TYC Job Roles

The Yard Creative is looking for a Design Director specialising in Brand & Digital to continue to drive the business forward. TYC is a boutique design agency that focuses on forging forms + feelings and only partners with people that want to challenge their sector. Our abilities to see the world differently and identify opportunities is what drives us and sets up apart from others. Our clients have already voted TYC as the No3 Graphics design agency in the UK and Top 50 in the world.

The candidate will be responsible for delivering world-class branding and graphic design for our clients, backed by solid research, trends, insights and consumer behaviours mixed with an ability to think differently and innovate past the norm.

We are looking for someone with a proven track record of successful branding and graphic design, as well as digital and interactive design projects for global clients across Well-being and Health, Sports, Retail, Food and Beverage, Property Development, Hospitality and Transport sectors.

You must be able to demonstrate a track record of running a creative department within such a business, an ability to deliver positive GP on projects, manage workflow, manage multiple clients at the same time and use their managerial skills to help continue the growth of a world class team of talent. This role as much about managing the team and clients as it is the creative output. You’ll be working hand in hand with the Creative Director who is responsible for the overall creative vision.

The role is hands on, liaison and engagement with the client is paramount. The role will be supported by a Project Manager but there will be aspects such as planning, resourcing and client services that sit alongside the creative side of the role.

Roles and responsibilities

This role has a 30/70 spilt between directing the creative and managing the Brand team to elevate TYC to new heights. You must be able to inspire and positively manage the graphics team, working across multiple projects at all times. You’ll have a proven experience of working with blue chip companies as well as entrepreneurs and start-ups across all aspects of the graphic design life cycle including;

Creativity responsibilities

• Taking client briefs and translating into project requirements
• Planning, facilitating and running both client and team meetings / workshops / crits
• Creating strategic directions and positioning for brands
• Leveraging knowledge and science of branding to create remarkable brands
• Driving brand identity concept generation, creation and execution
• Defining overarching ideas for brand engagement, user experience and digital / interaction design
• Putting as much emphasis on the use of ‘language’ and storytelling to create brands not just the visual (defining and writing the tone of voice)
• Keeping up to date with trends and a love for all that’s new and innovative
• Inspiration and art direction of the Brand team (including suppliers)
• Review and signing off on all Brand team production work e.g. strategy, positioning, concepts, copywriting, communication packs, brand guidelines, print ready artwork etc.

Managerial responsibilities of the role

• Supporting, mentoring, reviewing and writing staff smart objectives to ensure team member progression and growth through TYC
• Project management and scheduling of the Brand team workflow, including freelancers and any other (external) members contributing to branding projects; such as researchers, strategists, interior and digital designers etc.
• Business acumen in regards to the balance of making great design profitable (including service levels, managing scope creep, timekeeping and budgets)
• Developing existing client relationships and farming new work
• Supporting new business activities and winning new clients
• Speaking at events to promote TYC and continue to position TYC as a leader in our sectors
• Reporting to the Leadership team and Group on team performance, project profitability, growth initiatives, farming opportunities
• Writing blogs, thought leadership pieces and TYC project case studies for the website
• Attend management meetings every 3 weeks
• Responsible for key client account and forging last lasting relationships
• Strategic recruitment growth of the Brand team, including working with recruitment agencies and interviewing.

This is a client-facing role that requires you to be able to engage and manage clients in a proactive manner. There will be regular onsite client meetings that will be planned, managed and run by you, however the day to day will be conducted in our office in London. Our client base covers UK, Europe, Middle East and the US.

Specific skills required for the role

• Excellent idea and concept generation abilities
• Extensive experience in creating brand strategy and identities, marketing ideas and communications materials
• Outstanding skills in copywriting and creating tone of voice
• Outstanding art direction and photography direction skills
• Outstanding skills in creating campaign related graphic materials (experience must be in both physical and digital campaigns)
• Extensive experience in designing communication packages and environmental graphics for physical environments
• Extensive experience in designing uniforms, packaging and production of packaging
• Experience in designing responsive website interfaces focused on improving both website usability and the user experience (using Figma)
• Experience in designing applications for smart devices, including e-commerce apps
• Extensive experience in liaison with suppliers e.g. print houses, website and application developers
• Exceptionally confident and articulate when presenting concepts or ideas
• Excellent storyboarding and creation of presentations using Adobe InDesign
• Outstanding team leadership skills whilst also able to produce all project deliverables to an exceptionally high standard
• Outstanding client liaison and management skills
• Excellent creative business acumen, including financials, operations and processes
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud
• Expert user of MS Office
• Expert Apple Mac user. 

Who will you be?

You’ll be your own person. Be confident in who you are, stand up for what you believe and never hide what you know. You’ll share everything you know to help others around you grow and flourish whilst be inquisitive to ask them questions back. People will describe your knowledge and energy as infectious. You’ll of course have a passion for what you do (otherwise why are you doing it?!), bring energy to the team and help grow our culture. And you’ll know your stuff. You’ll not bluff your way through, never lie and always have TYC front of mind.

What we’ll do for you

In exchange for bringing it everyday, we’ll ensure you’ll manage a wide variety of creative challenges, work with Global Brands and entrepreneurs, have exposure to many different aspects of the business and continue to learn at every step of the way. We’ll support you and believe in you. You’ll get a strong work life balance. You’ll be involved in all our cultural activities.

And lastly

You’ll be part of an agency whose profits go towards affecting climate, demographic and economic change. At a time where we’re all telling our clients to have a bigger purpose, we’re leading the way and showing others how it’s done.

Qualifications required

• 2:1 or higher Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, Branding or Design
• International design agency and client experience is required

The role is studio based as we are a business built on its culture and collaboration, that said we have adopted a hybrid model which can be discussed post the probation period.

If this sounds like you then please send your CV and portfolio documenting all mind-blowing experience to:

Contact: Laurence Pugh
Email: studio@theyardcreative.com