Microsoft’s Creative, Advertising & Integrated Marketing team is looking for a Creative Director, Design to join the design organization supporting Windows, Surface and Services.
Reporting to the Head of Design, you’ll translate brand vision and visual identity into distinctive, scalable design systems and exceptional customer-facing experiences. You’ll lead the design expression of major campaigns, launches and brand initiatives across digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential, photography, product storytelling and other visual touchpoints.
You are first and foremost a design creative: a conceptual thinker, systems builder and exceptional visual craftsperson with deep expertise in brand identity, typography, composition, imagery and art direction. You know how to take a powerful idea and build a visual system around it, creating work that is both creatively distinctive and capable of scaling across channels, markets, and formats.
This is a hands-on creative leadership role. You’ll lead design projects with internal teams and agency partners, establish compelling visual directions, and guide work from early exploration through refinement, production and final delivery. You’ll collaborate closely with Creative Directors in Copy and Art & Film to ensure campaign ideas and brand systems strengthen one another without losing the integrity of either.
You’ll be accountable for raising the quality and consistency of design across the work you lead while helping the Head of Design evolve the broader visual expression of Windows, Surface and Services.
Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Translate brand strategy, consumer insights, cultural observations and product truths into distinctive, relevant and memorable design ideas.
Lead the design expression of major campaigns, launches and brand initiatives across digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential, photography, product storytelling and other customer-facing touchpoints.
Develop visual concepts and design systems that reinforce the central creative idea while building recognition and equity for the brand.
Work in close partnership with the Head of Design to evolve and apply the visual identity systems for Windows, Surface and Services.
Turn foundational brand principles into compelling and scalable visual expressions, including typography, color, composition, layout, imagery, iconography, graphic language and other design elements.
Lead internal design teams and agency partners from brief through visual exploration, system development, production and final delivery, inspiring exceptional craft at every stage.
Establish the design direction for projects, providing clear creative guidance, thoughtful critique and actionable feedback to designers, art directors and external partners.
Develop and art direct photography, key art, illustration, typography and other visual assets required to support brand and campaign design systems.
Partner with the Creative Director, Art & Film to ensure the design system and film expression share a coherent visual world, while respecting clear ownership of filmmaking, directing, production and motion-led storytelling within the Art & Film function.
Partner with Creative Directors in Copy to ensure language, hierarchy, typography and visual expression work together as a unified experience.
Collaborate with Integrated Marketing, Product Marketing, Retail, Digital, Product Design and other internal partners to create cohesive design experiences across customer touchpoints.
Present and represent design thinking to creative leadership, marketing partners and senior stakeholders, clearly articulating the rationale behind the work and advocating for the strongest design outcome.
Lead and creatively direct brand design agencies, design studios, photographers, illustrators, typographers, image-makers and other specialist partners.
Ensure final work adheres to the core design idea and established brand principles while allowing room for experimentation, evolution and creative innovation.
Identify opportunities to improve existing design systems, tools and frameworks so teams can execute with greater clarity, consistency and quality.
Maintain a strong point of view on contemporary brand design, typography, image-making, technology, fashion, culture and visual communication, bringing that perspective into the work.
Lead multiple design initiatives simultaneously while maintaining creative clarity, systems coherence, high standards and exceptional attention to detail.
Mentor designers and art directors, helping them strengthen their conceptual thinking, systems thinking, visual judgment and executional craft.
Contribute to a design culture centered on ambition, rigor, curiosity, collaboration and world-class craft.
You must submit a portfolio to be considered for this role.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related field AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Creative Director, Design Director, Associate Creative Director or equivalent at a leading brand design studio, advertising agency or in-house creative team at a consumer organization.
An outstanding portfolio demonstrating excellence in brand identity, visual systems, campaign design, typography, image-making and visual storytelling.
Significant experience developing design systems and visual expressions for major consumer brands, campaigns, launches or culturally relevant products.
Deep hands-on expertise in typography, composition, color, layout, photography, image-making, identity design and visual systems.
Demonstrated ability to translate a foundational brand identity into flexible campaign and launch systems that work across multiple channels, formats and customer touchpoints.
Experience building scalable design systems that maintain clarity and distinctiveness across global markets, audiences and execution partners.
Experience leading design initiatives from early creative exploration through system development, production, implementation and final delivery.
Experience directing multidisciplinary design teams, agencies, studios, photographers, illustrators, typographers and other specialist creative partners.
Strong conceptual thinking and the ability to connect brand strategy, customer insight and product truth to a clear visual idea.
Experience partnering with copywriters, advertising creatives, filmmakers, marketers and other disciplines while maintaining a clear point of view on design.
Ability to present, defend and evolve design ideas with creative leadership, cross-functional partners and senior business stakeholders.
Exceptional visual taste, attention to detail and a strong point of view on contemporary design, technology and culture.
Experience developing or evolving identity and design systems for nationally or globally recognized consumer brands.
Experience leading the design expression of high-profile integrated campaigns, product launches and brand initiatives.
Creative leadership experience within a leading brand design studio, advertising agency, consumer brand, in-house creative organization or a combination of these environments.
Experience developing large-scale campaign systems that extend across digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential and other customer-facing channels.
Experience applying foundational visual identity systems to campaign and launch work without compromising brand consistency or creative ambition.
Experience developing photography frameworks, key art systems, typographic systems and distinctive approaches to product storytelling.
Experience balancing long-term brand stewardship with the distinct creative needs of individual campaigns, launches and business priorities.
Experience mentoring designers and art directors while raising the standard of conceptual thinking, systems thinking and visual craft.
Experience building productive relationships with leading design studios, agencies, photographers, illustrators, typographers and creative talent.
Art IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $296,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $331,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
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