Barnes and Noble Employment – Senior Art Director

Job Description:

Union Square & Co. is seeking a highly organized, motivated, and creative senior-level art director to oversee our growing illustrated book program, help steer the visual direction, and lead a small but dedicated team as we create a strong new voice in the lifestyle and cooking markets.

Job Responsibilities:

• Commissions, negotiates, and manages freelance designers and illustrators.
• Maintains ongoing communications and schedules with the Editorial and Production departments to ensure timely execution and follow-through from manuscript to bound book for all projects.
• Works with the Design and Creative Director to maintain the highest quality of design and production standards while keeping on track with deadlines and book budgets.
• Manages the schedule and assignments and oversees the work of the Associate Art Director, Lifestyle; supervises mechanical work given to the production designers or compositors
• Works with the photo director to arrange, attend, and art direct photo shoots.
• Oversees all stages of preparation including file preparation, text spilling and styling, color correction, and reviewing printer proofs.
• Works closely with members of the Creative Operations and Managing Editorial departments to increase productivity, communication, collaboration, design creativity and quality.
• Drives the look for the program; recommends and secures photographers, illustrators, and freelance designers in the creative vanguard to ensure that UNSQ’s cooking and lifestyle titles are varied, unique, and fresh.
• Conceptualizes and collaborates with the editorial team to create thoughtful, market-appropriate, and innovative designs for covers and interiors of lifestyle and cooking titles.
• Attends weekly status and design meetings.

Job Requirements:

• Please submit links to online portfolios or samples in order to be considered for this position.
• Extensive experience negotiating contracts with illustrators and designers; experience managing illustrators through assignments on large scale, multi-page documents.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• High-level proficiency in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
• 4 year college degree preferably in Graphic Design, or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 7 to 10 years cookbook and/or lifestyle book design experience
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment.
• Experience managing a small team and managing budgets.
• Detailed knowledge of pre-press requirements for print: manufacturing process, proofing, and color correction.
• Extensive experience directing photo shoots, creating mood boards, and researching photographers, stylists, and illustrators

Job Details:

Company: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Vacancy Type: Full Time

Job Location: Union Square, New York, US

Application Deadline: N/A

Apply Here