Art Director

Art Director

The Visual Storytelling division of ESPN Creative Studio is a team of creative directors, art directors, animators, concept artists, visual journalists, photo editors, web developers, graphic designers and strategy producers whose work reaches across every ESPN platform. We lead the creative direction and execution of on-air brand identities for ESPN's live events and studio shows. We are responsible for the creative content on ESPN.com and the ESPN app, including photography, illustration, and interactive storytelling. We create and produce key art for ESPN+ and manage product art across our digital products. We manage the design voice of our ESPN brand, from holistic marketing campaigns to cross-platform creative systems.

ESPN Creative Studio is looking for an Art Director to join its award-winning Visual Storytelling team. The Art Director will be responsible for idea development and hands-on creative execution for various high-priority, multi-discipline projects for ESPN, leading teams big and small. This includes DTC initiatives, identity branding, motion design, info system graphic builds, live action shoots, design toolkits, and large-scale animation design campaigns.

Responsibilities:

• Create industry leading work that inspires and brings big ideas to life.
• Oversee and create multi-discipline design projects across platforms and products; with an emphasis in live broadcast initiatives.
• Direct strategic design systems that are engineered for long-term success.
• Lead advanced design and animation builds and understand changing industry tools and technology.
• Prepare and present creative briefs to internal and external stakeholders.
• Continually evolve the build and infrastructure of our multiplatform design campaigns.
• Push for creative excellence and innovation while balancing the priorities of the business.
• Partner with stakeholder groups across ESPN to ensure collaborative success.
• Adhere to established team workflows and processes.
• Build, lead, and inspire a talented team of designers.
• Hold regular 1:1s with your team members to foster an environment of growth and communication.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience working within a creative studio or media organization.
• In-depth knowledge of motion graphics, animation principles/techniques and render engines.
• Experience in responsive digital design deliverables.
• Experience in leading brand identities and design systems.
• An understanding of the common behaviors of deliverables for digital and broadcast.
• A complete understanding of typography, composition, hierarchy, and design.
• Comfort and experience in leading teams and presenting to Senior Leadership.
• Fluent with Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Cinema 4D.
• Proven project management skills with ability to prioritize and meet multiple deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Reliable work-from-home setup with strong internet connection.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing individuals or small teams of people.
• Knowledge of the sports design space, trends, and an understanding of ESPN's place amongst the competition.
• Knowledge of ESPN distribution points, including MVPDs and SVODs.
• Knowledge of project management tools, including Asana, Smartsheet, etc.

Required Education:

• High School Diploma