Assistant Art Director, Studio Photography

Overview

About PHOENIX PHOENIX Retail, LLC is a retail platform operating the Express and Bonobos brands worldwide. About ExpressExpress is a multichannel apparel brand dedicated to a design philosophy rooted in modern, confident and effortless style whether dressing for work, everyday or special occasions. Since its launch in 1980, the brand has embraced a design philosophy rooted in modern, confident and effortless style. Express ensures you look and feel your best, wherever life takes you. The Company operates over 400 retail and outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the express.com online store and the Express mobile app.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Art Director, Studio Photography is a hands-on creative role responsible for helping shape and maintain the look and feel of ecommerce product photography across Express and Bonobos. Reporting to the Senior Art Director, Photo Studio & Photography, this role partners closely with brand creative leads, photography, styling, retouching, merchandising, and ecommerce teams to ensure studio imagery is visually compelling, brand-right, and optimized to support commercial performance.

 

This role helps set and uphold the visual direction for product-level photography across both brands, ensuring assets align with each brand’s creative standards, channel needs, and business goals. The Assistant Art Director plays a critical role on set and in post-production, guiding visual consistency, reviewing imagery, editing selects, and helping ensure final assets balance creative integrity with clarity, accuracy, and conversion-minded execution.

 

This is a highly cross-functional role requiring strong creative judgment, a sharp eye for photography and styling, and the ability to partner effectively across teams in a fast-paced, high-volume studio environment.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

● Support the creative direction of ecommerce product photography for Express and Bonobos, ensuring imagery aligns with each brand’s standards, aesthetic, and commercial goals● Partner with the Senior Art Director, Photo Studio & Photography and brand creative leads to help define and execute the visual direction for studio photography across both brands● Provide hands-on art direction on set for product photography, ensuring composition, styling, product presentation, and overall image quality meet brand and business expectations● Review daily studio output and edit best selects for product-level assets, ensuring final imagery is strong, consistent, and effective across ecommerce and related marketing channels● Partner closely with photographers, stylists, retouches, and studio production teams to ensure assets are executed with creative consistency and operational efficiency● Help guide shot flow and on-set decision-making to support productivity, quality, and adherence to seasonal priorities and shot lists● Collaborate with ecommerce, merchandising, and creative partners to understand product storytelling needs, channel requirements, and key business priorities● Ensure product imagery reflects accurate styling, fit, silhouette, color, and product details while maintaining a polished and elevated visual point of view● Support image review and post-production workflows, including select rounds, feedback, retouching direction, and final asset approval● Help maintain and evolve photography guidelines, studio standards, and visual references to ensure consistency across categories, brands, and customer touchpoints● Participate in pre-production planning and partner with cross-functional teams on shot priorities, product focus, seasonal storytelling, and studio readiness● Contribute to ongoing improvements in studio process, image consistency, and creative workflow● Stay current on fashion, photography, ecommerce, and visual trends, bringing fresh perspective and ideas that help keep both brands relevant and visually compelling

 

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

 

Essential Qualifications

● Bachelor’s degree in Photography, Art Direction, Design, Visual Communications, or a related field, or equivalent experience● 2–3 years of experience in art direction, studio photography, ecommerce creative, or a related field● Experience working in a fashion, retail, ecommerce, or consumer brand environment● Strong visual eye and creative judgment, with an understanding of composition, lighting, styling, and brand-right product presentation● Experience supporting or directing on-set photography in a studio environment● Strong understanding of ecommerce photography workflows and how imagery functions across digital commerce and marketing channels● Experience reviewing and editing image selects, with a strong sense of what makes imagery both visually strong and commercially effective● Prof