Senior Art Director

Schaefer Advertising•Fort Worth, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Schaefer Advertising, our purpose is simple: Make Life Better. That purpose guides everything we do. We believe great work starts with great people, strong relationships, and a culture that encourages curiosity, collaboration, and continuous growth. For more than 30 years, we’ve helped organizations solve business problems through thoughtful strategy, strong creative, and lasting partnerships. We care deeply about our clients, our community, and each other. We believe the best ideas come from teams that trust one another and enjoy working together. If you’re looking for a place where you can grow as a leader, make a meaningful contributions, and help shape the next chapter of a respected and established independent agency, we’d love to meet you. Some agencies treat art direction as a step between the idea and the file. We don't. Our clients hire us because the work is considered — because a campaign feels like it belongs to them and to nobody else. That happens when someone owns the craft: the photography, the typography, the system, the details that separate work people notice from work people scroll past. This role is that person. You will set and hold the visual standard across our portfolio, partnering closely with the VP/Creative Director. This is a craft-first role by design. We are investing in depth, not just headcount, and we want someone who takes visible pride in what leaves the building.

Requirements

6+ years in an advertising agency, design studio, or comparable creative environment.
A portfolio demonstrating range, conceptual thinking, and real craft — campaign work, not just executions.
Demonstrated experience art directing original photography and video.
Experience building brand or campaign systems intended for others to execute.
Fluency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma; motion, 3D, or interactive skills are a meaningful plus.
Digital and UI/UX capability is a strong plus — a growing share of our work lives on screen.
Experience directing freelance creative partners.
Experience in attractions, tourism, the arts, real estate, health and life sciences, economic development, hospitality, or destination marketing is helpful but not required.
You're a designer and art director first. You still love making the work, and you have the taste and judgment to know when it's right.
You're comfortable starting from a blank page and a loose strategic direction.
You're comfortable being told an idea isn't there yet, and going back in.
You're comfortable working at both ends — the big conceptual swing and the kerning.
You're comfortable directing people whose craft differs from your own.
You're comfortable explaining a visual choice to someone who doesn't share your vocabulary.
You're comfortable moving between a highly considered brand campaign and a fast-turn seasonal execution in the same week.
You care about the details other people don't notice, precisely because that's what makes the work feel finished. And you'd rather make something genuinely good than something merely approved.

Nice To Haves

motion, 3D, or interactive skills are a meaningful plus.
Digital and UI/UX capability is a strong plus — a growing share of our work lives on screen.
Experience in attractions, tourism, the arts, real estate, health and life sciences, economic development, hospitality, or destination marketing is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

Concept and art direct campaigns across brand, integrated advertising, out-of-home, digital, social, motion, and environmental work.
Own typography, composition, color, image selection, and detail — the choices that make work feel intentional rather than assembled.
Develop presentation-ready concepts. Much of our work is presented essentially final, with imagery and assets that are immediately usable.
Design for the medium: legibility at highway speed, hierarchy in a feed, restraint on a wall.
Kill your own work when a stronger idea is available, and make the case for the idea worth protecting.
Art direct original photo and video shoots — casting, wardrobe, location, styling, lighting, and shot lists tied to the concept.
Partner with photographers, filmmakers, retouchers, and animators to get the intent onto the screen.
Curate and edit imagery with a strong point of view, including from existing client libraries.
Prepare final files and specs correctly for print, OOH, broadcast, and digital production.
Build brand and campaign systems that extend across channels, audiences, markets, and multiple years without going stale.
Create usage guidelines and toolkits written for non-designers — show how to make a decision, not just what the approved assets look like.
Design master files and templates built for localization, versioning, and bilingual application.
Establish and maintain templates and standards that free the team's energy for ideas rather than format.
Partner daily with our Copywriters, Art Directors, Designers, Production Artist, account service, and production teams
Give clear, specific, useful feedback — the kind that makes the next round better rather than just different.
Write briefs for and direct freelance designers, illustrators, photographers, and specialists.
Mentor by example and by explanation: help others understand why a choice works, not just that it does.
Present and defend visual thinking clearly, in partnership with the Associate Creative Director and account leadership.
Explain the reasoning behind a craft decision in language a non-designer can act on.
Take feedback well, separate preference from strategic direction, and know which battles are worth having.
Stay genuinely current on tools, techniques, and production methods — including AI-assisted workflows.
Explore how new tools can raise craft and remove tedium, without letting them flatten the thinking.
Share what you learn with the team and help others adopt it thoughtfully.