Senior Art Director

This position has now been filled. Thank you to those who applied and shared their amazing portfolios with us from digital ‘hotspots’ around the world. We will remain fans of your work!

Reports to Creative Director

A senior creative position, the Senior Art Director for Switch Interactive establishes the conceptual and stylistic direction for the studio as well as hands-on work alongside a talented team of designers, writers, programmers, and outside suppliers. The goal: To create compelling and memorable digitally-led design solutions for the company’s entertainment and lifestyle-related clients.

The position of Senior Art Director must bring to the studio a strong portfolio with leading agencies, preferably a recognized design degree/diploma indicating deep understanding of the principles of design and best practices in the industry, and a proven ability to lead design teams to excellence.

We will also be looking for evidence of demonstrable passion for design, knowledge of design and cultural trends worldwide, and an understanding of multi-platform campaigns and social media marketing. Given the smaller size of our studio, it’s also important that the candidate be someone we would like to ‘break bread’ with (or at least share a beer or two.) No prima donnas please. We’re small but we play big (minus the politics and the endless hours of pitches and meetings.)

Given the rebranding to take place (of which you’ll play a leading role), our current site at www.switchinteractive.com is a little outdated, but will give you an idea. Recent jobs that most define where we are and where we’re going include:

• www.icepilots.com
• www.switchinteractive.com/curioustree
• www.switchinteractive.com/thewall
• www.hiccups.com and www.brentbutt.com for national TV star and comedian, Brent Butt.

Our upcoming work includes online/offline branding of a national awards event for television; social media campaign for an award-winning, heartbreaking documentary; a locative mapping solution tied to a documentary film; two television show multi-platform campaigns, and our own rebrand to Switch United. Our interests right now include interactive architectural installations and we’re excited about Flash CS5 for iPhone apps. The common denominator in all work we take is that there has to be a story involved, and it has to interest us as a small team. And yes, occasionally we take crap to pay the bills. But it’s getting less and less!

For those who like to have a ‘Responsibilities’ list, here goes:

• The Senior Art Director must exhibit the ability to design innovative and user-focused solutions, while being accustomed to working within style guidelines, timelines, and budget criteria to meet brand objectives. This individual will mentor the team to meet these same objectives.
• Will provide art direction, leadership, and inspiration to all Switch design team and will mentor towards developing world-class Flash/motion-based design solutions that are on strategy for the studio’s clients.
• Will assist the Creative Director in articulating and presenting designs and ideas in client meetings, new business pitches, and internal brainstorms and reviews. Will help prep presentation boards and other presentation media as needed.
• Oversees all design solutions of Switch Interactive, holding each to a pre-established list of standards.
• Researches trends and issues in the industry, exhibiting the vision and skills necessary to push digitally-led design solutions at Switch.
• Oversees art direction of assignments assigned to freelancers.
• Attends shows and industry functions as agreed to by the partnership
• Above all, helps create an atmosphere of teamwork, encouraging shared knowledge among team members, new skills training, and creation and implementation of ‘best practices’ processes and procedures.

BACKGROUNDER

Switch Interactive began in 2000 as the interactive division of Fleming Design. The studio was known for its early Flash work, co-producing the online manga series’ Broken Saints, and winning a world viral marketing award for XmasBash (still popular after all these years despite being in Shockwave!) Switch served its own entertainment clients, as well as the corporate clients of Fleming Design.

In 2010, following the successful buy-out of the founding partner, and a restructuring of the company, Switch Interactive and Fleming Design merged to become Switch United, with strong capabilities both online and offline, and a singular focus on entertainment related clients with Nintendo of Canada as a long-time anchor client (19 years) and loyal clients including Omni Film, Haddock Entertainment, and Sparrow Media.

The Senior Art Director position will take a strong central role in the rebranding process to Switch United.

Respond to jobs@switchinteractive.com.