Contract to start, with opportunity for full-time

New York or Remote (EST preferred)

Contract rate: $90–$135/hr | Full-time base salary: $95,000–$135,000 (base)

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We are hiring an art director to lead visual quality, direction, and creative coherence across brand and campaign work.

At Little Plains, art direction is the ability to develop a visual point of view for a brand, hold it across executions, and bring others along. This role is responsible for what things look like and why they look that way.

You direct and produce work, not just review it.

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Why This Role Exists

Individual designers do their best work when there is a strong visual direction to work within. Brand guidelines tell you the rules. Art direction tells you why.

The companies we work with are often building in visual territory with no obvious references. Good art direction is the difference between a brand that feels like a specific place and one that feels assembled.

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About Little Plains

Little Plains is a modern brand and product studio. We work primarily with early-stage companies, often from pre-launch through Series A, at moments where clarity, speed, and conviction matter most. Our partners are founders and small senior teams building new products, categories, and narratives under real constraints.

We operate as an embedded creative partner rather than a traditional digital agency, building brand, product, and go-to-market work into cohesive systems that can scale as companies grow. Our work spans healthcare, biotech, SaaS, and consumer products.

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What You Will Do

Day to day, you will:

• Lead visual direction for brand and campaign work on your projects
• Develop visual concepts and art direction from early exploration through final execution
• Work closely with brand designers to shape, refine, and strengthen the output
• Define and extend visual systems across multiple touchpoints, not just hero executions
• Direct photography, illustration, motion, and typography at a concept and execution level
• Collaborate with brand strategists and copywriters to make sure visual and verbal expression earn each other
• Use AI image and generative tools to accelerate visual exploration and concept development
• Hold a high bar for quality and push work forward when it is not there yet

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How We Work

Art directors at Little Plains are in the work, not above it. Visual concepts are developed through making, not just briefing. Feedback is specific and tied to the intent of the brand, not personal preference.

AI is part of the visual exploration process here. The judgment about what to keep or develop is still yours.

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The Bar for Craft

This role requires a developed visual point of view, the ability to build coherent brand worlds across executions, and the confidence to push work to a higher standard when it does not meet the brief.

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What We're Looking For

• 3–5 years of art direction experience, at an agency, studio, or in-house
• A portfolio that demonstrates strong visual point of view across brand, campaign, and digital contexts
• Ability to develop and hold visual direction across a brand system, not just individual executions
• Comfort directing multiple disciplines: design, photography, illustration, motion
• Experience working with early-stage companies or building brands from scratch is a plus
• Active use of AI generative tools (e.g. Flora, Weavy, MidJourney, Claude, Paper) for visual exploration and concept development
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to give direct, useful creative feedback

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Benefits (Full-Time)

• Quarterly profit share tied to studio performance
• Equity participation for long-term team members
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (50% employer-covered)
• 15 days PTO (Year 1, increases by 2 days/year)
• Parental leave: 12 weeks (birth parent), 6 weeks (non-birth parent) at full pay
• Prenatal leave: 20 hours paid per year
• $1,000/year craft and tools stipend
• $200/month coworking stipend

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What to Submit

• Resume or LinkedIn profile
• Portfolio showing art direction across brand and campaign contexts
• A short note on a brand or visual world you find compelling right now and why

If you want to do serious art direction for companies building something genuinely new, let's talk.

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Equal Opportunity & Fair Chance

Little Plains is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, including the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws.

In accordance with the NYC Fair Chance Act, we consider applicants with criminal histories. Any background check will occur only after a conditional offer of employment has been made.

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Apply Now

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Thank You.

‍We appreciate your consideration. We will do our best to view every submission carefully, and in a timely manner. Please allow a few business days for us to get back to your submission, and we look forward to hopefully talking more.‍

Cheers,
Little Plains

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