Art Director
Krewe du Optic, New York, NY, United States
KREWE is looking for an Art Director to lead creative strategy and authorship across the brand—responsible for shaping, advancing, and scaling the visual identity across all channels.
The Art Director will partner closely with the Founder & Creative Director to help define the creative direction of the brand, while also bringing forward original ideas, concepts, and points of view that push KREWE forward. You will be responsible for translating creative standards into clear, ownable creative lanes—enabling the team to execute with greater clarity, autonomy, and consistency. This role exists to help scale creative quality across the business by reducing reliance on Creative Director-level oversight, without lowering the bar.
This role sits at the intersection of creative direction and execution, requiring exceptional taste, strong creative conviction, and the ability to turn ideas into scalable systems. You create an environment where creatives can do their best work—balancing high standards with the right level of support, structure, and autonomy. You understand that strong creative output comes from both exceptional talent and clear direction, and you are equally invested in developing people as you are in elevating the work.
This role reports to the VP of Brand Marketing and is based in NYC, with regular travel to New Orleans.
Key Responsibilities
Drive Creative Direction & Concept Development
Partner with the Founder & Creative Director to define and evolve KREWE’s creative direction
Bring forward campaign concepts, visual ideas, and creative frameworks that push the brand forward
Establish a clear, differentiated point of view for each campaign and brand moment
Generate, refine, and resolve ideas—not just execute them
Make decisive creative calls that simplify and strengthen the work
Own the quality and consistency of all creative output across photography, video, digital, social, print, OOH, and retail
Translate direction into clear guidance that enables the team to execute with confidence
Act as the primary filter for all work—editing, refining, and elevating output to meet brand standards
Ensure all work reflects a cohesive and elevated KREWE point of view
Build Creative Systems & Standards
Translate creative standards into clear, actionable systems and frameworks
Create defined “creative lanes” that allow the team to operate with autonomy
Reduce reliance on top-down approvals by building clarity into the system
Partner with the Project Manager to develop processes that enable efficient, high-quality execution
Continuously refine workflows to support scale without sacrificing quality
Direct Campaigns & Creative Production
Lead creative direction for campaigns, photoshoots, and key brand moments
Provide on-set direction and ensure execution aligns with the intended creative vision
Balance hands-on creative involvement with leadership oversight
Lead & Develop the Creative Team
Manage and mentor a team of designers, photographers, and creatives
Elevate team output through strong taste, clear feedback, and thoughtful selection
Build a culture of high standards, accountability, and creative ownership
Create the clarity and structure needed for the team to produce their best work
Requirements
8–10+ years of experience in art direction or creative leadership, ideally within fashion, lifestyle, or retail
A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional taste, strong point of view, and concept-driven work
Proven ability to generate ideas and translate them into cohesive, high-quality output
Experience working closely with founders or senior creative leadership
Strong editing instinct—knowing what to push, what to refine, and what to remove
Ability to turn creative standards into scalable systems and processes
Experience leading and developing creative teams
Highly organized with strong attention to detail and execution
Deep knowledge of design, photography, video, and cross-channel creative best practices
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
Benefits and Perks
Competitive wage
Group health plans: health, vision and dental insurance
Welfare benefits: life, ad&d, supplemental voluntary coverage
401(K) Investment Options
Quarterly Cultural Spend
Ongoing Training and Development, an Educational Allowance
10 paid holidays and Paid Time Off accrual
KREWE employee quarterly frame allowance (of course!)
Salary (for New York only)
Up to $165,000 annually based on experience and qualifications.
This reflects the base salary for this position. Compensation may vary based on factors such as skills, experience, certifications, and business needs. In addition to base pay, KREWE offers annual bonuses, a comprehensive benefits package, paid time off, and employee discounts.
Diversity and Inclusion
KREWE believes in providing an inclusive workplace where all individuals have the opportunity to succeed. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without discrimination or retaliation because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, pregnancy or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable local, state, or federal law.
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The Art Director will partner closely with the Founder & Creative Director to help define the creative direction of the brand, while also bringing forward original ideas, concepts, and points of view that push KREWE forward. You will be responsible for translating creative standards into clear, ownable creative lanes—enabling the team to execute with greater clarity, autonomy, and consistency. This role exists to help scale creative quality across the business by reducing reliance on Creative Director-level oversight, without lowering the bar.
This role sits at the intersection of creative direction and execution, requiring exceptional taste, strong creative conviction, and the ability to turn ideas into scalable systems. You create an environment where creatives can do their best work—balancing high standards with the right level of support, structure, and autonomy. You understand that strong creative output comes from both exceptional talent and clear direction, and you are equally invested in developing people as you are in elevating the work.
This role reports to the VP of Brand Marketing and is based in NYC, with regular travel to New Orleans.
Key Responsibilities
Drive Creative Direction & Concept Development
Partner with the Founder & Creative Director to define and evolve KREWE’s creative direction
Bring forward campaign concepts, visual ideas, and creative frameworks that push the brand forward
Establish a clear, differentiated point of view for each campaign and brand moment
Generate, refine, and resolve ideas—not just execute them
Make decisive creative calls that simplify and strengthen the work
Own the quality and consistency of all creative output across photography, video, digital, social, print, OOH, and retail
Translate direction into clear guidance that enables the team to execute with confidence
Act as the primary filter for all work—editing, refining, and elevating output to meet brand standards
Ensure all work reflects a cohesive and elevated KREWE point of view
Build Creative Systems & Standards
Translate creative standards into clear, actionable systems and frameworks
Create defined “creative lanes” that allow the team to operate with autonomy
Reduce reliance on top-down approvals by building clarity into the system
Partner with the Project Manager to develop processes that enable efficient, high-quality execution
Continuously refine workflows to support scale without sacrificing quality
Direct Campaigns & Creative Production
Lead creative direction for campaigns, photoshoots, and key brand moments
Provide on-set direction and ensure execution aligns with the intended creative vision
Balance hands-on creative involvement with leadership oversight
Lead & Develop the Creative Team
Manage and mentor a team of designers, photographers, and creatives
Elevate team output through strong taste, clear feedback, and thoughtful selection
Build a culture of high standards, accountability, and creative ownership
Create the clarity and structure needed for the team to produce their best work
Requirements
8–10+ years of experience in art direction or creative leadership, ideally within fashion, lifestyle, or retail
A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional taste, strong point of view, and concept-driven work
Proven ability to generate ideas and translate them into cohesive, high-quality output
Experience working closely with founders or senior creative leadership
Strong editing instinct—knowing what to push, what to refine, and what to remove
Ability to turn creative standards into scalable systems and processes
Experience leading and developing creative teams
Highly organized with strong attention to detail and execution
Deep knowledge of design, photography, video, and cross-channel creative best practices
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
Benefits and Perks
Competitive wage
Group health plans: health, vision and dental insurance
Welfare benefits: life, ad&d, supplemental voluntary coverage
401(K) Investment Options
Quarterly Cultural Spend
Ongoing Training and Development, an Educational Allowance
10 paid holidays and Paid Time Off accrual
KREWE employee quarterly frame allowance (of course!)
Salary (for New York only)
Up to $165,000 annually based on experience and qualifications.
This reflects the base salary for this position. Compensation may vary based on factors such as skills, experience, certifications, and business needs. In addition to base pay, KREWE offers annual bonuses, a comprehensive benefits package, paid time off, and employee discounts.
Diversity and Inclusion
KREWE believes in providing an inclusive workplace where all individuals have the opportunity to succeed. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without discrimination or retaliation because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, pregnancy or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable local, state, or federal law.
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