Art Director

Location: Fully Remote OR Chicago, IL (Hybrid – Wednesdays in office)

Duration: Through January/February 2027

Hours: 40 hours/week, Monday–Friday, approximately 9am–5pm CT

Pay Rate: $40–$50/hr. Our client is looking for a senior-level Designer / Art Director to join their in-house creative team on a contract basis, covering an employee leave. This person will be a hands-on designer and conceptual creative thinker who can take a project from a blank-page brief, develop the overarching visual direction, and help bring that vision to life across multiple channels. The creative team supports a wide variety of projects across the organization, with a strong focus on retail marketing, seasonal campaigns, product collections, and brand initiatives. Projects may span digital, web, email, social, in-store print, flyers, signage, promotional materials, swag/giveaways, and occasional packaging.

Key Responsibilities: Take creative briefs from initial concept through visual development, establishing strong creative and design direction. Develop key visuals and campaign concepts for retail, marketing, and broader business initiatives. Translate concepts across digital, social, email, web, print, in-store, and other customer touchpoints. Work within established brand/style guidelines while bringing fresh ideas and creative thinking to each project. Create and manipulate imagery and assets in Photoshop to develop polished, compelling compositions. Partner closely with designers and production artists to hand off creative direction and ensure consistency through execution. Provide creative guidance and mentorship to other designers as needed. Collaborate with Visual Merchandising, Brand, Marketing, Copy, and other cross-functional partners.

Qualifications: 7+ years of graphic design and/or art direction experience. Strong conceptual design skills with the ability to take a brief from a blank page through a fully realized visual direction. Retail and/or retail marketing experience strongly preferred. Advanced Photoshop skills, particularly around compositing, image manipulation, and building visuals from multiple assets. Portfolio demonstrating campaign development across a mix of digital and traditional channels. Experience leading, mentoring, or providing creative direction to other designers. Comfortable balancing hands-on design execution with higher-level conceptual thinking. Ability to work independently while collaborating within a larger creative team.

Nice to Have: Cannabis industry experience is a plus, but not required. Basic animation/motion design experience for digital signage, such as kinetic typography or other light motion work. This person will report to the Director of Design and Creative Services and work closely with a creative team of approximately 10, including designers, production designers, and copywriters.