Image Director

The Image Studio Director leads Assouline’s Image & Creative Studio, a central function within the Maison’s future Brand System. This role is both a visual leadership role and an operating role. It is responsible for codifying, protecting and evolving Assouline’s visual standards in close alignment with the Founders and VP Brand, while building the studio system required to deliver those standards consistently across brand-facing touchpoints: campaigns, product launches, collaborations, retail environments, wholesale tools, e-commerce, social platforms, editorial formats, events, partnerships and Maison moments.

The Image Studio Director acts as the central owner of brand image direction, creative asset development, production standards, studio workflow and creative resource planning. The role must raise the creative standard without creating unnecessary bottlenecks, ensuring that visual excellence, speed of execution and team sustainability can work together. The role should protect Assouline’s codes while leaving room for cultural tension, surprise and unexpected creative expressions - a key dimension of the Maison’s ability to open new perspectives rather than simply repeat established formulas.

• Codify, maintain and evolve Assouline’s visual standards across brand, product, retail, wholesale, event, digital, social, editorial and partnership touchpoints.
• Translate the Founders’ creative, editorial and cultural vision into actionable visual principles, guidelines and execution standards.
• Ensure consistency across photography, art direction, typography, layout, motion, video, digital design, print applications, retail assets and event materials.
• Protect Assouline’s visual identity while ensuring the Maison continues to evolve, surprise and open new perspectives through image, composition, storytelling and cultural references.
• Define what “Assouline level” means across different formats, project tiers and channels.
• Lead the Image & Creative Studio team across design, motion, production and coordination.
• Establish the studio as the internal center of excellence for brand image development, creative asset creation and visual execution.
• Implement clear intake, briefing, planning, review and delivery processes for creative requests.
• Ensure the studio is involved early enough in priority projects to shape visual ambition, not simply respond to downstream asset needs.
• Prioritize workload across internal teams and external creative partners, reducing duplication, late-stage pressure and fragmented feedback.
• Mentor and develop the team, raising creative judgment, executional discipline and cross-functional collaboration.
• Build a studio culture defined by high standards, clarity, accountability and calm execution under pressure.

• Define image strategy and asset needs for priority launches, campaigns, Maison moments, collaborations, events and special projects.
• Translate strategic briefs into visual territories, mood boards, shoot intentions, layout directions, asset families and production needs.
• Ensure major projects are supported by coherent asset ecosystems across hero visuals, social formats, e-commerce assets, press materials, event visuals, retail / trade tools and motion assets.
• Determine when existing book or editorial assets can be leveraged, adapted or extended for Brand purposes, and when new brand-specific assets need to be created.
• Ensure priority projects are not only visually consistent, but also capable of introducing a distinctive point of view, cultural tension or unexpected angle that reinforces Assouline’s role as a Maison that expands imagination.
• Challenge briefs when the requested execution does not match the level of ambition, audience, format or Maison standard required.

• Oversee brand-facing creative production in partnership with the Image Production Manager, ensuring shoots and content productions are planned with the right level of ambition, timing, budget and executional clarity.
• Supervise shoot briefs,…