Art Director & Photographer

Liquified Agency is seeking a multidisciplinary

Art Director & Photographer

to join our Creative team in our Annapolis, Maryland office.

This is a hands‑on creative leadership role for someone who can move confidently between concept development, graphic design, brand building, and commercial photography. The Art Director & Photographer will help establish the visual direction for client brands and campaigns, translate strategy into compelling creative concepts, guide designers through execution, and personally photograph products, people, environments, and branded content.

The ideal candidate is both a conceptual thinker and a skilled maker. They can develop a campaign idea, present the rationale behind it, design the supporting materials, plan the photoshoot, work behind the camera, and help carry the final creative through production.

This person will report to the Creative Director and collaborate closely with the Marketing Director, all other agency team members, clients (on occasions), and outside vendors (on occasion).

Creative Direction and Concept Development

Translate client goals, audience insights, marketing strategies, and brand positioning into distinctive visual concepts.

Develop original ideas for brand identities, advertising campaigns, social content, websites, photo and video shoots, experiential activations, and other creative initiatives.

Create mood boards, sketches, storyboards, style frames, mockups, and presentation materials that clearly communicate the creative vision.

Establish the visual tone, composition, styling, color direction, typography, imagery, and overall look and feel of assigned projects.

Present concepts internally and to clients, clearly explaining the strategic thinking and creative rationale behind the work.

Evolve concepts based on feedback while protecting the integrity of the central creative idea.

Help ensure Liquified’s work remains thoughtful, relevant, visually distinctive, and aligned with each client’s objectives.

Photography

Plan and execute professional photo and video productions for agency and client projects, including product, food and beverage, lifestyle, portrait, environmental, event, and branded content.

Partner with the Marketing Director to translate campaign concepts and creative briefs into executable production plans from initial concept through final delivery.

Develop or oversee treatments, storyboards, shot lists, lighting and equipment plans, visual references, prop lists, production schedules, and talent, location, and deliverable requirements.

Coordinate production logistics, including location scouting, set planning, casting, wardrobe direction, prop sourcing, permitting, equipment selection, vendor coordination, releases, and usage requirements.

Help establish realistic production budgets and recommend creative solutions that align with client goals, project scope, and available resources.

Operate professional camera, lighting, tethering, grip, and related studio or on‑location equipment.

Direct talent, products, props, styling, composition, and other on‑set visual details to achieve the approved creative direction.

Collaborate with stylists, production partners, videographers, assistants, models, clients, and vendors while maintaining an organized, collaborative, and professional on‑set environment.

Make confident creative and technical decisions regarding lighting, exposure, lenses, angles, backgrounds, framing, and composition.

Ensure each shoot captures all required images, orientations, variations, placements, crops, formats, and campaign applications.

Review image selects and edit, color‑correct, retouch, crop, export, organize, deliver, and archive final photography for digital and print use.

Maintain consistent image quality, color, brand alignment, product accuracy, and production standards across all deliverables.

Identify when outside specialists are needed and assist with sourcing and directing freelance photographers, retouchers, stylists, and other production partners.

Help maintain Liquified’s photography equipment, studio systems, production files, and digital asset library.

Design and Brand Execution

Create polished, original design work for brand identity, advertising, social media, websites, email, print, outdoor, environmental, packaging, presentations, specialty products, and experiential applications.

Use expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite to develop concepts and production‑ready creative assets.

Apply strong judgment in typography, layout, visual hierarchy, composition, color, image selection, and art preparation.

Develop and expand visual identity systems for new and existing brands.

Create brand standards and guidelines that preserve consistency while allowing brands to grow across platforms.

Design with practical production considerations in mind, including print specifications, accessibility, responsiveness, digital performance, and vendor requirements.

Carry projects from early concept through final production when needed, rather than functioning solely as a reviewer.

Review proofs, mechanical files, exports, image resolution, color settings, dimensions, links, and other technical details before release.

Project and Workflow Management

Manage assigned creative requests and projects through Liquified’s project management platform.

Translate creative direction into clear assignments, actionable feedback, and appropriate next steps for designers and production artists.

Collaborate with project leads to establish creative briefs, scopes, schedules, milestones, review periods, and delivery requirements.

Monitor workloads and deadlines, proactively communicating potential constraints, missing information, or production risks.

Coordinate with the Marketing and Web departments to streamline workflows and maintain accuracy across deliverables.

Keep project information, feedback, files, and decisions organized and current.

Work with clients, vendors, and agency leadership to confirm production requirements and resolve creative or logistical issues.

Balance multiple brands and tasks while maintaining a consistently high standard of work.

Review final creative for strategic alignment, brand consistency, visual quality, and technical accuracy before production or release.

Client and Strategic Collaboration

Develop a working understanding of each client’s business, audience, competitive landscape, positioning, marketing priorities, and creative needs.

Connect visual decisions to the larger marketing strategy rather than approaching design or photography as decoration.

Ask thoughtful questions that clarify the purpose, audience, desired response, and practical requirements of each assignment.

Collaborate with internal strategists and account leads to ensure creative work supports measurable business and communication objectives.

Participate in client presentations, production discussions, discovery sessions, and creative reviews.

Build client confidence by communicating clearly, managing feedback constructively, and demonstrating sound creative judgment.

Professional Development and Industry Awareness

Stay current with developments in graphic design, branding, commercial photography, advertising, social content, digital design, production, and creative technology.

Maintain working knowledge of evolving platform requirements, visual trends, production techniques, accessibility considerations, and industry standards.

Explore new tools and processes, including responsible uses of emerging creative technology, that can improve quality or efficiency.

Share relevant inspiration, tools, techniques, and industry observations with the Creative team.

Participate in at least one local or regional design, photography, advertising, or creative‑industry organization.

Pursue continued development through company‑provided opportunities in both creative leadership and hands‑on technical skills.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, photography, or related field.

Minimum of three years of professional experience in art direction, graphic design, brand design, advertising, or a related creative role.

Professional experience photographing products, people, environments, or branded content for commercial use.

A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, graphic design, brand development, campaign work, and original photography.

Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Proficiency with professional cameras, lenses, studio lighting, tethered capture, and related photography equipment.

Strong photo‑editing, color‑correction, image‑selection, and retouching skills.

Working knowledge of Figma, prototyping, and applicable web‑design tools and workflows.

Strong command of typography, composition, color, visual hierarchy, branding, and other core design principles.

Experience preparing production‑ready files for print and digital applications.

Creative and conceptual thinking with strong attention to detail.

Ability to develop, articulate, and present creative concepts clearly to internal teams and clients.

Experience providing creative direction, feedback, or mentorship to junior designers and creative collaborators.

Excellent communication, organization, time‑management, multitasking, and problem‑solving skills.

Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and client brands simultaneously while maintaining quality and accuracy.

Strong collaboration and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a cross‑functional team.

Willingness and ability to work in Liquified’s Annapolis office and travel for shoots as needed.

Ability to transport, set up, and work with standard photography and studio equipment, with reasonable accommodations available.

Agency experience working across multiple clients, industries, and brand voices is preferred.

Experience with product, food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, lifestyle, portrait, or hospitality photography is preferred.

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