Creative Director, Quirk Books Imprint

ANDREWS MCMEEL UNIVERSAL INC•Philadelphia, PA

23d

About The Position

The Creative Director oversees and drives the visual identity of Quirk and each of its books, ensuring that every design element reflects each unique title while upholding the overall vision and standards of the Quirk brand. This role must collaborate closely with designers, freelancers, marketers, and authors on strategic and creative solutions that support each book’s potential and market appeal.

Requirements

Comfortable balancing artistic judgment with commercial strategy.
A sense of humor—and a love for the playful and unexpected.
Curious about trends in entertainment, art, media, and culture.
Skilled at balancing big ideas with practical execution.
Excellent design, Photoshop and typography skills.
Work experience in design and production that showcases the ability to visually communicate to a specific audience.
Ability to adapt to authors or licensors’ needs and requests and willingness to be flexible and collaborate with others.
Proven ability to proactively prioritize a multitude of complex assignments effectively and to meet or beat tight deadlines consistently.
Project planning, budgeting, scheduling, and time management.
The ability to work well with co-workers, outside venders, and authors and licensors.
Quickly create solutions for design, production, and communication issues.
Be efficient with communicating ideas and concepts. Plus, the ability to present in front of groups.
Well versed with Apple computer, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Acrobat Pro (Microsoft- Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Knowledge of print production and the ability to trouble shoot production issues.
Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or equivalent experience.
Experience as a leader in a fast-paced environment.
10+ years’ experience in design and graphic design management for a corporation or agency.
Apple computer, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Acrobat Pro (Microsoft- Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Good communication skills.

Responsibilities

Oversee and drive the visual identity of Quirk and each of its books.
Provide meaningful input on design direction and specs during project acquisition.
Design covers and interiors of 10-15 titles a year across genres.
Translate editorial goals for each project into visual execution through design development and art direction.
Work closely with all departments to schedule and monitor all design work.
Manage and art direct contributions from internal or external teams of illustrators, photographers, and designers as needed.
Coordinate and oversee weekly cover meetings with editors, designers, and key stakeholders.
Lead design meetings each week including individual check-ins, Show and Tell, and other meetings as needed.
Review proofs and provide sign off on visual elements before final print production.
Oversee usage and cross-departmental integration in Asana, or equivalent system.
Collaborate with marketing to align visual content across media.
Coordinate broader design projects that strengthen the design direction of the Quirk brand.
Maintain the visual style guide and brand identity.
Track and manage the design department’s contribution to company-wide goals.