Creative Lead

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), one of Canada’s largest and most successful law firms, is currently looking for a Creative Lead to join the Client Relations & Marketing department in our Toronto office.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Marketing, Brand & Digital, the Creative Lead will elevate the Firm’s visual identity across every touchpoint by championing creative concepts and delivering design solutions. The successful candidate will oversee the end-to-end creative process for print, digital, video, and experiential materials, ensuring all outputs meet brand guidelines and set a benchmark for quality and impact in the professional services sector.

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Creative Leadership & Brand Stewardship

• Provide creative direction and strategic design leadership for campaigns, digital assets, presentations, and print materials, ensuring alignment with brand objectives and business goals.
• Translate business objectives and stakeholder input into actionable creative briefs and strategic direction for designers, external agencies and freelance partners.
• Guide and coordinate creative briefing and direction for external agencies and freelance partners while ensuring alignment with brand standards and project objectives.
• Own and evolve brand guidelines and visual identity, ensuring every asset communicates elite positioning and distinctiveness within the marketplace.
• Provide creative leadership and mentorship to junior graphic designers, encouraging collaboration and best-in-class design practices.
• Coach designers professionally and creatively, offering clear direction, structured feedback, and guidance to help them grow their skills and deliver exceptional work.
• Mentor and coach junior designers on presentation, storytelling and creative rationale skills, helping them confidently articulate concepts, and present work effectively to stakeholders.

Creative Execution & Quality Assurance

• Oversee art direction and the work of designers and creative agencies, ensuring all visuals reflect brand integrity and an “elite firm” status.
• Deliver compelling designs for a range of materials, including invitations, advertisements, booklets, handouts, RFP materials, event signage, social media and web assets, electronic communications, and videos.
• Act as the final checkpoint for design output, proactively ensuring that every deliverable meets the highest standards of quality and reflects the Firm’s elite brand image.
• Coordinate with external vendors for printing and production, ensuring agency deliverables align with brand standards.
• Remain at the forefront of design trends, tools, and technologies, continuously enhancing professional expertise and elevating team capabilities.
• Manage workflows, prioritize projects, and ensure timely delivery of high‑quality creative assets.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Minimum of eight to ten years of progressive experience in graphic design, branding and video production, with minimum 3 years in a senior or lead role.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Acrobat, After Effects) and other design tools.
• Strong proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word and PowerPoint).
• Agency or professional services experience is an asset.
• A digital portfolio demonstrating end-to-end creative concepts through to final designs, with a clear emphasis on work that shows elite-level execution and brand elevation.

Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent creative judgment and ability to give actionable feedback.
• Strong ability to synthesize stakeholder feedback and translate non-creative business requirements into strategic creative direction.
• Strong independent problem-solving skills, with the ability to make proactive recommendations.
• Strong understanding of typography, layout, color theory, and visual hierarchy.
• Proven experience managing and mentoring creative teams.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a passion for brand consistency.
• Ability to balance creative vision with practical execution in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organization and production management skills.
• Familiarity with AODA accessibility standards.
• Familiarity with printing practices and production processes.

Compensation

The anticipated annual salary for the Creative Lead position is $100,000 - $120,000. Salary levels will be determined commensurate with internal equity, market equity and experience.

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