The Estee Lauder Companies - Art Director (12month fixed term contract)

As an Art Director on the talented team that makes up our in-house creative agency, ELC Studios, you’ll be working closely with a team of creatives and alongside our prestigious beauty brands to concept, ideate and execute meaningful and impactful visual content and advertising across the Estée Lauder portfolio. Collaborating closely with photographers, videographers, designers and retouchers.

Working on a varied mix of briefs, from effective, high-impact local adaptation work and best-in-class video content to original conceptual advertising and campaign work, you’ll art direct multi-channel creative projects with a consumer-centric, strategic, data-driven approach.

Key responsibilities:

• Developing impactful, beautiful, cutting-edge creative assets with strong storytelling, from ideation and visualisation to execution and delivery.
• Living and breathing our vision to create original, best-in-class work that speaks to its audience, informed by strategy, data and best practices, taking learnings from post-campaign analysis and reporting.
• Acting as a Brand Guardian, ensuring consistency, guidelines and the Global team's creative direction are adhered to.
• Developing close relationships with these brands and championing their overarching creative vision.
• Collaborating with talented in-house videographers, designers, retouchers and photographers ensuring the vision is brought to life beautifully, within budget and to deadline with asset end-use in mind.
• Working closely with Producers on projects towards the shared goal of delivering on time and on brief.
• Directing and collaborating with production teams on set.
• Presenting creative ideas and storyboards independently, communicating ideas clearly and confidently to brands.
• Collaborating with copywriters and directing on set to ensure brand and strategic messaging objectives are hit.
• Hands-on styling on set.
• Supporting with casting.
• Managing stylists, set design and other creative partners.
• Owning quality control and oversight at final delivery.
• Acting as an ambassador of creativity, contributing to the creative culture of the team by sharing emerging trends in beauty, digital platforms, fashion, design, film, art and beyond.
• Supporting the Senior Art Director to deliver against business goals and team KPIs.
• Feedback on creative processes and offer solutions in order to help senior leads to improve our ways of working.

Qualifications:

• Consumer-centric approach to work.
• Conceptual, ideas-first thinker.
• Bring energy, drive and vision to projects.
• Able to interpret data and business strategies into creative projects and rationale.
• Excellent written and presentation skills, confidence communicating with people at all levels.
• In-depth knowledge of digital platforms, audiences, nuances and best practices.
• Understanding of the importance of the role of messaging and copywriting in visual storytelling.
• Able to compellingly rationalise creative work.
• Possessing the agility needed to pivot and adapt creatively to change.
• Excellent problem-solving and negotiation skills.
• Hunger and drive to push boundaries and innovations in order to stay ahead of the curve.
• Excellent people skills, able to form strong relationships.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Refined taste levels with a rich and varied frame of reference.
• Thorough understanding of luxury and beauty markets.
• Confidence in directing video and stills from concept to completion.
• Ability to find solutions to propose and create effective work at all budget levels.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Multiple years experience in creative content, design and art direction either agency, beauty or luxury brand.
• Excellent knowledge of and frame of reference in design.
• Educated to Degree level or have relevant experience in their appropriate discipline and management experience.
• Comfortable with hands-on texture, product and prop styling.
• On-set direction experience.
• Collaborative and able to take direction.
• Experience in answering briefs at global campaign level.
• Proficient in Adobe CS.
• Experience working within Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Experience with the admin side of creative-timesheets, filing, budgets and timings.

Must-haves:

• Digital-mobile-first mindset.
• Ability to think strategically.
• Passion for or interest in the beauty sector.
• Understanding of marketing objectives.
• Awareness of emerging trends.
• Proactive, solutions-focused, positive can-do attitude.
• Collaborative mindset.
• Consumer-first approach.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Willingness to learn and grow.
• Willing and available to work outside of normal working hours as required to fulfil duties.

Nice to haves:

• Background in graphics desired.
• Knowledge of production.
• Knowledge of creative process best practices.
• Illustration skills.
• Experience working closely with copywriters.