Associate Creative Director, Experiences

Company Description Hyperquake is an independent creative strategy, branding, and experience design marketing agency founded in 1986, with locations in Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, and Brooklyn. We specialize in strategic innovation, branded experiences, and scaling organizations for growth, working with companies ranging from small startups to global enterprises. Hyperquake builds ambitious brands and experiences for those eager to activate a vision.

Overview Hyperquake’s Associate Creative Directors lead and execute great design solutions to support the entire team and Creative Directors. They mentor and guide other designers while also executing work as a trusted leader alongside the entire Hyperquake team. As a creative leader in the work, you will help guide Hyperquake’s output with experience related to many facets of design: graphic, digital/interactive, motion graphics, immersive installations, videos/storytelling, campaigns, and conceptual design thinking – ensuring all creative output meets and/or exceeds both agency and client expectations.

As an Associate Creative Director, you are responsible for communicating strategic goals into actionable design solutions in a collaborative environment. ACDs have proven ability to lead clients and other designers, and skill in creating/producing with excellence by standing out from their peers. Focus is placed on establishing the conceptual and stylistic direction for the work, and ensuring that the Creative Directors’ vision is brought forth.

It’s also important to foster key relationships and be sought out by clients and partners for your creative guidance and execution in order to maintain and grow their business, while doing the same for ours.

Responsibilities

Translate strategic business objectives and client insights into conceptually strong, visually compelling ideas for experiential activations and demos. Partner with the Creative Director to shape creative vision and maintain a consistent standard of excellence across all workstreams. Lead multi-disciplinary teams—guiding designers, technologists, and strategists through concept development, design execution, and delivery.

Provide art and design direction: articulate design intent and leadership across experiential touch points, including digital content, environmental graphics, and physical design. Oversee and prioritize multiple creative projects, ensuring deadlines are met and the output meets or exceeds quality expectations. Collaborate cross-functionally with internal and client teams to build cohesive, insight-driven brand experiences across experiential touch points.

Present and defend creative work confidently to clients and senior stakeholders, articulating how design decisions ladder up to strategy and measurable outcomes. Mentor and develop design talent, providing constructive feedback, fostering curiosity, and nurturing a culture of collaboration and creative growth. Stay ahead of emerging design and technology trends, bringing new tools, ideas, and platforms (AI, motion, 3D, interactive) into the creative process.

Contribute to team culture and leadership, helping define best practices, inspire excellence, and build momentum toward the studio’s shared creative vision. Works daily with the Design team and members of the Leadership team (particularly CDs) to ensure all projects meet and/or exceed expectations. As an Associate Creative Director, you will help lead, mentor, and cultivate a creative culture rooted in our core values.

include: Ensuring design excellence and cohesive vision across design disciplines and touch points. Mentoring and advising other Designers and Interns and acting as a sounding board for new hires, needs, and internal processes, etc. Potentially help lead a specific part of the business or a specific client to ensure consistency with the brands and businesses we serve.