Associate Creative Director (Design)

Frankel • Gainesville, FL

2d • $80,000 - $120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Creative Director (Design) is responsible for developing and leading visual concepts, campaigns, brand systems, and creative work across Frankel's client portfolio. This role combines strong design and conceptual skills with creative leadership, helping shape work from the initial idea through final execution. The ACD (Design) works closely with the Creative Director, account teams, strategists, and other creative team members to develop integrated work that is strategically sound, visually compelling, and right for the client. This person is both a hands-on creative and a leader - someone who can design the work, present the idea, provide thoughtful feedback, and help raise the creative bar across the agency. The ideal candidate has a strong design portfolio, excellent conceptual thinking, and the ability to lead without ego. They should be comfortable moving between big-picture campaign development and hands-on execution in a fast-paced agency environment.

Requirements

• 10-15+ years of professional copywriting experience, preferably within an advertising, marketing, communications, or agency environment
• Proven experience developing and leading creative concepts and campaigns
• Exceptional visual design and conceptual thinking skills
• Strong portfolio demonstrating creative leadership and high-quality design across multiple mediums
• Experience presenting creative work to clients and internal stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to give and receive thoughtful, constructive creative feedback
• Experience mentoring or managing other creative team members
• Strong understanding of branding, visual identity, typography, layout, and integrated marketing
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to manage multiple accounts, projects, and deadlines simultaneously
• Comfortable working collaboratively across departments
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Advertising, Fine Arts, Communications, or a related field preferred
• Kindness and collaboration are non-negotiable

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education, healthcare, financial services, or professional services
• Experience developing brand identities and visual systems
• Experience designing for digital, web, social, video, and emerging platforms
• Experience with motion, animation, or basic video production
• Confident integrating AI into your creative workflow while maintaining quality and originality
• Experience working on pitches and new business presentations
• Direct team management experience or line management experience, including hiring, coaching, developing, and managing the performance of creative team members
• Experience managing client relationships, accounts, or day-to-day client partnerships
• Experience selling creative work - including pitching creative concepts, capabilities, or agency services to prospective or existing clients

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Creative Director to develop the creative vision and direction for client work
• Lead the visual direction for integrated campaigns, brand initiatives, digital experiences, and other creative projects
• Translate strategic briefs and client objectives into compelling visual concepts
• Help set the creative standard for work across assigned accounts
• Present creative concepts and recommendations to clients and internal stakeholders
• Provide clear, constructive feedback to designers and other creative team members
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level design talent
• Develop big ideas, campaign concepts, visual systems, brand identities, layouts, and other creative concepts
• Create and oversee design across digital, print, social, video, web, presentations, and other channels
• Turn strategic ideas into clear, compelling, and memorable visual storytelling
• Maintain strong understanding of brand standards and ensure visual consistency across deliverables
• Review and refine creative throughout the process, from initial concept through final production
• Know when a piece needs more work, when it's ready to go, and when to push the idea further
• Work closely with Account Services, Strategy, Copy, Digital, Web, and other teams to develop integrated solutions
• Participate in client meetings, creative reviews, brainstorms, and presentations
• Collaborate with copywriters to ensure visual and verbal concepts work together as one idea
• Help translate client feedback into actionable creative direction
• Build strong working relationships with clients and internal partners
• Ensure creative work meets Frankel's standards for strategy, originality, design, and execution
• Review final work for accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and adherence to brand standards
• Identify opportunities to make work smarter, more effective, and more engaging
• Stay current on design, advertising, technology, cultural, and creative trends
• Understand how emerging technologies, including AI, can improve creative development and execution
• Manage multiple projects and priorities while meeting deadlines
• Maintain organized files, documentation, and creative processes
• Participate in agency brainstorms, pitches, and new business opportunities
• Contribute to the evolution of Frankel's creative product and culture
• Perform other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with Frankel contributing toward the cost of your plan
• 401(k) with a match, eligible after your first work anniversary
• 15 days of PTO in year one, moving to our flexible Responsible Time Off plan after that
• Holiday Break Days in November and December
• Paid parental leave
• Free Employee Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level