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Associate Design Director

Kansas City, MO

BarkleyOKRP understands the importance of design and its relevance to everything we create and touch — from strategy, process, and systems to art, motion, and experiences. Design is more than a craft. It is a key component to everything we do and one of our biggest unfair advantages. It is an approach of scale that can fundamentally enhance the work we put out into the world, leading to more meaningful, useful, and enduring brand interactions. 

The Associate Design Director collaborates with leaders and team members from other disciplines, especially creative, client experience, and strategy to uncover opportunities that might otherwise be missed and to make all opportunities as big and as meaningful as possible. 

The Associate Design Director also mentors team members and channels their effort toward meaningful design solutions and experiences that endure. 

Responsibilities:

  • Brings a depth and breadth of design and communication experience, along with intimate client knowledge and dynamic client relationships
  • Can engage with clients at a highly strategic level with a solid understanding of client industries beyond pure design and communication
  • Works hand-in-hand with account and strategy leads to enrich the work and client relationships
  • Acts as the conceptual leader on projects within his/her design column
  • Contributes to the strategic development of projects and promotes “Capital D” thinking among the team
  • Guides the creative product of BarkleyOKRP in such a way as to add to it's reputation and establish/secure its credentials as a leading expert/voice in the field of brand experience through all facets of design
  • Leads specific accounts and client relationships from a design perspective, managing high-level client presentations and day-to-day deliverables.
  • Reviews work from team members and steers efforts toward successful, novel and award-worthy output
  • Fosters collaboration and maintains positive morale within his/her design column
  • Has a working understanding of creative disciplines related to design, including art direction, storytelling, experience design, copy, interactive design and motion design – and nurtures these abilities among team members
  • Actively trains, mentors and manages junior and mid level designers and writers, and lends guidance and support to senior team members
  • Leverages new technologies, channels and communication platforms in the service of innovation
  • Has a strong ability to prioritize work and manage resources across engagements based on short and long-term needs

Qualifications:

  • 5+ years related experience
  • A strong portfolio/body of work is required for consideration
  • Has the ability to think beyond static executions to address motion design, interaction design, and experience design
  • Has a strong ability to prioritize work and manage own time based on short and long-term needs
  • Understanding of core design principles such as visual hierarchies, readability and legibility, color theory, typography and neutral space
  • Strong knowledge of fundamental design tools, including but not limited to Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat
  • Comfortable presenting and articulating work to design teams and clients
  • Ability to lead a project within a design team working with other designers and writers

 

BarkleyOKRP’s Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

  • We believe being radically diverse and inclusive is the key to becoming one of the world’s great creative idea companies. By embracing everything that makes our partners who they are and what makes them unique to the world around them, we create the conditions and capacity to help creative, original thinking thrive. 
  • BarkleyOKRP is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging as part of our corporate strategic goals, supported by a formal DEI+B program, Employee Resource Groups, Director of Diversity leadership and agency commitment to The Brand Lab, Creative Accelerator, Fellowship, MAIP, and BLAC. 

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