We’re looking for a conceptually strong Art Director with a deep understanding of the Poetry aesthetic and values to join the marketing team. This is a pivotal, creative role, ideal for someone with strong visual instincts, a clear point of view, and a talent for shaping compelling brand narratives through art direction.
You’ll work closely with the Creative Lead to ideate, develop, and shape seasonal campaigns and brand initiatives—translating Poetry’s unique aesthetic and narrative into compelling visual worlds across all channels. While the Creative Lead sets the overall vision and direction, you’ll play a critical supporting role in defining and elevating the art direction that brings each campaign to life.
This role is suited to a creative thinker who thrives in a collaborative environment and brings strength in concept development, visual storytelling, and brand-led art direction.
Key Performance / Focus Areas
Creative Concept Development
- Partner with the Creative Lead in developing campaign concepts that align with seasonal themes and overall brand strategy.
- Proactively consult with key internal teams—Digital, Ecommerce, and Visual Merchandising—during the ideation phase to ensure integrated and channel-relevant thinking.
- Contribute meaningfully in brainstorming sessions, offering ideas and creative references that enhance the visual and narrative depth of campaign concepts.
- Collaborate closely with the Copywriter to ensure concepts are brought to life cohesively across words and visuals.
Art Direction & Visual Execution
- Support the Creative Lead in translating campaign concepts into refined visual directions that are brand-aligned, of high visual quality and informed by current retail and creative trends.
- Develop comprehensive art direction guidelines—including but not limited to shot lists, styling references, set design notes, lighting preferences, and communicating the overall visual tone—to ensure creative alignment across internal and external collaborators.
- Liaise with external production partners and agencies, playing an active role in briefing, providing reference material, and collaborating throughout the creative production process to ensure brand consistency and vision are upheld.
Production Oversight & Coordination
- Assist in shaping and preparing creative direction for production and shoot execution.
- Attend shoots and support the Creative Lead in directing visual storytelling—ensuring alignment to concept and brand aesthetics.
- Work cross-functionally to ensure consistency and quality across final outputs.
- Work together with the Marketing Assistant to coordinate pre-production meetings, briefings, castings, etc, to ensure a smooth pre- and post-production process.
Cross-Functional Creative Collaboration
- Serve as a key creative contact for internal stakeholders during campaign rollout—helping to align visuals across in-store, digital, and content platforms.
- Work alongside social, content, and broader marketing teams to ensure visual storytelling remains consistent, elevated, and aligned to the campaign intent.
- Actively contribute to a culture of collaboration, feedback, and shared creative ownership.
Required Qualifications & Skills
- 5 years’ experience in art direction (retail, fashion, or lifestyle brand experience preferred).
- Strong working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, with the ability to guide and evaluate creative output in line with the intended visual direction.
- Strong conceptual and visual storytelling ability.
- Experience in photographic and video shoot direction, including storyboarding and production prep.
- A portfolio that demonstrates a balance of idea-led creative work and refined execution.
Behavioural Competencies
- A visual thinker with an editorial eye and instinct for brand.
- Deeply connected to the Poetry brand and customer, with a passion for feminine, refined, and narrative-driven visual storytelling.
- Highly collaborative and comfortable working in a team where roles are fluid but aligned.
- Skilled at balancing autonomy with alignment—comfortable leading aspects of a project while working within a shared creative vision.
- Calm, focused, and solutions-oriented in fast-paced environments.
- Passionate about bringing ideas to life through partnership—with copy, design, and broader marketing teams.
- Curious and trend-aware—actively stays up to date with fashion, visual culture, and market trends to ensure the brand remains current, distinctive, and creatively led.
Please note: The Cape Union Mart Group is committed to transformation. Appointments and promotions will be made based on candidates who best meet the requirements for the position. Preference will be given to candidates who will enhance the diversity of the team, aligned to our Employment Equity plan.