WE ARE HIRING AN ART DIRECTOR

Note:
​This is an important position, and we are actively on the hunt for someone who is a great fit. We are going to be picky, and the interview process is assured to be rigorous, so you might want to start lifting weights with your mouse hand.

We are on the hunt for an Art Director. 
FULL-TIME, IN  HOUSE, IN WHITEFISH, MONTANA.

This is a big one. This person is a creative genius and they LOVE THE WORK.
This person is as empathetic as they are witty. This person is a badass with all things Adobe. This person is so in tune with the outdoor industry, they can understand the difference between a cause and a symptom of a bigger problem, and then prescribe the right visual solution. This person communicates visually, and they know how to get shit done. Best of all, this person loves everything they just read in this post. Is this person a mythical being-- a cross between Frida Kahlo, Thoreau, and Pattie Gonia? Maybe. But we won't stop until we find what we're looking for. 
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Art Directors are problem solvers. They're not afraid to roll up their sleeves, grab a mouse, and throw down some legendary work, however, most of the time, they oversee the work of designers, determine overall style and tone, create images, inspire others, and saturate everything they touch with strategy. They know how to create work that makes people feel feelings.

They are able to run creative direction on campaigns, as well as supervise designers and photographers on multiple projects. The Art Director is a leader, a creative mind and a storyteller all in one. They know that great design solves problems. This person talks to clients and loves delivering big presentations and answering client questions, often alongside someone on our Accounts Team.

This position reports to the CEO, Creative Director, and Operations Director, and oversees the design team.

Responsibilities:
An Art Director has many duties and responsibilities. This person likely has an affinity for hats because in a small agency like ours, this position wears a lot of them. One day may involve organizing commercial shoots with lots of backcountry skiing while another day involves writing campaign copy for a surf company on the east coast. Another day may involve art direction for a corporate campaign followed by tracking results of a 360 campaign for a client who makes beer for a living. Every day is different. Every project is different. Every client deserves our best efforts, no matter what.

Creative Concepts
Art Directors work alongside the Creative Team and report to the Creative Director to explore and develop design concepts and directions for marketing campaigns, print and digital materials, and multiple projects. This requires them to make conceptual and stylistic decisions and be able to back them up. Creating layouts, mockups and prototypes may be required to illustrate their design idea to other members of the team or management. This occasionally involves coming up with slogans and copy for campaigns. This also involves a plan for tracking effectiveness of work.

Creative Thinking
This person must be able to give engaging presentations to our internal team as well as clients. This person absolutely must be able to hold a room and set the tone, delivering presentations that are as intelligent as they are entertaining to match the Wheelie brand. This person also acts as quality control for their projects by reviewing and editing their team’s final products before distribution of any materials occurs. This person will be client-facing, which involves deeply understanding and matching the Wheelie brand, which delivers work as excellent as its customer service.

Conduct Research
Staying ahead of design trends, creative trends, industry trends, and socioeconomic trends is crucial to the success of the Art Director position. To best serve our clients, this person views research as a lifestyle choice, and this person continually researches marketing trends and strategies and the technologies used in advertisement practices. They must be able to recognize their intended audience and the best strategies for reaching said population. They must also be aware of what competitors are doing in order to create innovative and new designs and concepts. They must be bold.


Skills:
The Art Director should be a creative individual with fantastic interpersonal skills. They must be a reliable employee and enjoy challenging and fast-paced work. Being extremely motivated and having strong leadership skills is also important. 

Core skills: 

• You know a picture is worth 1000 words, and you know how to communicate in video, design, and still image. 
• You understand human emotion and how to evoke it through creative work.
• You understand the outdoor industry and the hundreds of cultures within it.
• Design is your thing, and you don't mind having a supportive boss or two to help nudge you when you need it. You must be able to inspire and guide a team of wild creatives, unhinged, and on-budget.
• You must like fun. We do not like not-fun, but we work really hard. Is that a skill? Maybe not, but it is mandatory.
• Mastery of design practices such as brand development, user-centered experience design, digital design, and all things social media.
• Mastery of computer skills, especially the Adobe Creative Suite. We use a lot of real art supplies, too.
• Knowledge of marketing practices, particularly in the outdoor industry.
• The ability to take educated chances and make them pay off. 
• The ability to infuse projects with whimsy and craft. We have a special style. Sometimes it is irreverent. This person cannot be afraid to create wild work with clients ranging from camp stoves to festivals to beer.
• Personable as a Golden Retriever puppy with the tenacity of a honeybee. 
• Ability to work in a loud environment full of bikes, dogs, and sometimes kids.
• Ability to show up with a smile, care about the work we create, and care about the clients and our crew as human beings. 

If you do not want to work in our office, FULL-TIME IN WHITEFISH MONTANA, do not apply.
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If you view this position as a stepping stone to starting your own agency, do not apply. We are looking for someone who is in this for the long haul and who is stoked on living in one of the most beautiful ski towns in the country.

Salary: DOE
Hours: FULL-TIME, 40 hours per week, in our office.  (Currently, we work 4x10's M-Th and have Fridays off.)
Location: Whitefish, Montana
Starting Date: Flexible for the right person.
How to apply:  
Send cover letter, resume, digital portfolio, and salary requirements
to hello@wheeliecreative.com
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