Art Director

About the Role

The Art Director at Fireside at Five is a strategic and creative leader responsible for shaping the visual identity of our clients' brands. This role sits between the Creative Director and the Designer(s), overseeing and elevating design work while ensuring projects align with brand strategy and creative vision. With a strong focus on branding, the Art Director will push creative boundaries, mentor the design team, and help craft compelling, distinctive brand experiences.

The ideal candidate has a passion for design, deep expertise in branding, and a strong understanding of how visual storytelling can create impact. They are an innovator, problem solver, and collaborator who can balance conceptual thinking with hands-on design execution.

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Location

• Denver, Colorado based
• Open to applicants outside of Denver

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Work Arrangement

• Remote-First with occasional in-person meetings

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Benefits

• Medical, dental & vision insurance
• Competitive company Holidays
• Competitive PTO
• Remote with in-person opportunities
• 401K w/ Company match

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Compensation

• $70K-$80K dependent on experience

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Key Responsibilities

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Branding & Visual Strategy

• Participate in brand research, creating consumer surveys, researching online data, and developing consumer and market insights that will drive brand strategies
• Lead the development of visual identities for clients, ensuring brand consistency across all touchpoints.
• Crafting brand messaging, positioning statements, brand stories, audience personas, mission statements, visions, personality descriptions, and voice descriptions. This will often be in collaboration with a Copywriter or the Creative Director, but needs to be something the Art Director feels confident in achieving themselves.
• Responsible for building client digital brand guidelines on Standards
• Create and refine brand toolkits, including color palettes, logo systems, graphic elements, typography systems, patterns and/or illustrations, and photography styles. Build these toolkits with the intention of visualizing the brand’s strategy and connecting with the primary audience.
• Collaborate with the Creative Director to shape brand strategies and stories.
• Push creative boundaries while maintaining strategic alignment with client goals.

Design Leadership & Execution

• Oversee the work of Designers—providing guidance, feedback, and mentorship.
• Craft art direction for photo and video shoots, with an eye towards compelling, conceptually-driven visuals rooted in brand thinking
• Lead the development of shoot guides, overseeing and directing the Designer in the creation of the shot list, mood board, outfit guides, and shoot logistics.
• Develop the art direction and design language for environmental signage, packaging, event branding, and digital assets for various client projects, occasionally stepping in to help with the actual execution of said projects.
• Review all collateral and assets that the Designer produces, including but not limited to event posters, signage, wayfinding, social posts, and digital ads, to ensure it’s meeting Fireside standards, client expectations, and information, spelling, and grammatical accuracy.
• Ensure all visual work meets Fireside at Five’s high standards of craft, originality, and impact.

Collaboration & Project Management

• Work closely with the Creative Director, Designers, Project Manager, and Clients to bring ideas to life.
• Build relationships with clients, understand their vision and needs, and clearly communicate ideas to answer them
• Prepare comprehensive agendas for client meetings, lead client meetings, craft thorough follow-up notes post-meeting, and add your own tasks into the project management platform, Monday.
• Show strong email 
• Provide constructive critiques and clear rationale behind design choices when presenting work.
• Balance multiple projects at once, ensuring timely delivery without compromising quality.

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Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in branding and design with at least 1 year of experience as an art director. 
• A strong portfolio showcasing brand strategy, brand identity systems, and conceptual design work.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects). Experience with Canva, Monday, Slack,  Figma, Wix, and Mailchimp is a plus.
• Experience constructively critiquing others' work, offering direction, and fostering a collaborative, inspiring design environment.
• A deep understanding of the dynamics of an integrated cultural campaign and how a narrative or brand concept evolves across various touchpoints, including digital, experiential, social media, OOH, and more.
• Impeccable visual eye with good taste and design sensibility
• Innately curious and proactive in researching cultural trends, design movements, and industry shifts to ensure creative work remains fresh, relevant, and forward-thinking.
• Strong abilities in adapting to different brand styles and design approaches
• Experience taking projects from the inception of an idea through the branding process and development of marketing collateral to full launch and promotion. 
• Excellent presentation abilities—capable of articulating creative vision to clients and internal teams.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft clear and professional emails and messages that foster strong relationships, ensure alignment across teams, and maintain a responsive and thoughtful approach to internal and external communications.
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills, with the ability to act as a key mentor to Designers and Design Interns, helping them grow in both their creative and technical skills.
• Experience and a passion for placemaking, hospitality, and F&B branding is a major advantage.
• Experience in illustration or animation is an advantage.
• A passion for leveraging creativity to cultivate connection, promote social and environmental responsibility within brands, and foster community engagement.

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