Associate Design Director

We have an opening for an Associate Design Director as part of 2x4’s Branding team. The associate design director at 2x4 is a senior-level position, actively building skills in design leadership, design strategy, and project team management equally into their role. Associate design directors are responsible for collaboration with directors and the Project Management group on large-scale projects as well as independent management of smaller scale projects simultaneously. Associate directors follow projects with teams from beginning to end, providing responsive solutions to client and team mandates, innovating design approaches, and providing direction and mentorship to more junior group members. The associate director leads by the example of their personal standard of creative excellence.

Responsibilities:

• Studio Leadership: Mentor team members and contribute to hiring decisions; develop processes that improve collaboration and team effectiveness; actively shape a positive studio culture.
• Creative: Direct, critique, and produce design work at the highest level; lead project teams on mid-sized and key phases of large-scale projects with attention to creativity, technical polish, and strategic alignment.
• Strategic Implementation: Lead strategic processes including brand strategy, client brief assessment, competitive audits, positioning, brand architecture, and campaign strategy; ensure all work aligns with client objectives.
• Technical Execution: Vet designs for production quality; oversee well-organized, production-ready files and technical documentation; conduct detailed QA and manage delivery of final deliverables.
• Project Oversight: Lead mid-to-large-scale projects and critical phases of the studio’s largest engagements across cross-disciplinary teams.
• Team & Project Management: Support directors in project allocation, workflow, budget, and scheduling; balance design excellence with strategic and management priorities; deliver work on time with close attention to detail.
• Collaboration: Lead engagement with creative partners — motion contractors, copywriters, photographers — providing direction and maintaining clear communication between all parties.
• Client Engagement: Lead client presentations and design discussions; communicate solutions from high-level strategy to nuanced detail; serve as primary design point of contact between presentations.
• Mentorship: Support and mentor team members from interns to senior designers; contribute to team education in specialized skills as appropriate.

Qualifications:

• Experience: 5–8+ years in visual design or related fields
• Education: BA/BFA or MFA in visual design or related field
• Project experience: Large-scale branding projects across sectors, concept through production; proven ability managing concurrent projects with client-facing and technical responsibilities
• Technical skills: Understanding of design strategy, proficiency in visual design systems development; comprehensive understanding of production from physical print (small to x-large scale) to digital; proficiency in software related to visual design – Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat, Figma – required; proficiency in After Effects/Premiere/Glyphs (or other relevant font-design programs) is a bonus
• Communication: Advanced written and spoken English-language skills; able to lead design discussions, present work professionally, and communicate fluently with clients and creative partners

Please send a CV and portfolio in PDF format to [email protected] along with a letter of interest. Please include “Associate Design Director / Branding” and your full name in the subject line.

The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000, depending on experience.