Art jobs in Western Cape

Opportunity:

The Cape Union Mart Group is looking for an experienced and conceptually strong Art Director with exceptional graphic design skills to join our in-house creative studio within the Marketing department in Cape Town. This role is responsible for leading the visual development and execution of compelling digital and through-the-line brand communications across Cape Union Mart, K-Way and our rewards programme. The ideal candidate combines strong conceptual thinking with hands-on design expertise and is able to translate brand strategy into distinctive, relevant and commercially effective creative work.

Key Requirements:

A strong conceptual thinker and visual storyteller who can lead creative projects from brief through to final execution, while remaining hands-on and collaborative within a fast-paced in-house studio environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of integrated brand campaigns across digital, social, retail, print and other through-the-line channels, ensuring alignment with brand strategy, identity and commercial objectives.
• Translate marketing briefs and strategic objectives into strong creative concepts, visual territories and campaign systems that are distinctive, relevant and scalable across multiple touchpoints.
• Set and maintain a high standard of visual craft, providing clear art direction and constructive guidance to designers and other creative team members throughout the creative process.
• Work closely with marketing, copy, design, digital and production teams to develop ideas, solve creative challenges and deliver cohesive campaign executions.
• Present and motivate creative concepts to internal stakeholders, confidently articulating the strategic and creative rationale behind the work.
• Direct and oversee photographic shoots, including pre-production, styling and on-set art direction, ensuring that visual storytelling supports campaign objectives and brand aesthetics.
• Conceptualize and create storyboards for video and motion content, defining narrative flow, composition and visual direction to guide production.
• Manage multiple creative projects simultaneously, balancing conceptual ambition, brand consistency, deadlines and production requirements while ensuring work is delivered to a high standard.

Knowledge, Experience & Qualifications Required:

• 7+ years of relevant experience in art direction and graphic design, ideally within an advertising agency, design studio, retail environment or in-house creative team, with proven experience operating at a senior level.
• A compelling portfolio demonstrates strong conceptual thinking, art direction, graphic design, campaign development, photographic direction and video or motion storyboarding.
• Proven experience directing photographic shoots and developing visual narratives, preferably within outdoor, lifestyle, retail or related consumer brands.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to guide creative teams, give constructive feedback and collaborate effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Experience with Adobe After Effects or other motion and video tools is advantageous.
• Strong understanding of typography, layout, image-making, brand systems and integrated campaign design across both digital and physical environments.
• A tertiary qualification in art direction, graphic design, visual communication or multimedia design is preferred.

Application Instructions:

Applicants are encouraged to apply by providing an online link to a portfolio that demonstrates their conceptual thinking and execution across art direction, graphic design, integrated campaigns, photographic direction and video or motion storyboarding.

Please note: The Cape Union Mart Group is committed to transformation. Appointments and promotions will be made based on candidates who best meet the requirements for the position. Candidates that enhance the diversity of the team will be given preference, in line with our Employment Equity plan