Art Director

Role Overview

• Lead creative concept development across integrated campaigns, bringing original, strategy-driven ideas to briefs
• Serve as the creative lead on assigned accounts, articulating and defending the visual direction to clients and internal teams
• Collaborate with producers, developers, copywriters, and media teams to ensure the creative vision carries through every channel and deliverable
• Produce web assets, display advertising, email campaigns, and landing pages with consistency, accessibility awareness, and spec accuracy
• Work fluidly with development teams, understanding how your designs will be built and communicating accordingly
• Lead brand identity projects from discovery through standards documentation — logos, typography, color systems, and usage guidelines
• Design and prepare print-ready files across a range of formats, with a thorough understanding of production specifications and vendor requirements
• Art direct photo and video productions with confidence — providing clear visual direction on composition, wardrobe, set, and color
• Develop pre-production materials including mood boards, shot references, and frame guides
• Maintain creative integrity from concept through final delivery, including post-production review
• Concept social-first creative that is built for the medium, not adapted from other channels
• Stay current on platform trends and emerging formats and apply that knowledge proactively

Requirements

• 3–5+ years of art direction experience in an agency or comparable creative environment
• A portfolio demonstrating range across multiple disciplines — web, identity, print, broadcast, and/or social
• Deep proficiency in Figma, including components, auto-layout, prototyping, and design system workflows
• Strong command of Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Solid understanding of design fundamentals: typography, color theory, composition, and visual hierarchy
• Working knowledge of HTML and CSS sufficient to communicate effectively with developers
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and communicate proactively on timelines and scope
• Occasional travel and on-set availability required
• Experience with motion design and animation principles; ability to direct animators or provide keyframe-level guidance
• Familiarity with After Effects, Lottie, or comparable animation tools
• Background working on travel/tourism, food/beverage, healthcare, or entertainment accounts

Benefits

• 15 Paid Vacation Days: Days reset at your start date and do not roll over. You'll have the ability to withdraw a negative balance of up to 5 days, and you begin the year with your days already afforded
• Paid Holidays: Your Birthday, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Monday after the Super Bowl, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• Two-Hour Windows: So long as the privilege is not abused, we offer each employee 2-hour leave windows at the beginning (9am
• 11am EST) and end of the workday (3pm
• 5pm EST) to tend to any appointments like unexpected child care challenges, doctor's visits, home maintenance, etc. that do not count against your allotted paid time off
• Health Plan: All employees are eligible to enroll in one of (3) Sentara Health Plans; with Sway covering 80% of employee's cost and 50% of your dependents
• Dental Insurance: Sway pays 100% of employee's United Concordia Dental Plan
• Retirement Benefits: Sway's 401(k) policy offers a solid foundation for your retirement planning; we match your contributions at a 1:1 rate for the first 3% of your pay, and then add an extra $0.50 for each dollar you contribute on the following 2% of your pay. Contributions are fully vested immediately.
• Upskilling Opportunities: As "curiosity of craft" is one of our core values, Sway encourages continued education and skill advancement with 100% reimbursement of at least one approved employee upskilling initiative per year (conferences, courses, certifications, etc.)