Jobs Companies AKQA ACD Art Director - Freelance

About this ACD Art Director - Freelance role at AKQA

AKQA · Onsite · San Francisco

At AKQA (part of WPP) we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Art Directors at AKQA apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insight to create and bring to life beautiful ideas that move the world. Skilled conceptors and makers, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to develop labors of love that delight customers and deliver results for clients. The most exciting of them pair a clear creative point of view with a masterful command of aesthetic, equally at home concepting a big idea and shepherding it through production.

We are seeking a conceptual Associate Creative Director (ACD) Art Director to join an existing team on a fast-moving campaign stream for one of the most recognized consumer tax software brands in the world. This project is currently in production with a large volume of stills and video deliverables, and you will help support the team by pulling selects, providing retouching notes and creative POV, and working closely with designers to organize shares and post-production. You will also jump into production on a conceptual video campaign, contributing across pre-production, production, and post, and helping oversee multiple edits at once. We are looking for someone with a strong eye, a clear creative point of view, and the organization to keep a high volume of deliverables moving. This is a freelance role from ASAP through September 25, 2026, with the possibility of extending beyond October.

 

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

  • Support a project currently in production, helping pull selects, develop retouching notes, and provide creative POV across a large volume of stills and video deliverables
  • Work closely with designers to organize shares and manage post-production
  • Jump into production on a conceptual video campaign, contributing across pre-production, production, and post
  • Help oversee multiple video edits at once, keeping quality high and deliverables on track
  • Bring a clear creative point of view and a masterful command of aesthetic to every stage of the work
  • Collaborate closely with the existing creative team to move a high volume of deliverables through the pipeline

 

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

  • A compelling portfolio demonstrating strong experience on big-idea campaigns and shoots, with a masterful command of aesthetic
  • Strong photography and design sensibilities, with a sharp, discerning eye
  • Video production experience is a must, with fluency across pre-production, production, and post
  • Proven ability to manage and oversee multiple edits and deliverables at once
  • Organized, resourceful, and able to keep a fast-moving production on track
  • A clear creative point of view and the confidence to shape and defend the work
  • Collaborative, receptive to feedback, and motivated by delivering work that is as smart as it is beautiful

 

Location & Commitment

  • Remote; can be done from anywhere in the United States within approved states
  • August 31, 2026 through September 25, 2026
  • 40 hours/week
  • Expected weekly compensation: $4,800 to $5,000 

We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.


About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

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How this Art Director salary compares

This role pays $5,000/yrbelow the typical range for Art Director roles.

$131,248 median $199,500 $273,810

Typical range $169,950–$214,133/yr, from 13 comparable Art Director listings on JobsRadar (pay annualized to USD). See Art Director salary insights →

About AKQA

CORE VALUES

Our founding values guide our work and the philosophy of our firm:

 

Innovation – pioneering ideas combined with the application of technology, to achieve lasting improvements in performance for our clients.
Service – outstanding service to our clients and colleagues, so we retain exceptional people and create trust-based relationships with clients.
Quality – adhere to the highest professional standards and superior quality.
Thought – recommending the best solutions through the most rigorous thinking process.

 

TEAMWORK

AKQA provides the highest quality ideas and innovation services to clients around the world. Our consistent track-record of results achieved for clients have set our firm apart. Through our focus on our core values, thought-leadership, rigorous delivery, and industry initiatives, AKQA is today one of the world’s most influential companies. Our goal is to become a high-performance environment where the most talented people flourish. With our perfectionist approach, people join AKQA for the opportunity to do the best work of their careers.

 

We create digital products, services and immersive experiences that are useful, usable, delightful and enjoyed by millions. We employ a rapid ideation and prototyping process that focuses on getting pilots into market quickly, helping clients make a sustained impact, increase their relevance and expand their connection. By embracing a pioneering approach that continues to lead and define the industry, we deliver cohesive blueprints that fulfil audience needs and surpass business goals.

 

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

AKQA is committed to helping our team develop into the best possible practitioners and to providing them with an unparalleled foundation for their career. We help develop well-rounded professionals acquire leadership skills more quickly than at other organisations. Our employees benefit from the trusted long-term nature of our client relationships as well as the cultural alignment between the client and our own organisation, creating an optimum environment to deliver the work without any compromises.

 

 

ORGANISED TO SUCCEED

The core motivation at AKQA is product excellence. Although we are part of WPP, AKQA operates as an independent firm. Organically grown, our team works as a single firm, without geographic division. This means we can bring the best resources from our network to provide solutions for our clients.

 

In addition to our own Future Lions initiative, we have formed partnerships with many of the world’s leading universities so we can hire their best graduates. We combine youth and energy with maturity and experience to form a community that has a unique diversity of knowledge and exceptional professional judgement.

 

DEVELOPMENT

In addition to on-the-job training, AKQA offers a menu of training through the AKQA Academy and WPP Professional Development. This comprehensive curriculum of formal training is designed to equip our team with the substantive creative, engineering, business acumen, communications, management and analytical skills required to have professionally rewarding careers. AKQA Academy and WPP Professional Development courses are taught by leaders in their fields including AKQA’s own senior team and respected external experts.

 

To maintain the continuous focus on our core values, and provide a clear career path for our team, all of our Managing Directors and Executive Partners are promoted from within AKQA.

All AKQA employees and clients are invited to participate in the AKQA Insight and AKQA Tech.Insight thought leadership programmes. These comprise a series of informative lectures and Q&A sessions with authors, artists, athletes, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who are recognised leaders in their respective disciplines.

 

DIVERSITY

We believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. We provide our employees with the canvas, tools and confidence to help them advance their careers in a way that best suits them.

 

 

SUSTAINABILITY

At AKQA we believe everything a company does should be about taking the responsibility to be respectful towards the community and the environment. We consider community and pro-bono work to be an important commitment of our employees. We encourage our team to devote their skills to a broad range of pro-bono and community activities, working with myriad charitable and not-for-profit organisations. AKQA is part of WPP’s Sustainability initiatives. WPP is ranked no. 49 in an annual round-up of the World’s Greenest Companies.

See all jobs at AKQA →

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