Art Director

Job Profile:

Rate is one of the nation's top retail mortgage lenders, delivering a seamless, tech-driven experience that helps customers reach their home ownership and financial goals. Founded in 2000 and based in Chicago, Rate is licensed in all 50 states and D.C. and has helped over 2 million homeowners with a wide range of loan products, competitive rates and personalized service. With 5,000+ employees across 300+ offices and 12+ subsidiaries, Rate's Loan Officers rank among the best in the country.

From purchases and refinances to tapping into equity, Rate makes financing faster, simpler and less stressful. Our technology - including Same Day Mortgage, the Rate App, Flash Close, MyAccount and the Language Access Program - has earned recognition from Housing Wire, Scotsman Guide, Nerd Wallet, the Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business. Learn more at

Pay Range: $90k-$100k

About the role Rate is looking for a strategic, hands- on Art Director to join our Creative team. This role is ideal for a strong conceptual designer who can develop a big idea, build a cohesive visual system around it and carry that thinking through to polished final execution. You'll work across a wide range of channels with a strong emphasis on digital, social and campaign work.

You'll partner closely with Creative Directors, designers, copywriters, project managers, video and marketing partners to create work that feels elevated, intentional and distinctly Rate. This is a fast- paced, high-volume environment, so we're looking for someone who combines strong creative judgment with organization, ownership and proactive communication. You should be comfortable navigating ambiguity, solving problems independently and moving work forward without sacrificing quality.

• Concept and execute creative from initial idea through final production
• Develop campaign concepts, visual identities and scalable design systems that work across multiple channels
• Lead creative across paid and organic social, digital, email, OOH, print, events, partnerships and other brand touchpoints
• Translate business objectives and creative briefs into thoughtful, compelling visual solutions
• Remain hands- on in the work while also providing clear art direction and feedback to other designers
• Partner with copywriters and other creative team members to build cohesive concepts and brand stories
• Present work to Creative leadership and cross-functional stakeholders with confidence and clearly articulate the thinking behind creative decisions
• Own projects throughout the full creative process, including concept development, internal reviews, revisions, production and final delivery
• Manage multiple projects and priorities while meeting agreed- upon timelines and maintaining a high level of craft
• Proactively communicate project status, workload, risks and timeline concerns before they impact delivery
• Come prepared to creative reviews with work, context, questions and clear next steps
• Maintain strong visual consistency across campaigns while identifying opportunities to evolve and elevate the Rate brand
• Ensure final work is accurate, polished, production-ready and aligned with brand standards
• Help develop and improve creative systems, templates and processes that allow the team to work efficiently and consistently
• Stay current on design, advertising, social, motion and cultural trends and bring relevant inspiration back to the team

• 6-7+ years of experience in art direction, brand design or a related creative role within an agency, studio or in-house creative team
• A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, polished execution and the ability to develop creative systems across digital, social and integrated campaigns
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Adobe Firefly, with the ability to incorporate generative AI thoughtfully into the creative process
• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including design systems, auto layout, Figma Buzz and Figma Motion, with the ability to build scalable, production-ready creative
• Strong proficiency in After Effects, with experience developing motion graphics, animation and digital content
• Experience storyboarding and concepting motion-first creative, with a strong understanding of how static ideas translate into animation
• Excellent typography, composition, layout, color and visual storytelling skills with a consistently high standard for craft…