Creative Brand Director

Happy Camper•Chicago, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We're looking for a Creative Brand Director to own the visual identity, storytelling, and brand voice across our multi-concept restaurant group. This role sits at the intersection of design, marketing, and hospitality — shaping how each concept looks, sounds, and feels across every guest touchpoint, from menus and signage to social media and new restaurant openings. You'll work closely with ownership, operations, and marketing team to keep each brand distinct while ensuring a consistent standard of creative quality across the group. This is a hands-on, DIY role: you'll take ownership at the restaurant level and personally execute in-restaurant design work rather than only directing it from a distance.

Requirements

2-3 years of creative leadership experience, ideally in hospitality, restaurants, retail, or a related consumer-facing industry.
A strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity work, art direction, and multi-channel campaign execution.
Hands-on proficiency in design tools (Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent); comfort directing photo/video shoots.
Experience managing multiple brands or concepts simultaneously, with the judgment to know when consistency matters and when differentiation does.
Strong project management skills — able to juggle multiple locations, deadlines, and stakeholders without dropping details.
A collaborative, low-ego approach; comfortable working closely with operators and ownership, not just other creatives.
Experience managing a budget and outside vendor relationships.
Must be eligible to legally work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with the Chicago restaurant/hospitality market is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own and evolve the brand identity (visual, verbal, and experiential) for each concept in the portfolio, ensuring consistency while preserving what makes each one distinct.
Lead creative direction for menus, signage, packaging, merchandise, print collateral, and in-restaurant environmental design.
Take a hands-on approach at the restaurant level — personally owning and physically executing in-restaurant design work (installations, signage, styling, and environmental touch-ups) rather than delegating implementation entirely to outside vendors.
Direct social media and digital content strategy — photography, video, and copy — in partnership with the marketing team.
Manage and mentor a small in-house creative team (designer, content coordinator) and oversee freelance photographers, videographers, and outside agencies as needed.
Partner with operations and culinary leadership on creative for new location launches, seasonal menu rollouts, and special events.
Maintain brand guidelines and style standards, and train location-level teams on how to apply them consistently.
Manage the creative budget and vendor relationships (printers, sign shops, photographers, agencies).
Track what's working — monitor engagement and guest response to creative campaigns and adjust direction accordingly.
Stay current on design, hospitality, and social trends, bringing fresh ideas to keep each brand feeling relevant.