What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Art Director (Lifestyle Media / Editorial Design) position at Mediabistro?
Richmond, VA | Full-Time | On-Site
About the Role
A regional lifestyle magazine covering food, culture, people, destinations, homes, gardens, and more is hiring an Assistant Art Director to help shape visual identity across print and digital platforms. This hands-on role supports the design process for award-winning features and departments, spanning conceptual layouts, photography and illustration direction, typography, and marketing materials.
The assistant art director works closely with the art director, publisher, and editorial team, contributing to story development from concept through production. The role includes directing photo shoots, assigning and managing freelance photographers and illustrators, and designing layouts that carry the brand across print and digital.
What the Role Covers
- Contributing to story ideation and vetting ideas for relevance and past coverage
- Collaborating with the art director to select photographers, illustrators, and stylists for each story
- Assigning freelance artists and negotiating fees
- Locating photoshoot locations, supervising shoots, and assisting with art direction for maximum quality
- Designing and producing front-of-book stories, department layouts, and feature layouts, including image gathering and color correction
- Advancing layouts through the production cycle with publishing and editorial departments
- Preparing and organizing purchase orders, resolving budget discrepancies, and managing artist onboarding paperwork
- Building relationships with editorial subjects and the broader creative community
- Managing art interns
- Maintaining workflow organization and updating comp lists for each issue
Qualifications
- BA in graphic design or a related field
- 1 to 3 years of design experience at a magazine, ad agency, or communications organization
- Strong design and art direction skills with the ability to explain creative rationale
- Experience working with photographers, illustrators, and stylists, as well as sourcing archival material and scouting locations
- Strong understanding of typography, photography, and illustration
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
- Comfortable in a Mac environment with familiarity with Google Workspace
- Knowledge of branding, marketing, and adapting print layouts for digital
- Knowledge of offset printing and willingness to learn preflight and press check tasks
- Strong project management and organizational skills
- Familiarity with Virginia is a plus
Hours are 8:30 to 5:30, Monday through Friday, with additional time as needed. Benefits include two weeks paid vacation and eight paid holidays per year.
To Apply
Visit Mediabistro for full details and application instructions.