Senior Key Art Designer

Based in the heart of London and LA, Once Upon a Time is an integrated marketing & content agency that builds brands and creates end-to-end campaigns for our clients. We know how to speak to the people that can't wait to indulge in movies, TV, games, consumer products and music. We're much more than an agency - we're an extension of our clients' teams.

From strategy, to creative, to production, to media, we handle it all. We conceive it. We design it. We make it. We place it.

We sweat the small stuff and the big stuff, across sector and craft, to deliver more of the world-class content everyone loves.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced and highly creative Senior Key Art Designer to join our growing creative team.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in entertainment design, with proven experience creating high-quality key art and campaign creative across film, television and streaming platforms.

This is a hands-on senior role requiring excellent conceptual thinking, strong design craft and advanced image manipulation and retouching skills. You will be comfortable taking projects from initial brief and concept development through to final artwork, while working closely with Creative Directors, Producers, Account Teams and other members of the studio.

A large amount of the role will be working on Netflix on-platform creative (a mixture of conceptual and stills-based concepts). So, we are looking for someone who has a good eye for extracting moments from content that adhere to the brief and land clear genre cues to work effectively on platform.

You will also play an important role in supporting and mentoring more junior designers, helping maintain a consistently high creative standard across the department.

We are an exciting, bustling studio who work collaboratively. Therefore, we require the right candidate to deliver quality, speed and have a can-do attitude.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop compelling and original key art concepts for film, television and entertainment campaigns.
• Take creative briefs from initial concept through to final artwork and delivery.
• Produce high-quality compositions using photography, supplied assets, illustration, typography and image manipulation.
• Create multiple creative routes and confidently develop concepts following internal and client feedback.
• Work to deliver final campaign assets across theatrical, streaming, digital, social, OOH and print formats.
• Demonstrate advanced Photoshop compositing, retouching and image manipulation skills.
• Work collaboratively with Creative Directors, Designers, Producers, Account Teams and Production teams.
• Present and articulate creative thinking clearly during internal reviews.
• Interpret client feedback constructively while protecting the strength of the creative idea.
• Ensure all work meets brand guidelines, technical specifications and required quality standards.
• Work effectively across multiple projects and deadlines within a fast-paced studio environment.
• Support and mentor junior and midweight designers, providing constructive creative feedback and guidance.Li>
• Help raise creative standards across the department by sharing knowledge, techniques and inspiration.
• Maintain organised working files and follow agreed studio workflows and processes.
• Work closely with artwork and production teams to ensure concepts can be successfully developed through to final delivery.
• Keep up to date with developments in entertainment marketing, design, typography, photography, visual culture and emerging creative technologies.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience working as a Key Art Designer, Senior Designer or similar role within an entertainment, creative or advertising agency.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality film, television or entertainment key art.
• Excellent conceptual and visual communication skills.
• Advanced Adobe Photoshop skills, particularly compositing, image manipulation and retouching.
• Strong understanding of typography, composition, colour and visual hierarchy.
• Experience creating campaign concepts rather than solely adapting existing creative.
• Ability to work confidently with photography and supplied talent imagery.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Experience working across multiple projects simultaneously in a deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to respond positively and constructively to creative feedback.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively as part of a wider creative team.
• Experience with Netflix tools and on-platform workflow.
• Experience working with major film studios, broadcasters or streaming platforms.
• Experience working across global entertainment campaigns.
• Knowledge of entertainment finishing and production workflows.
• Experience creating artwork for theatrical, streaming, home entertainment, social and digital campaigns.
• Experience using AI-assisted creative tools as part of the concept development process.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.
• An understanding of motion design or After Effects would be advantageous but is not essential.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who combines strong ideas with exceptional craft.

You should be comfortable starting with a blank page and developing an original visual idea, while equally being able to take an established campaign direction and elevate it through excellent design and execution.

You will be collaborative, proactive and comfortable working in a fast-moving creative environment where priorities can change quickly. You should have the confidence and experience expected of a senior designer, while remaining open to feedback and willing to support others within the team.

Most importantly, you should have a genuine passion for entertainment, visual storytelling and creating work that audiences want to engage with.

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