited to specific platforms or mediums. We know that making essential experiences for product lovers requires leveraging the best that digital, print, and social platforms all have to offer.

We hold our core values of teamwork, transparency, integrity, accountability, selflessness, and creativity above all else and base our culture around them. Our work ethic is defined by vigor, speed, quality, and flexibility. We welcome challenges as an opportunity to reach new heights and never forget that our biggest strength is our people.

Gear Patrol is a place where amazing work happens, and the more you put in here, the more you’ll get out.

Gear Patrol strives to be a diverse and inclusive company. We firmly believe that different voices, experiences, and points of view are an essential component of our current and future success. We welcome and encourage people from all walks of life to apply and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s gender, age, race, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, genetics, or any other personal characteristics protected by law.

Gear Patrol