Art Director

About the Company:

FreeRange Concepts was founded in 2011 and includes: The Rustic, Bowl & Barrel, The General Public, Joe Leo Fine Tex Mex and Birdies Icehouse. Our company motto is simple: CREATE REMARKABLE MEMORIES. At each of our concepts, we pioneer the freshest ideas in the dining industry. We believe, if you like to have fun, enjoy working as a team, take ownership of your actions, and have passion for what we do, success will follow.

Job Description:

We are looking for a talented Art Director with a strong hands-on background in graphic design and proven experience leading art and design direction across multiple mediums. The ideal candidate for this role will have a passion for storytelling, be a strong conceptual thinker, lead with a point of view, and understand how to creatively market each brand voice in a way that resonates with different target audiences. This is a player-coach role: part hands-on designer, part creative leader who manages a Graphic Designer.

This position will report to the VP of Marketing and work collaboratively with the full marketing team and cross functional departments to develop a high standard of creative output that supports the business and brand. This role will cultivate & enhance each of the established 5 brands in the company portfolio by leading and producing creative materials for all.

Please submit a portfolio of your past work when applying. Please include one to two case studies that show your thinking: the brief, the idea, and why it worked.

Responsibilities:

• Ideate and execute creative concepts & campaigns that are on strategy across a variety of media (Print, Email, Ads, Web, Video, Animations, Experiential)
• Generate breakthrough ideas and constantly strive for innovative solutions
• Create and direct brand vision and strategy during photo shoots, including comprehensive shot lists aligned with brand requirements and channel needs
• Collaborate with cross functional team to create a high volume of cohesive work on time, on budget, and on brief
• Manage, coach, and develop the Graphic Designer with clear priorities, timelines, and actionable feedback
• Own creative quality and workflow: review all work before it leaves the team, set QA standards, and manage the Monday.com projects board
• Maintain awareness of current industry creative and technology standards, social media, competitive landscape and market trends
• Manage print & photographer vendor relationships, including quotes, proofs, and invoicing
• Be a source of positivity, inspiration, creativity and fun, and set the tone for how the team feels about the work

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a directly related field (advertising, graphic design, visual arts, etc.)
• 7+ years creative work experience required, including 2+ years leading or mentoring other designers
• Candidate must have a strong portfolio of past work
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and project management platforms (e.g., Monday.com)
• Must be proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically InDesign & Photoshop)
• Animation and video editing skills
• Ability to give and receive creative direction and feedback
• Food photography and/or restaurant creative experience, ideally across multiple brands
• Must be able to handle high-level projects, as well as several assignments at a time.
• Excellent communication skills, including presenting creative rationale to leadership and cross-functional partners
• Creative and flexible with an elevated eye for color, design, typography, layouts
• Understand foundational design concepts (i.e. spatial relations & typography) and branding best practices
• Be an out of the box thinker to create new experiences within our design aesthetic & brand guidelines, and a self-starter who brings ideas without being asked.
• Strong attention to detail and organization