Art Director (SEO) in London

Art Director (SEO)

What we’re looking for We need outstanding specialists in digital design, copy writing and content production, who have a high level of expertise and will put audiences at the heart of everything they do. We're seeking innovative minds and creative talents to help craft our evolving vision. This is a unique opportunity to grow, learn and share your talent with a team of diverse experts with passion and a genuine curiosity to innovate client comms. Most importantly, we want people who care about delivering outstanding communication for the public.

We value colleagues who embrace change, think outside the box, and thrive in a dynamic environment where responsibilities evolve with our ambitions. We welcome applications from the widest range of people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. If you're passionate about making your mark and flourishing in an atmosphere that champions fresh thinking and adaptability, we want to hear from you.

The role

As an Art Director (SEO), you will be the visual and conceptual engine room. You will work within a \"Concept Team,\" partnered with a Concept Copywriter, to generate the big ideas that drive campaigns.

We are welcoming applications from individual Art Directors looking for a new partner, or established creative teams (Art Director + Copywriter) who wish to join together.

In this role, you will move beyond simple execution to true ideation. You will be responsible for the \"look and feel\" of client priorities, turning dry policy into visually arresting social concepts. You will visualize ideas for paid social, creator briefs, and integrated campaigns, ensuring that every piece of content stops the scroll.

Responsibilities & Duties

• Conceptual Ideation: Work alongside a Senior Copywriter partner to brainstorm and develop \"big ideas\" for social-first campaigns. You will turn briefs into creative concepts that work across paid, organic, and creator channels.

• Visual Direction & Storyboarding: Create scamps, mood boards, and storyboards to visualize scripts and concepts. You will define the visual language of a video or static post before it goes into production.

• Social-First Art Direction: Ensure all output feels \"native\" to the platform. You understand that the visual aesthetic of a TikTok trend is different from a high-polish YouTube documentary, and you can direct the visual style for both.

• Creative Presentation: Mock up high-quality visuals for pitch decks and presentations. You will help \"sell\" brave creative concepts to senior stakeholders by showing them exactly what the idea will look like.

• Brand Guardianship: Act as the visual checkpoint for the unit. Whether it’s a creator-led video or a paid graphic, you ensure the art direction is consistent, high-quality, and aligned with the campaign identity.

• Production Oversight: Collaborate with designers, editors, motion designers, and videographers to ensure your vision is executed correctly during the production and post production phases. • Travel to London for team/client/stakeholder meetings and presentations will be required on a regular and ad-hoc basis

• Your role will require you to work across a variety of portfolios

Experience / Ability

Essential

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio of social-first campaigns and content. We want to see ideas, not just finished polish—show us how you solved a problem visually.

• Conceptual Thinking: Experience working in a creative team (or as a solo creative) generating concepts for integrated or social campaigns. You don't just design; you think.

• Visual Versatility: The ability to switch visual styles instantly—from lo-fi, authentic \"UGC style\" aesthetics to polished, cinematic messaging.

• Platform Fluency: You are obsessed with internet culture. You know the current visual trends, meme formats, and editing styles dominating the feeds right now.

• Experience in a fast-paced agency or newsroom environment.

Desirable

• Experience working in a formal \"creative pair\" (AD/CW).

• Motion design or illustration skills.

• Channel Knowledge: Deep understanding of visual formats across platforms—from 9:16 vertical video composition and safe zones (TikTok/Reels/Shorts) to YouTube thumbnails and Reddit image trends.

Technical

• We need an Art Director who can visualize ideas quickly and effectively using modern tools.

• Creative Suite Proficiency: High proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for mocking up concepts and creating key visuals.

• Presentation Design: Advanced skills in Google Slides and PowerPoint. You must be able to design compelling decks that narrate a creative journey for stakeholders.

• Video Prototyping: Basic knowledge of Premiere Pro or CapCut/After Effects is desirable to create \"rip-o-matics\" or mood films to demonstrate a video concept.

• Collaboration Platforms: Proficiency in Google Workspace (Drive, Slides)and Figma (for collaborative design/whiteboarding).

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing: You can articulate creative ideas clearly to non-creatives, using visuals to bridge the gap and influence decision-making. Similarly you are able to absorb feedback from policy or senior officials and make constructive compromises.

• Delivering at Pace: You can produce high-quality scamps and visual concepts rapidly to meet the demands of a reactive news cycle.

• Seeing the Big Picture: You understand how the visual tone of a campaign impacts public perception and aligns with the goal of rebuilding trust.

• Making effective decisions: You analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions and present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.