Natural Resources Defense Council is seeking an Art Director for its Multimedia department in New York City. This is a hands-on position for an experienced professional who has a diverse portfolio of creative, editorial, and brand materials in both digital and print. We’re seeking a strong and versatile graphic designer who can conceptualize and design cohesive suites of materials that fit within the overall NRDC brand. This may be anything from a suite of digital, printed, and social media materials for a fundraising event to the look of a campaign advancing environmental work. Our designers create a wide range of materials: infographics for social media, T-shirts and buttons, physical experiences at venues and festivals, our Annual Report. Editorial print experience is required, and the successful candidate will be able to conceptualize and design long-form printed materials.
The successful candidate will be a proven visual leader with a definite creative vision, a high level of design sophistication, and a keen eye for photography. Strong typographic skills applied to print, digital and animated text for video are essential. The Art Director will be responsible for maintaining brand guidelines and ensuring all designed material created by NRDC abides by those rules.
Knowledge of NRDC’s core missions is a must and the successful candidate will have a broad knowledge and curiosity about the environment. The multimedia team supports all sections of the organization by producing compelling visual content daily to advance NRDC’s mission to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.
Exacting attention to detail, high ethical standards, and effective communication skills are necessary. The Art Director must have experience tracking large and small projects from conception to completion, insuring key stakeholders are informed throughout the process. The ability to manage relationships with internal and external partners, a small team of designers, and executive management is a must.
This Communications position reports directly to the Multimedia Director.
- Manage a small team of freelance and staff designers. This includes daily duties, setting expectations, giving direction, providing feedback, documenting and rating performance, nurturing top performers and coaching for improvement.
- Participate in the process of visual content creation from ideation to publication, making sure that content is delivered on time and within budget.
- Ensure all design projects are in accordance with the overall visual strategy set by the Multimedia Director and Deputy Multimedia Director.
- Maintain, update, and champion brand guidelines for all visual content produced by NRDC.
Coach others inside and outside the department about proper design, branding, and visual communications.
- Proven ability to conceptualize and design standard communications, including brochures, posters, manuals, annual reports, etc.
- Experience designing graphics for all social media platforms, email newsletters and other forms of digital communications.
- Ability to present all types of data in visual formats including infographics and data visualizations.
- Conceptualize with multimedia directors and work closely with contributing illustrators.
- Experience creating animated GIFs and motion graphics a plus.
- A minimum of 7 to 10 years of experience as a designer at an editorial publication, agency, or corporate communications department with at least 2 years in a senior or leadership role.
- Proven track record of working cross departmentally throughout a complex organization.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully manage multiple daily and long-term projects simultaneously utilizing project management tools and software.
- Organized self-starter but able to work in a collaborative team environment.
- Responsive and quick thinking in rapid paced environments.
- Have a firm understanding of how design works with photography, typography, layout within print, digital, and social platforms.
- Understand and use social media platforms and tools including, but not limited to Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Connections within the creative industry including production houses, freelance designers, illustrators, videographers, photo editors.