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About the Role
Campus Ink is seeking a skilled and hands-on Art Director to execute and oversee artwork production across apparel and merchandise lines. This player-coach role involves turning brand direction into production-ready designs, managing a team of designers, and building efficient workflows while maintaining quality.
Responsibilities
- Oversee the design process for apparel products from concept through final production.
- Ensure creative decisions align with brand standards and manufacturing capabilities.
- Direct the creation and refinement of graphic assets across product lines.
- Maintain visual consistency and craft quality from initial concept through final production files.
- Support the concept-to-tech-pack process for jersey and private label products.
- Ensure design accuracy and product quality with executive team and manufacturers.
- Lead a team of designers and illustrators, delegating projects based on strengths.
- Manage workload and provide day-to-day mentorship and craft feedback.
- Own and continuously improve the creative production pipeline (intake, revisions, approvals, handoff).
- Reduce bottlenecks and minimize turnaround time in the creative process.
- Maintain strict quality control on all artwork output.
- Catch artwork issues before files move to production.
- Partner with business development and account management to align creative timelines with partner and licensing deadlines.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in a related field (Graphic Design, Apparel Design, or similar) preferred but not required with sufficient portfolio strength.
- Proficiency in Apparel design.
- Preferred proficiency in screen printing, embroidery and digital decoration technique.
- 5+ years of experience in art direction or senior design roles.
- 1-2 years of experience managing designers or a creative team.
- Portfolio showcasing production-ready apparel, merchandise, or licensed product artwork.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) and production file prep for print/embroidery.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and hard deadlines.
- Excellent communication skills, particularly in giving clear creative feedback to a team.
- Self-motivated, highly organized, and detail-oriented.
- Lives in the Chicagoland area.
- Able to be in office 3 days per week.
Skills
- Apparel design
- Screen printing
- Embroidery
- Digital decoration technique
- Art direction
- Graphic design
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator)
- Production file prep for print/embroidery
- Project management
- Communication
- Creative feedback
Location
- Chicagoland area
Work Type
- Hybrid
Experience Level
- 5+ years of experience in art direction or senior design roles
- 1-2 years managing designers or a creative team
Education Level
- Bachelor's degree in a related field preferred but not required with sufficient portfolio strength
Benefits
- 401(k) matching
- Paid time off
- Paid training
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
About the Company
- Rooted in education, Campus Ink is a leading collegiate apparel company specializing in licensed merchandise and athlete partnerships.
- Campus Ink's unparalleled design program trains students in design, marketing & sales.
- The NIL Store (Name, Image & Likeness) empowers student-athletes to recognize their potential and elevate their brand through merchandise sales.
- At Campus Ink, we are committed to fostering a creative, educational, and innovative environment where collaboration is celebrated and employees can thrive.
- We offer competitive compensation packages, opportunities for professional growth, and the chance to make a significant impact in the NIL & officially licensed merchandise industry.
- Join our team and help shape the future of Campus Ink & the NIL Store.
Equal Opportunity
- Campus Ink is an equal-opportunity employer.
- We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.