Art Director- Kidsbooks Publishing

Kidsbooks Publishing creates innovative children’s books and educational products to spark curiosity, inspire learning, and support meaningful moments as children grow. Our mission is to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning, and each product is designed to support parent and child interactions. We develop products for libraries, schools, and for major U.S. retail and e-commerce channels, including Costco, Sam’s Club, Amazon, TJ Maxx, Ross, Burlington, Walmart, Target, and Cracker Barrel.

Report to the Creative Director and lead day-to-day art direction and design execution for children’s books and novelty publishing products. The Art Director is the operational creative leader for the design team: translating the Creative Director’s vision into clear briefs, assigning and reviewing work, mentoring designers, maintaining visual continuity, and ensuring projects move efficiently from concept through production.

• Translate the Creative Director’s approved vision, brand standards, and product priorities into actionable briefs, design direction, templates, and review criteria.
• Direct and mentor Children’s Book Designers; assign work, establish priorities, review progress, and provide clear, constructive feedback.
• Conduct routine design reviews and resolve day-to-day creative and technical decisions within established direction;
  ** escalate significant creative, brand, or product decisions to the Creative Director.**
• Maintain accountability for the quality, consistency, and timeliness of designer deliverables before they reach Creative Director review.

• Develop series design systems and templates that establish consistent typography, composition, color, illustration style, covers, interiors, and packaging.
• Review titles together to maintain continuity across covers, interiors, formats, and product extensions while preserving each title’s individual appeal.
• Maintain practical brand guidelines, reference files, approved examples, and reusable design systems.

• Develop detailed illustration briefs and guide illustrators from sketches through final artwork.
• Collaborate with the Creative Director on new concepts, visual direction, illustrator selection, line reviews, and major design decisions.
• Support development of novelty and specialty formats, ensuring design solutions work with mechanisms, materials, embellishments, packaging, and manufacturing requirements.

• Partner with Editorial on content, age appropriateness, storytelling, and design requirements.
• Partner with Production on templates, dielines, materials, mechanisms, specialty finishes, proofs, manufacturing constraints, corrections, and schedules.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing on channel requirements, product presentation, retailer needs, competitive positioning, and promotional assets.
• Partner with Operations on priorities, timelines, workflow, approvals, and capacity.
• Help prioritize design work and track milestones across a high-volume publishing program.

• Review layouts, production files, prototypes, and proofs for design quality, consistency, and technical accuracy; coordinate corrections with Designers and Production.
• Identify creative or production risks early and bring solutions or clear recommendations to the Creative Director and appropriate cross-functional partners.

• 10+ years of professional design experience in children’s publishing, including demonstrated art direction and leadership of designers or creative projects.
• Outstanding portfolio showing children’s book covers, interior design, cohesive…