Associate Creative Director, Design

$152,000 - $185,000/Yr

Honeybook - San Francisco, CA

Full-time - Senior

San Francisco, CA

10,001+ employees

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

HoneyBook is seeking an Associate Creative Director, Design to lead high-level design strategy and direction for various work streams that contribute to the evolution of our internal and external brand storytelling. In this role, you will be a multifaceted and curious senior creative with a passion for people leadership, a strategic mindset, and a keen eye for detail. You will be responsible for building brand design systems that are not only aesthetically compelling but also measurably functional and emotionally resonant. As a multi-platform thinker, you will explore the unique opportunities each medium provides, from promotional collateral for podcasts to motion graphics for video. Your day-to-day responsibilities will center around creative leadership, empowering a cross-disciplinary design team to execute brand experiences for HoneyBook. You will be hands-on in concepting, pitching, and building comprehensive brand design systems and bespoke creative outputs when necessary. Collaboration is key, as you will work closely with the Associate Creative Director, Copy, and the Executive Creative Director to ensure cohesive and impactful creative output across all projects. You will also look beyond everyday deliverables to identify new opportunities for creative growth and innovation, nurturing emerging skill sets within your team. In this role, you will develop and implement high-level design strategies that align with HoneyBook's brand and business objectives, oversee the creation of comprehensive brand design systems, and foster a culture of creative excellence within your team. You will also be responsible for mentoring and nurturing the skills of your design team members, ensuring that HoneyBook's brand identity remains relevant and impactful. Your ability to articulate the rationale behind design decisions and remain open to feedback will be crucial as you collaborate with various teams and HB leadership to drive the brand's evolution.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement high-level design strategies that align with HoneyBook's brand and business objectives.
• Create and oversee comprehensive brand design systems that are aesthetically compelling, functionally effective, and emotionally resonant across various platforms and mediums.
• Empower and guide a cross-disciplinary design team, fostering a culture of creative excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Conceptualize and direct design solutions across diverse mediums, from promotional collateral for podcasts to motion graphics for video.
• Work closely with the Associate Creative Director, Copy and the Executive Creative Director to ensure cohesive and impactful creative output across all projects.
• Take a hands-on approach in concepting, pitching, and building comprehensive brand design systems and bespoke creative outputs when necessary.
• Partner with various teams and HB leadership to identify new opportunities for creative growth and innovation, both internally and externally.
• Mentor and nurture the skills of your design team members, identifying and fostering emerging talents and skillsets.
• Articulate the rationale behind design decisions, remain open to feedback, and confidently represent your point of view in creative discussions.
• Collaborate with and direct agency partners, ensuring their work aligns with HoneyBook's brand vision and meets high-quality standards.
• Continuously assess and evolve HoneyBook's brand identity, ensuring it remains relevant, impactful, and true to the company's values and goals.
• Work with relevant teams to understand the impact of design decisions on business metrics, using these insights to inform future strategies and creative directions.

Requirements

• 10+ years experience in an ad agency and/or in-house studio environment as an art director and designer, or in a field where comparable skill sets have been developed.
• At least five years in-house experience, ideally focused on creating design systems and innovative brand campaigns.
• Demonstrated fluency with design tools, including the full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma.
• Competency working in Keynote and G Suite products.
• Experience directing video, animations, and motion graphics is a plus.
• Experience in a people-leadership role on design teams, with the ability to coordinate, direct, and provide design direction to contractors, agencies, and in-house multi-disciplinary creatives.
• Strong conceptual thinking with the ability to define scalable brand design systems.
• A trained eye for aesthetics, who is also analytical, operationally oriented, and metrics driven.
• Up to date on the latest best practices for web design, responsive grid systems, Google Material Design, CSS and JavaScript capabilities.
• Experience setting up brand design systems that are appropriate for digital/product.

Nice-to-haves

• A love for process and the creation of guidelines and documentation (in addition to creative briefs, functional specifications etc.).

Benefits

• Competitive salary + meaningful equity based on merit.
• Wellness programs.
• Exceptional family leave policies.