Junior Creative Director

• Communicate and collaborate regularly with active internal/freelance designers, providing feedback,
critiques, and art direction.
• Present in-depth research and ideas on upcoming design trends to the Creative Director to facilitate
seasonal planning to procure products for the upcoming season.
• Customize research and ideas for each designer and present them as inspiration.
• Address any inquiries from the marketing team regarding samples, product inspiration, or factory issues.
• Consistently review sales numbers and provide these to the Creative Director and the designers with
information on top-selling products and use this data for new product design.
• Attend 2x regular weekly design meetings with the team (approx. 1.5-2 hours) and participate in other
meetings as needed.
• Review products for exclusive brands with the team and curate item collections for upcoming seasons.
• Design complete decor collections when time allows.
• Train new internal designers and train new freelance designers, providing comprehensive information
about our company, the design process, the wholesale market, and our factory specifications.
• Complete smaller internal design projects such as t-shirts, business cards, flyers, logos, or any factory
edits/art as needed.
• Work on large-scale preparation of art, samples, and packaging for factory production.
• Review, critique, and prepare all freelance designers' samples for China, including tagging, file setup,
organization, spreadsheet management, binder organization, and invoice creation.
• Review and process all designer's art files to ensure compatibility with the factory's preferred file types
and settings.
• Foster and maintain positive relationships with freelance designers and factory contacts.
• Act as a liaison between the design team and India, reviewing and providing feedback on all India
designs, and preparing setup files for India.
• Travel to China for factory sample review and buying.
• Travel to trade shows for booth setup, sales, and buying.
Secondary Responsibilities
• Collaborate with the marketing department to establish consistent product branding across the company.
• Review designs and samples before they reach the Creative Director, streamlining the process to
minimize changes.
• Stay updated on current design trends relevant to our target audience.
• Continuously brainstorm and plan for upcoming seasons.
• Occasionally hold in-person brainstorming sessions with freelance designers to provide design direction.
• Attend photoshoots as needed to provide creative direction.
• Ensure that the design team uses original, non-copyrighted content.
• Continuously work on improving departmental efficiencies and present these improvements to the
Creative Director.
About CWI
CWI is second-generation, family-owned wholesale business within the primitive and rustic gift and home
décor industry. Over the past forty years we've become one of the most established and best-known companies
within our industry.
We are based in Groveport, Ohio, with a facility that houses our warehouse, offices, an onsite showroom, and
wholesale cash-and-carry location. We offer competitive benefits that include health, dental, and vision, 401(K)
with company match, paid holidays and vacations, and bi-weekly pay.
Requirements
• Bachelor's degree in Art or Graphic Design, required
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in multimedia design, or similar
• Foundation of hands-on, applicable experience
• Experience working in software packages including Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft PowerPoint,
Excel, and Word
• Intimate understanding of design, copy, and web best practices/guidelines
Skills Needed for Success in This Role
• Creative Visionary: The candidate should have a strong creative vision and the ability to develop and
execute larger concept ideas. Experience in branding and trend research is essential.
• Design Expertise: While not limited to graphic design, the candidate should possess design skills and be
able to work on various design projects, including t-shirts, business cards, flyers, logos, and decor
collections.
• Project Management: Proficiency in managing multiple projects and tasks concurrently, with an aptitude
for organization and attention to detail.
• International Experience: Experience in dealing with international partners, such as Chinese factories
and Indian design teams, is advantageous.
• Travel Flexibility: Willingness and ability to travel to trade shows and factory locations, including
China, is a must.
• Brand Alignment: A keen eye for the company's style of products and the ability to differentiate
between each brand is essential.
• Analytical Skills: The ability to analyze sales data and use it for new product design is necessary for this
role.
• Team Collaboration: Coach, mentor, and provide support for creative team members while establishing
a strong rapport with the team and fostering a good creative working relationship.
• Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills are crucial for collaborating with both internal
and freelance designers, providing feedback, and liaising with marketing and factory teams.
• Training Abilities: The candidate should be capable of training new internal and freelance designers,
imparting knowledge about the company, design processes, and factory specifications.