Design Director

ABOUT US

Interact Brands is a branding agency with a deep focus on consumer brands, specializing in creating meaningful and memorable brand identities that connect with culture and resonate in today’s marketplace. Our team is driven by collaboration, creativity, and impact, consistently pushing boundaries to bring out the best in our work and in each other. We operate in a dynamic, flexible environment with a commitment to both remote and hybrid work.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a leader of the Creative team, the Design Director is tasked with cultivating enviable work by inspiring the team to come up with big creative ideas that challenge categories, not consumers. You will spearhead the creative pushes on your projects as well as those of the broader studio, inspiring and leading designers to create bold and unexpected design work we aim to achieve. The Design Director will report to the Creative Director who will mentor and support your development as a creative leader at the studio while you mentor and develop a team of designers. DDs also work closely with the Strategy and Account teams and ensure strong client relationships. 

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RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Creative Leadership:
    • Lead creative projects under the direction of the Creative Director.
    • Work with the Strategy team and the Creative Director to craft design strategies that develop strong foundations and  push the creative work of the studio and inspire the design team.
    • Lead the creation and curation of mood boards, produce mock-ups and audits.
    • Lead the creation of concept sketches, connective design systems and final brand assets to completion.
    • Create designs, campaigns and activations either through your own work or by cultivating it through your team.
    • Work across various mediums including, but not limited to: identity, packaging, activations, campaigns, digital media, structure and environments.
    • Cultivate and grow client relationships in partnership with your account and new business teams, looking for ways to build relationships and extend projects outside of initial scopes.
    • Support creative leadership with any tasks needed to build out internal and external assets as needed.
    • Look for opportunities to increase efficiencies and workflow processes on the creative team. 
  • Mentorship and Team Management:
    • The Design Director has the opportunity to mentor the designers on their team. Helping to guide the quality and technical skill of their creative output. And helping them develop their soft skills including, but not limited to: presentation skills, ability to articulate their creative ideas clearly and their ability to manage their time effectively.
    • Delegate tasks to team members and ensure project deadlines are met.
    • Support the mentorship of your design team to help the growth of the creative department. This includes having bi-weekly meetings with direct team members, having working sessions outside of full project team meetings and being the support system for the growth of more junior team members.
    • Motivate and develop the creative team at all levels by celebrating wins and coaching with feedback.
    • Support the Creative Director with needs related to team management, performance feedback and time management. 
  • Client Relationships:
    • Present to clients in professional and impactful ways that clearly communicate the conceptual ideas of designs.
    • Champion efforts toward creating work that meets aligned-upon client success metrics.
    • Confidently and effectively present to all audiences (from multinationals to entrepreneurs)
    • Be an effective guide to our clients, understanding when to make recommendations and persuade in service of producing successful, best-in-class work and strong relationships.
  • Other Responsibilities: 
    • Support Creative team by building strong roster of freelancers to tap into
    • Be actively involved in the development of best-in-class case studies
    • Occasionally will be used for design tasks/needs

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KEYS TO SUCCESS 

  • High level of conceptual thinking, show the ability to push our clients in unexpected ways, try to find solutions that help future-proof their brands.
  • Motivation to learn new skills, as well as teach skills to other team members.
  • Clearly and effectively communicate with the design team in order to drive creative vision.
  • Ability to foster meaningful relationships with a range of clients.
  • Collaborate with and be a strategic partner to the Account and Strategy team. 
  • Deep design, branding, and packaging experience with passion for building world-class brands.

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REQUIREMENTS 

  • 5 - 7+ years of design &/or branding agency experience 
  • 1+ year of experience managing a team and desire to mentor and develop team members
  • Strong communication and presentation skills with experience interacting with clients at senior and executive levels

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BENEFITS

  • Health, dental, vision coverage for Interact employees and their family
  • Paid maternity/paternity leave after 6 months of service 
  • Remote work flexibility with hybrid office spaces in Austin and NYC
  • Flexible vacation policy - up to 23 days of PTO per year 
  • Sick days - accrue 1 hour for every 30 hours
  • 3+ weeks paid holiday closures including Interact Disconnect Day
  • Summer Fridays - studio closes at 1PM MST
  • Mind Reset Stipend - $100/quarter flexible mental, physical health reimbursement 
  • Access to a 401K plan and company match up to 4% after 6 months of service
  • Professional development opportunities
  • MacBook laptops 

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SALARY

$105,000-$135,000

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Starting base salary depends on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

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OUR COMMITMENT 

Interact Brands is committed to equitable hiring and employment practices and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race,  color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

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Ready to apply? Send your resume & portfolio to People & Talent Director, lyndsey@interactbrands.com