Art Director, Design

Art Director

This role balances visionary thinking with hands-on execution. The Art Director is a senior creative leader and active designer responsible for shaping and executing world-class visual concepts across all UFC brand touchpoints.

This position plays a critical role in guiding the future visual identity and creative direction of UFC while remaining deeply engaged in the craft. The Art Director will concept, design, iterate, and refine high-impact creative across campaign key art, digital, broadcast, social, environmental, and experiential executions.

The Art Director partners closely with the Vice President, Creative, internal creative teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver cohesive, culturally relevant, and strategically aligned brand experiences.

Vision:

• Develop visual systems/toolkits for campaign key art, event branding, athlete identity, and global marketing initiatives.
• Guide the evolution of the UFC visual identity, ensuring consistency while pushing the brand forward culturally and creatively.
• Establish and maintain a clear point of view on craft, taste, and visual storytelling across the organization.

Innovation:

• Apply AI-assisted tools to accelerate concepting, iteration, and production while following established brand and legal guidelines.
• Support the development of responsible and brand-safe AI-assisted creative workflows.
• Ensure generative tools amplify authenticity and protect athlete likeness and intellectual property
• Evaluate emerging creative technologies and platforms for strategic advantage

Execution:

• Personally design and develop high-visibility campaign assets, including key art and core visual systems.
• Maintain exceptional standards in typography, composition, color, and visual hierarchy.
• Mentor and inspire designers by modeling best-in-class craft and hands-on execution
• Deliver high-quality creative in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners across Marketing, Production, Sponsorship, PR, and Operations to ensure cohesive brand experiences.
• Present and defend creative direction with clarity and confidence to senior leadership.
• Influence early-stage conversations to integrate creative thinking into business and campaign strategy
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams and external partners

You Have These:

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
• Expert-level typography, composition, and visual storytelling
• Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years of experience at an agency or in-house setting.
• 6+ years leading and mentoring designers while maintaining personal creative output
• Proven portfolio showcasing high-level and/or award-winning key art, campaign development, and brand execution across multiple platforms
• Extensive experience developing brand identities and integrated campaign systems