Lead Designer / Junior Art Director

Join iNCO Creative as our Lead Designer / Junior Art Director and help shape work our clients are proud to put their name to. You’ll turn briefs into bold, on\-brand creative and lead a talented design team day to day, working closely with the Creative Director to set the visual direction on the campaigns you own. This is a role with real creative freedom. You’ll have the space to push ideas, experiment and put your stamp on work across print, digital, social and outdoor, all within a vibrant, collaborative studio where the best idea wins. If you love great design, enjoy bringing out the best in people and are ready to step up into art direction, we’d love to hear from you. **About the role** **Creative concept and art direction** * Interpret client and internal briefs and develop visual concepts that answer the brief * Set the look and feel for assigned campaigns, including layout, typography, colour and imagery * Present concepts and rationale to the Creative Director and, where required, to clients * Brief and direct photographers, illustrators, videographers and other suppliers on shoots and commissioned work * Make sure all work stays true to client brand guidelines and iNCO Creative standards **Design execution** * Design and produce high\-quality work across print, digital, social media, outdoor and presentation formats * Prepare print\-ready and digital\-ready artwork to the correct technical specifications * Adapt master designs across sizes, channels and languages as needed * Do final quality checks on artwork for accuracy, spelling, brand compliance and technical correctness before release **Team leadership and development** * Allocate design tasks to designers and juniors and track progress against deadlines * Review team work and give clear, constructive feedback * Coach and mentor junior designers and interns on craft, software and process * Help keep a positive, collaborative studio culture * Give input to the Creative Director on team performance and training needs **Workflow and project delivery** * Plan design workloads with account management or project management to meet deadlines * Estimate design time for jobs and flag scope creep or resource gaps early * Manage feedback rounds and keep version control and file storage organised * Liaise with printers and production suppliers to check proofs and production quality **Client and stakeholder collaboration** * Attend briefings and creative reviews with account teams and clients as required * Explain design decisions clearly and handle client feedback professionally * Work with copywriters, strategists and developers to deliver integrated campaigns **Creative standards and innovation** * Keep up to date with design trends, tools and platforms and share learning with the team * Help build and maintain studio templates, brand toolkits and design processes * Contribute ideas for new business pitches and agency self\-promotion **What you’ll need** * Diploma or degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication or a related field, or equivalent proven experience shown through a strong portfolio. A portfolio of work is required. * 4 to 6 years’ experience as a graphic designer in an agency or in\-house creative team, including at least 1 year leading or supervising other designers or directing projects. Experience working across both print and digital channels. * Competencies: Strong conceptual and visual thinking, Excellent layout, typography and colour skills, Advanced Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), Working knowledge of Figma and basic motion or video editing, Print and digital production know\-how, Art direction of shoots and suppliers, Coaching and giving constructive feedback, Clear presentation and communication skills, Planning and time management under pressure, Attention to detail, Client service orientation, Openness to feedback and collaboration. **Great work starts with great people.** If you’re hungry to grow, lead and create work that gets noticed, iNCO Creative is the place to do it. **Apply today via our careers portal:** https://keeppeople.co.za/careers/inco\-careers/00dd0887\-cf1c\-4cfe\-b3f3\-4567640c53a1 Remember to include your CV and portfolio with your application. Education: * Diploma (Preferred) Experience: * Graphic design: 4 years (Required) Location: * Durban, KwaZulu\-Natal (Required) Work Location: In person