Senior Art Director

Job Description

Who we are:

Founded in 1978, GS&F is an award-winning, fully integrated marketing and communications agency. GS&F delivers proven results for clients providing experienced marketing, creative, interactive, media, public relations and production specialists under one roof. Our client roster includes major regional, national and global clients. A fiercely independent agency, GS&F takes an audience-first approach to determine the path to each client’s most dramatic business potential. We expose the truth and create an experience around it with this approach.

Most importantly, GS&F is a fully employed-owned company. As a team member, you become an owner in the company.

Who we are looking for:

Our team is made up of makers, strategists, creatives, analysts, and big thinkers who believe great ideas can come from anywhere. If you’re a conceptual thinker who thrives on turning insights into powerful, integrated creative, and elevating the work of those around you, we want to meet you.

We’re looking for a versatile, hands-on Senior Art Director who combines strong design craft, conceptual campaign thinking, and motion design capabilities with strategic thinking and creative leadership. In this role, you’ll lead the development of big ideas and help shape campaigns from concept through execution. You’ll bring ideas to life across a wide range of mediums, from integrated campaigns and brand design to animation, motion graphics, and digital content. You’re as comfortable creating the work as you are directing it, and you know how to push ideas further while bringing clients along in the process.

Key Responsibilities

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• Lead the development and execution of integrated creative concepts across print, digital, social, OOH, broadcast, web, and emerging platforms
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• Concept, design, and execute creative work across integrated campaigns, brand identity, digital, social, and motion graphics
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• Bring versatility to the creative process, moving seamlessly between campaign ideation, hands-on design, and animation to deliver compelling work across platforms
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• Establish and lead visual systems, brand frameworks, and design consistency across campaigns and channels
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• Develop guidelines, toolkits, and scalable design systems to ensure cohesive execution across all touchpoints
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• Partner closely with copywriters, strategists, account management, and production to deliver cohesive, insight-driven campaigns
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• Provide clear creative direction and actionable feedback to designers and junior team members to elevate the overall quality of work
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• Mentor and support the growth of junior and mid-level creatives, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment
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• Own and improve creative workflow processes to drive efficiency, clarity, and quality across projects
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• Partner with creative production and account management to plan resourcing, manage timelines, and ensure smooth project delivery
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• Ensure work is delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standard of craft and accuracy
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• Present creative work to clients with confidence, articulating the strategy and thinking behind ideas
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• Build strong relationships with clients and act as a trusted creative partner, helping them see and achieve their brand’s full potential
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• Oversee production across photo, video, audio, and digital executions to ensure work is executed at the highest standard
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• Contribute to and lead brainstorms, generating original ideas while building on and refining the ideas of others
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• Manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail and craft
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• Stay current on industry trends, emerging platforms, AI tools, and cultural insights to inspire innovative, forward-thinking work
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Qualifications

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• 6–8+ years of art direction, design, or related experience, ideally within an advertising or design agency
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• Proven ability to lead campaigns from concept through execution across multiple channels and mediums
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• A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual campaign thinking, exceptional design craft, and versatility across integrated campaigns, digital content, and motion/animation
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• Demonstrated ability to independently concept and execute creative work, balancing big-picture thinking with hands-on production
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• A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, integrated campaign work, and high-level design craft
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• Experience leading and mentoring creative teams, with a passion for developing others
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• Confidence presenting to and collaborating with senior client stakeholders
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• Strong understanding of how different disciplines contribute to integrated work and a “best idea wins” mindset
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• Ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and priorities effectively
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• Experience working cross-functionally to deliver work efficiently and at a high standard
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Technical Skills

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• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator)
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• Familiarity with presentation tools such as PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides
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• Strong understanding of digital design, social content, and platform-specific best practices
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• Working knowledge of web design principles (HTML/CSS basics preferred)
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• Strong motion design and animation skills, with hands-on experience using tools such as Adobe After Effects to create engaging animated content and motion graphics
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• Experience with motion design, video, and/or animation tools (e.g., After Effects)
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• Familiarity with AI-powered creative tools (e.g., Midjourney, Firefly, Runway, etc.) and an openness to integrating them into the creative process
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What Sets You Apart

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• You’re a big-picture thinker who can connect creative ideas to business objectives
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• You balance concept and craft, pushing both to be best-in-class
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• You’re a versatile creative who enjoys moving between conceptual campaign work, detailed design execution, and motion/animation
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• You’re a natural collaborator who inspires teams and builds strong partnerships
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• You’re curious, culturally aware, and always looking for new ways to create impact
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• You’re confident in your point of view, but open to others, and know when to push and when to adapt
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Additional information:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

There is power in celebrating who we are. GS&F is committed to embracing and welcoming past, current and future employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status and other characteristics that make our employees unique. After all, diversity feeds the best friendships because what makes you, you…makes us, us.

Because of this commitment and our commitment to improve, we have set important DE&I milestones and goals for our agency. To that end, you may be asked a question about your gender, ethnicity, disability or veteran status as you submit your online application. Rest assured we don’t have the ability to track your responses to these questions back to you and it’s never considered as part of your candidacy for a position at GS&F. If we say we want to improve, we simply want to know we are actually improving.

Location:

Given the nature of this role our preference is for someone to ultimately relocate and/or live in the Nashville community within the first 90 days.

As a full-time member of the GS&F team, we offer the following benefits:

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• Competitive salary
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• Health, dental, vision coverage
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• 401K match
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• ESOP Ownership
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• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
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• Life insurance
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• Generous PTO
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• Professional development opportunities and growth-oriented tools
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• Support for mental and physical health
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• Generous parental leave
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