Art Director (Marketing, Creative, Graphic Design)

Après Nail has innovated the nail market as the creator of Gel X. Our mission is to improve nail industry standards and the lives of nail artists by providing innovative products that help both them and their services thrive. Our nails are seen everywhere, from the Met Gala to the Oscars to your local nail salon. The Gel X revolution is real, and we're looking for our next great team member!

As Art Director, you’ll be the hands-on creative lead who turns the Creative Director’s vision into standout marketing campaigns through graphic design, photo, and video. You’ll mentor and manage key creative leads, run collaborative reviews with cross-functional partners, and keep projects moving smoothly from ideation to production to post. If you’re equal parts taste-maker and team-builder—with sharp visual standards, strong workflow instincts, and a genuine love for beauty, nails, and culture—this role is your chance to shape campaigns that people can’t stop scrolling past.

This Art Director will require experience in Marketing, Creative, and Graphic Design. Art Director with experience in film will not be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Leadership & Direction

• Translate the Creative Director’s vision into actionable creative strategies across all content verticals (photo, video, and design).
• Provide art direction and feedback from concept through execution to ensure all deliverables uphold brand integrity and creative excellence.
• Partner with the Creative Director on campaign ideation, ensuring all creative aligns with brand positioning, seasonal direction, and business goals.
• Lead creative reviews with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure clarity, alignment, and consistency of vision.

Team Management & Mentorship

• Directly manage the Production Art Director & Project Manager and the Graphic Design Lead, providing clear priorities, direction, and feedback.
• Mentor the creative team to foster growth, innovation, and craftsmanship across visual disciplines.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration between design, production, and marketing teams to ensure cohesive creative storytelling.
• Support team capacity planning and resource allocation to balance creative demands and maintain quality.

Quality Control & Brand Stewardship

• Oversee final quality control across all creative assets before release, ensuring brand consistency in composition, color, typography, and tone.
• Review photo, video, and design outputs for alignment with the Creative Director’s direction and brand guidelines.
• Uphold the highest visual standards by proactively identifying inconsistencies and implementing corrective feedback.
• Maintain brand style guides, ensuring all visual assets reflect a cohesive, modern, and premium aesthetic.

Workflow & Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Creative Director and Marketing Manager to ensure creative initiatives meet timelines, objectives, and quality standards.
• Evaluate creative workflows to identify efficiencies and ensure smooth handoff between concept, production, and post-production phases.
• Oversee workload distribution, prioritization, and review cadence for the Production Art Director and Graphic Design Lead.
• Serve as a bridge between high-level creative direction and execution, ensuring every deliverable reflects the brand’s creative vision and campaign intent.

Key Skills & Competencies

• 5+ years of experience in an agency or in-house creative environment, with a proven ability to lead and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Deep knowledge of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, with proficiency in Figma and emerging AI tools that enhance efficiency and expand creative possibilities.
• Comprehensive understanding of the full creative process, from concepting and pre-production to post, with the insight to guide, mentor, and support teams at every stage.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to connect creative decisions to brand, marketing, and business goals.
• Communicates clearly and thoughtfully, fostering alignment and shared understanding across teams with varying levels of experience.
• Strong judgment in identifying true roadblocks versus workflow challenges, helping teams stay focused and efficient.
• Committed to building a culture of collaboration, efficiency, and high performance where creativity can thrive.
• Passionate about nails, beauty, and self-expression, with a strong understanding of, or curiosity to master, the nail industry, its trends, and its evolving aesthetics.
• Deep cultural awareness and trend sensitivity, with a strong pulse on pop culture, fashion, and digital aesthetics that influence the beauty and nail industry.

Direct Reports

• Production Art Director & Project Manager
• Graphic Design Lead