The Ideal Candidate:

You know and love sports. You are an experienced creative leader obsessed with the craft and application of your skills. Fantastic taste, as well as an understanding of clear, connected digital experiences, is a must. You are inspired by innovative, creative thinking and the power of design to amplify the role of sport in the world. You lead by example when required and consistently guide your team through your creative process and their work. You are committed to a healthy, connected team culture and to working with other cross-functional squads. You value communication, collaboration, and varied perspectives and believe in guiding and growing talent.

The Top Shelf: As Art Director, you create the vision and inspire your team to generate a creative product at the highest level. We’re looking for someone with a track record of creating famous work for big brands, with experience in sports and entertainment being a big plus. Your keen awareness of cultural subtleties ensures that your creative executions are relevant and resonate deeply with diverse audiences. Managing a team of designers and photographers, you'll cultivate a collaborative environment where creativity can flourish. By building trust-based relationships with clients and our internal team, you'll lead with insight, authority, and professional leadership, guiding us through transformational change.

Collaboration: Daily collaboration with Integrated Marketing, Brand & Communications, Content & Creative, Digital, Events & Experience, and regular collaboration with stakeholders across the organization, including Business Strategy & Analytics, Ticketing, Corporate Partnerships, Retail, SIO, and HR.

How You'll Contribute:

Creative Leadership & Strategy

• Work with the Director of Content Creative to define and establish creative strategy and transform high-level business requirements into engaging creative, including evolving the organization's brand identity and visual standards
• Lead creative vision for the organization, seeing the bigger picture and defining creative direction that leads to award-winning work
• Develop seasonal style guidelines and campaign "look books," ensuring a strong and distinguishable visual identity to be implemented across all touchpoints
• Think beyond executional or tactical work to develop 'campaignable' concepts that work across media
• Stay current with design trends and technology, bringing new ideas and techniques to the team while managing up by providing recommendations on workflow efficiencies, new technology, and creative approaches to keep the organization at the forefront of creative execution

Art Direction & Quality Control

• Review all creative assets before in-market delivery to ensure flawless output regarding accuracy, sponsor obligations, marketing strategy alignment, timeliness, and adherence to brand guidelines
• Work alongside the Director of Content Creative to establish art direction for annual operating plan (AOP) projects while consulting with the Brand Director for insight into paid media strategy and the need for creative diversity of assets to support revenue goals
• Oversee and approve all design projects from concept to completion
• Serve as design lead in asset creation for all Blackhawks-owned channels, including web, social media, email, and other digital platforms
• Present design concepts and final deliverables to executives and cross-functional teams
• Responsible for daily logo usage approvals by internal and external partners
• Understand the critical importance of the production process and serve as an expert in ensuring it delivers exceptional work

Team Management & Collaboration

• Lead and manage a team of designers to ensure surgical execution and consistent delivery of high-quality visual content across all platforms and materials
• Directly manage and mentor the creative team, passing on your experience through generous and patient mentorship of junior team members
• Organize, motivate, and improve the creative output of those around you
• Assign tasks based on each designer's skill level, interest, and capacity
• Manage project timelines and progress tracking from start to completion
• Create a sense of urgency when hard deadlines are approaching
• Motivate the team to design outside of templates, practice new skills (e.g., motion design), stay engaged on game nights by pitching ideas, and work overtime when tasks are backlogged
• Collaborate with internal teams to conceptualize and execute projects that engage fans and promote the Blackhawks brand
• Assist production team(s) on location and in-studio during photo shoots and special events

Player Stats and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design or related industry experience
• 5-7 years of relevant experience in a creative role for an entertainment brand, creative agency, or sports team/league, with 1-3 years in a supervisory role
• Deep understanding of hockey, including knowledge of teams, players, game strategies, and current sports trends

What Makes You Stand Out

• Outstanding Portfolio: You demonstrate exceptional originality, innovation, and multi-disciplinary thinking through your work
• Leadership Skills: You are a leader who can organize, motivate, and improve the creative output of those around you
• Creative Vision: You see the bigger picture and define a creative vision that leads to award-winning work
• Big Idea Thinker: You go beyond the executional or tactical and develop 'campaignable' thoughts that work across media
• Production Expertise: You understand the critical importance of the production process and are an expert in ensuring it delivers exceptional work
• Mentor: You can pass on your experience to others through generous and patient mentorship of more junior team members
• Cultural Player: You are a positive, collaborative, contagious spirit that is integral to creating the team dynamic
• Demonstrated Aptitude: You have a proven track record of driving results
• Team-First Mentality: You bring a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and eagerness to learn