Art Director

HarperCollins Christian Publishing is in search of an additional Art Director to complement our top-notch Creative Services team.

The goal of the Art Director is to develop, concept, and create designs for book and Bible covers. And, to hire, art direct and manage outside contract designers to create exceptional cover design. With the goal of delivering excellent design, on budget, and on time while maintaining a spirit of cooperation with all departments and vendors.

Strong and appropriate creative vision and execution are crucial for the role, as well as organization and managing a demanding schedule.

*Online portfolio required for candidate consideration*

Essential Responsibilities: 

• Conceive, design, and/or art direct designs for book and Bible covers.
• Manage the cover design process in collaboration with editorial, production, marketing, and publishing teams.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for cover development, including comp distribution and approvals, production coordination, and planning with associated publishers.
• Commission, contract, and art direct freelance designers, illustrators, and vendors; review portfolios and match skills to projects.
• Prepare contracts, maintain assigned art direction budgets, code, and route invoices for freelance and vendor work.
• Prepare and present creative rationale for cover designs.
• Take projects through completion, including mechanical preparation, oversight of final file production, proofing, necessary image licensing, and coordination with the Production Department.
• Upload final images to internal systems for use by external vendors.
• Assist the Creative Director and support other Art Directors as needed to maintain workflow continuity and meet shared deadlines.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.

Knowledge: Expert knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite is required; Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Excel are highly desirable.

Work Experience:  5+ years of relevant design experience is preferred with 3+ years of additional experience art directing others being a plus. Strong preference to those with experience and skill in book cover design.

Education: Degree in Graphic Design or related field required.

Industry Knowledge: Current knowledge of both the publishing and printing process is required.

Skills: 

• Advanced design skills, preferably in book and bible design
• Detail oriented and organized.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to set priorities and remain calm under pressure.
• Skilled in understanding a creative vision/direction and communicating that vision to others.
• Although not required, bilingual English/Spanish candidates are a plus.

The salary range for this position is $65,000 – $80,000. We recognize that attracting the best talent is key to our strategy and success as a company.  As a result, we aim for flexibility in structuring competitive compensation offers to ensure we are able to attract the best candidates.  The quoted salary range represents our good faith estimate as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect, and we tailor our offers within the range based on the selected candidate's experience, industry knowledge, technical and communication skills, and other factors that may prove relevant during the interview process.  

In addition to cash compensation, the company provides a comprehensive and highly competitive benefits package, with a variety of physical health, retirement and savings, caregiving, emotional wellbeing, transportation, and other benefits, including "elective" benefits employees may select to best fit the needs and personal situations of our diverse workforce.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing is an equal opportunity employer.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities, in our job application and/or interview process. If you need assistance or accommodation in completing your application, due to a disability, email us at [email protected]. Note: we will only respond to accommodation requests.