The Creative Director is responsible for driving, elevating, and evolving the Harry & David brand and its affiliated portfolio across all customer touchpoints. This role provides strategic and inspirational leadership for a multidisciplinary Creative Team, shaping world-class storytelling and delivering premium, cohesive brand experiences across print, digital, retail, and omnichannel marketing.
This leader will champion Harry & David’s brand pillars by developing compelling brand narratives, conceptualizing seasonal and campaign photography, and actualizing holistic go-to-market creative executions. The Creative Director ensures all creative output reflects a premium positioning within the food gifting, entertaining, and home lifestyle space—driving customer engagement, demand, and company goals.
Responsibilities
Brand Leadership & Creative Strategy
- Elevate the Harry & David brand storytelling to reinforce and expand upon key brand pillars.
- Strategically align creative concepts, visual design, and content direction with merchandising, marketing, and business strategies.
- Lead the ideation and conceptual development of all brand photography, video, and content across channels.
- Develop and present seasonal creative strategy, themes, and campaign directions for large-scale initiatives and go-to-market moments.
Creative Execution & Omni-Channel Delivery
- Oversee design and execution of all creative assets including catalogs, print marketing, email, website creative, social media, retail, and broader digital experiences.
- Ensure creative solutions communicate with clarity, distinction, and breakthrough visual storytelling while reflecting a premium brand aesthetic.
- Collaborate closely with Editorial, Messaging, and Copy teams, as well as the internal studio, to deliver cohesive omnichannel campaigns.
- Drive synergy between catalog, online, and retail channels to ensure seamless narrative and visual alignment.
- Team Leadership & Development
- Provide direct leadership for a team of designers, art directors, and creative staff.
- Mentor, train, and grow junior team members to build a high-performing, innovative creative organization.
- Foster a positive, collaborative, constructive culture that encourages creative excellence and cross-functional partnership.
- Quality, Innovation & Operational Excellence
- Ensure all creative output meets merchant and marketing objectives, delivering strong, on-brand communication.
- Apply a discerning eye for photo editing, composition, and visual refinement to uphold impeccable design standards.
- Stay current on design trends, technology, and innovations across ecommerce, retail, and lifestyle brand marketing.
- Manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment with exceptional communication and presentation skills.
Team Leadership & Development
- Provide direct leadership for a team of designers, art directors, and creative staff.
- Mentor, train, and grow junior team members to build a high-performing, innovative creative organization.
- Foster a positive, collaborative, constructive culture that encourages creative excellence and cross-functional partnership.
Quality, Innovation & Operational Excellence
- Ensure all creative output meets merchant and marketing objectives, delivering strong, on-brand communication.
- Apply a discerning eye for photo editing, composition, and visual refinement to uphold impeccable design standards.
- Stay current on design trends, technology, and innovations across ecommerce, retail, and lifestyle brand marketing.
- Manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment with exceptional communication and presentation skills.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Design, Marketing, or related creative field preferred.
Experience & Skills
- 10–12+ years of design or creative experience, ideally within premium consumer brand, lifestyle, or ecommerce organizations.
- Minimum 5 years managing direct reports in a creative leadership role.
- Demonstrated success delivering against business and creative goals through design and storytelling.
- Highly developed aesthetic sensibility with impeccable design fundamentals.
- Strong grasp of marketing concepts, brand development, and customer-centric experience design.
- Proven ability to simplify complex creative challenges into elegant, intuitive solutions.
- Deep understanding of best-in-class web experiences and omnichannel creative delivery.
- Passion for visual storytelling within photography, content creation, and interactive experiences.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to influence across teams.
