Freelance Associate Director - Creative

About this role

WHY DEPT®? We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA. We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done.

It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter. At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build. THE ROLE: The Associate Director, Creative is a visual visionary and a tactical leader. You are responsible for defining the aesthetic direction of our key accounts and ensuring that every touchpoint, from social content to large-scale integrated campaigns, is visually stunning and strategically sound.

In this role, you bridge the gap between "the big idea" and "the beautiful execution." You are a master of craft who can still design or art direct high-stakes work, but you are equally focused on mentoring a team of designers and art directors to elevate their visual output. WHAT YOU’LL DO: Lead the visual evolution of brands. You’ll oversee the art direction for pitches and flagship projects, ensuring all work meets a world-class standard of design, typography, and composition.

Guide a team of junior to mid-level Art Directors and Designers. You’ll provide specific, craft-based feedback that pushes their work further while helping them develop their own visual voices. Take ownership of the visual narrative across multi-channel campaigns. You’ll lead the aesthetic side of "the big idea," ensuring a cohesive look and feel across film, digital, social, and physical experiences. Lead the visual side of production, from selecting photographers and directors to overseeing color grading, retouching, and motion design, ensuring the final product matches the original creative vision.

Act as the visual authority in client meetings. You’ll present design systems and art direction with passion and clarity, helping clients understand the strategic "why" behind visual choices. Partner with Creative leadership to evolve design workflows, establish quality standards, and identify new tools or AI-driven technologies to keep the team’s craft future-ready. Foster an inclusive, design-forward culture that encourages experimentation, shared learning, and a relentless pursuit of visual excellence.