Art Director, Nail Brand

Kiss Nail Products•Port Washington, NY

1d•$69,000 - $137,000

About The Position

The Art Director leads visual art direction for the Kiss and Impress nail brands within the Nail Division. The role sets, plans, and directs on-trend lifestyle and still-life photography concepts for press-on nails, including model imagery, packaging, and hand shots, based on marketing campaign direction and nail tip designs. The Art Director provides visual direction grounded in brand guidebooks, directs production and retouching, and delivers finalized assets to the Design team for digital and print use. The position collaborates with the in-house multimedia team, Brand team, and Brand Design Teams 1 and 2. It reports to the Creative Director of the Nail Business Division Design Team and operates as an individual contributor with no direct people-management responsibility. Occasional travel may be required for off-site photoshoots, meetings, training, or other work-related tasks; regular travel is not expected. The work is primarily computer-based in an office or hybrid environment, with on-site presence at photoshoots as needed.

Requirements

7–10 years of professional experience in art direction, focused on photography and visual direction for beauty, cosmetics, nail, fashion, or consumer product brands.
Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Photography, Fine Arts, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Experience leading photoshoots on set, including concept development, moodboards, shot lists, model and styling direction, and image selection.
Portfolio demonstrating lifestyle and still-life photography direction, including model images, product and package shots, and close-up or hand imagery.
Experience providing retouching direction, writing retouching notes, and managing outsourced retouchers through final approval.
Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightroom, and Figma or similar tools for moodboards, layouts, and image review.
Strong understanding of composition, lighting, color, typography, and visual storytelling across digital and print.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to align cross-functional creative, marketing, product, and multimedia teams.
High attention to detail in color accuracy, product visibility, image quality, and final asset readiness.
English proficiency for day-to-day communication, project coordination, feedback review, and cross-functional collaboration.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the fashion and beauty industry.
Press-on nail photography art direction experience, including model, package creative, and hand shots.
Experience creating visual assets for e-commerce, DTC, Amazon, retailer, social, and print channels.
Experience working with in-house multimedia teams and external photographers, retouchers, and creative vendors.
Experience building or applying brand guidebooks and photography style guides.
Ability to translate market and social trends into practical, brand-aligned creative concepts.
Korean proficiency for communication with internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Lead visual art direction for the Kiss and Impress nail brands, ensuring photography and visual assets reflect brand identity and Nail Division business goals.
Plan on-trend lifestyle and still-life photography concepts for press-on nails in line with campaign direction and nail tip designs.
Translate campaign and product goals into visual direction based on brand guidebooks.
Create moodboards and shot lists for photoshoots and visual asset production.
Direct visual assets for digital and print, including model images, package creative shots, and hand shots.
Art direct photoshoots with photographers, guiding models, nail designs, styling, props, composition, and lighting.
Participate in shoot kickoff discussions and align marketing, product, and multimedia stakeholders on concepts, schedules, and deliverables.
Communicate shoot status, direction, and changes to keep stakeholders aligned.
Select final images, prioritizing nail design and package color accuracy, product visibility, and brand consistency.
Write retouching notes and direct outsourced retouching, reviewing revisions through final approval.
Perform final quality control of photographic assets for color accuracy, nail and product detail, skin tone, and overall image quality.
Organize and name final assets for use by Design, web, e-commerce, and marketing teams.
Collaborate with multimedia photographers, Brand marketing and product managers, and package and web designers.
Provide art direction and feedback to designers on Brand Design Teams 1 and 2 so photography is applied effectively across packaging, product detail pages, banners, and campaigns.
Present concepts, shoot plans, and results to the Creative Director for review and approval.
Maintain consistent Kiss and Impress imagery according to brand guidebooks.
Research beauty, nail, fashion, and social trends and apply relevant trends to photography direction.
Contribute to evolving brand photography standards and reference libraries.
Provide art direction and creative guidance to designers and coordinate with the multimedia team, Brand team, and external vendors.