Freelance Art Director Job at TMS Services in Stamford

As Art Director for our tms client, you’ll shape the visual expression of a consumer brand—bringing launches, campaigns, and always‑on content to life across social, digital, retail, and e‑commerce. Reporting to the Creative Director, you’ll partner closely with copy, design, production, and marketing to create elevated, trend‑forward work that resonates with the brand’s audience. This is a hands‑on role for a designer with strong taste and craft who can concept, direct, and execute—balancing brand consistency with platform‑native creative built to perform.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ORGANIZATION
Art Direction & Visual Brand Leadership

Own the day‑to‑day art direction for the brand—elevating its visual identity across campaigns, launches, and always‑on content

Concept and execute design‑led solutions that are bold, modern, and platform‑native—translating strategy and briefs into compelling visual stories

Maintain and evolve brand guidelines and design systems (typography, color, layout, composition, motion/design principles) to ensure consistency and speed

Raise the bar for craft by setting a strong visual point of view and delivering polished work—from concept through final production‑ready assets

Social/Digital‑First, E‑commerce & Retail Creative

Design and art direct social‑first creative (organic and paid): content series, short‑form video concepts, storyboards, key visuals, templates, and asset variations

Create conversion‑minded e‑commerce and retailer‑ready assets (PDP modules, banners, comparison visuals, feature callouts, and education) that meet specs while staying on‑brand

Partner with the Creative Director and cross‑functional teams to develop launch toolkits that scale across channels and formats with efficient versioning

Use performance insights and social trends to iterate creative, improve templates, and inform future content direction

Production Partnership (Photo/Video), On‑Set & Post

Collaborate with production partners to bring creative concepts to life—contributing to shot lists, mood boards, casting considerations, and visual direction

Art direct photo and video shoots (as needed) to ensure styling, lighting, composition, and performance align to the brand and its audience

Partner through post‑production to deliver high‑quality final assets—reviewing edits, motion, retouching, and finishing to ensure craft and consistency

Process, Quality & Best Practices

Maintain high design standards across deliverables: typography, layout, composition, color, and brand consistency, with strong attention to detail

Work efficiently within review/approval workflows—incorporating feedback while protecting core creative intent and meeting deadlines

Prepare production‑ready files and collaborate with production/ops partners to ensure specs are met across social, e‑commerce, retail, and print as needed

Contribute to continuous improvement by building reusable templates, systems, and best practices that help the team deliver faster without sacrificing quality

Client & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

Partner day‑to‑day with the Creative Director to deliver on‑brand, high‑performing creative across brand priorities

Collaborate with marketing, social, e‑commerce, product, and sales partners to understand objectives and translate them into creative that meets channel requirements

Ensure visual consistency across touchpoints by aligning design, imagery, and messaging systems across campaigns, social, retail, and e‑commerce

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO HAVE

5+ years of design and art direction experience in‑house or at an agency, with a strong focus on consumer brands

A portfolio that demonstrates strong art direction and design craft across campaigns, social‑first content, e‑commerce/retail assets, and toolkits

Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and strong working knowledge of Figma; motion/design sensibility and basic After Effects a plus

Strong conceptual skills: ability to generate ideas, create clear visual directions, and build systems that scale across channels and formats

Deep understanding of digital and social best practices (platform‑native creative, performance‑driven iteration, versioning, and testing/learning)

Experience designing for e‑commerce and retail environments (PDP modules, retailer specs, education/feature callouts), with an understanding of conversion‑minded layouts

Comfort collaborating with production teams and partners (photo/video shoots, post‑production) and designing within real‑world constraints (timelines, budgets, approvals)

Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and collaborative—able to manage multiple projects and deliver polished work on deadline

And we’d love you to…

Be fluent in social and digital‑first campaign tactics (paid social toolkits, creator content, short‑form video storyboards, always‑on templates) and comfortable translating ideas into scalable systems—including e‑commerce and retailer‑ready creative.

Any of the following would be a plus

Experience in the brand’s category (including education, trade, or community marketing), with an understanding of how‑to/education content and product storytelling

Motion/animation experience (After Effects) and/or experience building modular retail and e‑commerce creative systems across multiple retailers (including Amazon)

Starting hourly between $65-$75

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

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