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Marks is hiring an Associate Creative Director, Packaging Design for our Marks Chicago studio!
Who are we?
Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum – from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behavior, we are uniquely constructed to enable brands to win in an age of constant change.
A super-charged experience powerhouse – 700 people strong, with subject matter experts working collaboratively across 12 studios and 8 countries – we have helped some of the world’s biggest brands connect to their audiences and tackle the biggest challenges and opportunities of today’s consumer landscape.
About the team
This Marks Packaging Design team is a talented agency-within-an-agency. Constructed to service an exclusive retail client engagement – this group lives and breathes packaging craft across a versatile collection of brands and categories – from food & beverages to household essentials. A multidisciplinary group of problem-solvers, you’ll work alongside creatives, project managers, copywriters, CGI artists, photographers, and production artists alike, to bring new packaging designs, extensions, adaptations, and updates to life.
This role is designated hybrid – working 3 days a week from our Chicago studio (located in the bustling Fulton Market neighborhood), as well as from home.
Location: Fulton Market Studio
Model: Hybrid
Salary: $115K-$125K
About the Role
This position calls for a highly collaborative team member with a creative spark, sophisticated design abilities, strong communication skills, passion, and self-motivation. You will be tasked with thoughtful problem-solving, that leads to high-caliber packaging executions – pushing and elevating our creative product.
As an Associate Creative Director, you will foster creative excellence within the team across the full spectrum of Packaging design. You’ll manage projects and client relationships, ensuring that the creative vision solves a business problem successfully, on budget, and on time. You will uphold the agency’s position as a collaborative subject matter expert for our clients. Associate Creative Directors are responsible for leading, presenting and defending designs and strategic solutions to clients.
On any given day you might
- Liaise with client stakeholders to intake project briefs and set the approach on new creative asks
- Lead the development overarching creative ideas and concepts on projects ranging from packaging design refreshes, new sub-brands, and category extensions
- Actively participate in brainstorming sessions and internal reviews
- Lead and mentor your team of Creative Packaging Design experts
- Work with your Design Director and their team of Adaptive Designers to ensure integrity in execution through packaging rollouts and adaptations
- Work with Project Managers and Schedulers to resource and maintain timelines across multiple projects
- Shape and craft compelling presentation narratives to support and sell through creative concepts
- Consult and provide Packaging Design subject matter expertise with clients and internal stakeholders alike
- Uphold creative integrity and ingenuity by keeping up to date with the latest Packaging trends and innovations
The ideal person
- Has experience in building and/or leading creative teams
- Can actively manage and monitor the health and blend of the creative group – proactively supporting with training and mentorship as needed
- Is a strategic problem solver with experience in Consumer Packaged Goods
- Is a strong communicator and can confidently convey the rationale behind design solutions
- Loves digging into problems and seeing beyond the “ask”
- Can guide the extended team through complex packaging executions and approaches
- Understands consumer purchase behavior and can think in design systems
- Has an excitement for their discipline that is contagious
- Has an understanding of packaging print processes and their technical limitations
- Brings a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-it-done attitude
You Bring
- Diploma/Degree in Communication, Graphic, or Packaging Design (or related field)
- 8+ years (minimum) working in a Packaging Design role, with Director level management experience
- Well-rounded portfolio showcasing excellent understanding of brand building and packaging solutions
- A deep understanding of Mac OS, Adobe Creative Suite (Expert knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign), Microsoft Word, Excel, and Keynote
Marks, part of SGS & Co
Who are we?
Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum – from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behaviour, we are uniquely constructed to enable brands to win in an age of constant change.
A super-charged experience powerhouse – 700 people strong, with subject matter experts working collaboratively across 12 studios and 8 countries – we have helped some of the world’s biggest brands (Amazon, LEGO, PepsiCo, Target and AB InBev, to name a few) connect to their audiences and tackle the biggest challenges and opportunities of today’s consumer landscape.
About the team
The Marks Marcom team is our agile and talented agency-with-an-agency. They create smart, insight- driven omni-channel campaigns, programs, and content – bringing them to life across multiple touch-points and mediums, both digital and physical. A multidisciplinary group of problem-solvers, our team uncovers the truth behind client asks and needs, developing innovative and creative solutions that engage audiences, build brands, and drive sales.
About the Role
This position calls for a highly collaborative team member with a creative spark, sophisticated design abilities, strong communication skills, passion, and self-motivation. You will be tasked with thoughtful problem-solving that leads into high-caliber campaign concepts and executions, informed by a strategic framework and narrative –
As a Senior Art Director you not only develop the big idea, but also bring that idea to life across different touch-points and mediums – presenting and selling internally, and to clients, with passion and energy.
You have a keen design eye and hands-on prowess, matched only by your clever conceptual thinking that addresses client needs and business goals. You can shift seamlessly from creating big ideas to crafting high impact visual statements and conceptualizing and visualizing in motion. From social media to digital content, retail programs, traditional media and beyond, you help to set and maintain the quality bar for the creative product of the company at a level that is amongst the top tier within the industry.
You’ll work and consult with teams across our entire Marks ecosystem, on an exciting range of clients and categories, including toys, food & beverage, beer, wine, spirits, technology, personal care, beauty, retail, and many more.
On any given day you might
- Work with your creative team partners to develop overarching campaign ideas and narratives
- Develop overarching campaign visuals and design directions that bring your ideas to life.
- Create individual executions within an existing campaign – everything from OLV storyboards to social content, retail communications and more.
- Build and create compelling presentation decks to frame up and sell your creative ideas.
- Partner with our internal and external productions partners (designers, photographers, CGI, motion etc) to execute your creative vision.
- Actively participate in brainstorming sessions and internal reviews
- Keep up to date with the latest trends and innovations
The ideal person
- Lives and breathes marketing communications – gets excited to talk shop and always learn
- Is innately curious, has an insight into human behavior, and an instinct for popular culture
- Is a hands-on creative that loves to roll up their sleeves and get things done.
- Loves to think in motion – and understands the different ways, and challenges of creating motion content.
- Is embedded in the digital ecosystem, with an intuitive understanding of all its forms.
- Loves digging into problems and seeing beyond the “ask”
- Has an excitement for their discipline that is contagious – with compelling storytelling skills that captivate clients and internal partners alike.
- Is fascinated by the differences between digital and physical experiences – seeking out ways to combine the two worlds.
- Has experience with 360 shopper and trade marketing programs across a wide range of clients (including CPG, food/beverage, wine/spirits, electronics and toys)
You Bring
- Degree or diploma in Graphic design/Advertising & Marketing, or related field
- 6+ years of experience in marketing communications
- Well-rounded portfolio showcasing excellent understanding of campaign development in different communication spaces, mediums and approaches – including print, digital, social content and motion
- Expert fluency in design software, especially Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Fluency in Keynote/Powerpoint. Experience in after-effects, XD, Premiere a bonus!
Marks, part of SGS & Co