Assistant Art Director

About The Position | Major goals and objectives and location requirements

Southern Living is seeking a self-motivated, creative, and deadline-oriented team player to join our Art Department. The Assistant Art Director will report to the Design Director and work closely with other members of the Art, Photo, and Editorial Departments to create layouts for columns, features, front-of-book pages, recipes, and anything that needs to be designed. 

The Assistant Art Director will be responsible for delivering designs that surprise, delight, and engage readers through typography, photography, and editorial elements such as pull quotes, sidebars, and infographics. They will also be expected to work collaboratively with a close-knit brand team as well as a network of contributors and partners including freelancers, illustrators, prop stylists, and other departments such as the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. 

Digital knowledge and design skills are essential, as well as a willingness to learn and collaborate with digital editors. Southern Living is a very integrated team, and we are always exploring ways to engage audiences with compelling visual elements on all platforms.

A strong affinity for Southern lifestyle content and an understanding of the Southern Living brand are also key, including the ability to capture the brand’s tone and voice. Expertise in designing, food, home, travel, and holiday content is a plus, as well as the ability to give complex stories a clear and meaningful visual identity. 

The Assistant Art Director will deliver work that is polished, thoughtful, and exacting, with elevated design under tight deadlines.

Hybrid 3x a week- Birmingham

In-office Expectations: This position is hybrid in-office, with the ability to work remotely for up to 2 days per week (per company policy, subject to change).

About The Team | The Southern Living editorial team consists of about 33 talented, hard-working, creative people who are focused on making incredible content to inform, entertain, and delight our audience. The Art Department is a small but mighty crew including three photo editors, three designers (including this position), and a staff photographer.

About The Positions Contributions:

Weight % Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable Results

65%

Design assigned stories in cooperation with other members of the Art and Photo Departments and Story Editors.

15%

Attend creative and editorial planning meetings, including digital meetings and smaller meetings with editors as needed.

10%

Work on creative briefs, attend photo shoots, work with illustrators, prepare concepts and storyboards for art meetings, and evaluate the quality of page proofs.

10%

Work on anything that’s needed, from digital projects such as logos and social graphics to presentations to pitching in on community projects.

The Role’s Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a related field.

Experience:

• Proven experience as a senior designer or in a similar creative role.
• Strong portfolio showcasing creative and innovative design solutions, with a keen eye for typography, color, and layout.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with a highly collaborative team under tight deadlines.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, Certifications and Abilities:

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and other design software.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team environment.

% Travel Required (Approximate): 0%