---
title: 'Senior Art Director at AKQA'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-art-director-akqa-amsterdam-7g7bavgck0fm'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-14'
---

# Senior Art Director at AKQA

- **Company:** AKQA
- **Location:** Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **Posted:** 2026-09-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14
- **Apply:** https://www.akqa.com/jobs/8184848/?gh_jid=8184848

## Job description

At AKQA Amsterdam, we use creativity to help brands and businesses move forward. Sometimes that means telling a better story. Sometimes it means designing a new experience, creating a new identity or imagining something that didn’t exist before. We follow the idea wherever it takes us, bringing different people and disciplines together to make it real.

As a Senior Art Director, you take ownership of ideas and the worlds they create. You find compelling ways into complex briefs, establish the creative and visual approach, and take responsibility for developing an idea from first thought through to final expression.

You think beyond the immediate ask, exploring what an idea could become and bringing the right people together to make it better. You bring a distinct point of view while making space for other perspectives, and know when to protect an idea, when to evolve it and when to find a better direction.

Your judgement raises the standard of the work, your direction creates momentum, and your craft makes ambitious ideas real.

## ROLE REQUIREMENTS

- Own the idea. Take responsibility for ideas within a brief, driving them from first thought through final execution while protecting what makes them strong as they evolve.
- Find the opportunity. Find compelling and unexpected ways into complex problems, looking beyond the immediate brief to explore where an idea could go and what it could become.
- Be versatile. Shape ideas across stories, identities, services and experiences rather than defaulting to a familiar format or output.
- Set the craft standard. Bring a high standard of conceptual thinking, art direction and design craft, creating distinctive visual worlds wherever the idea needs to live.
- Use the tools to go further. Work fluently across Figma, Adobe, Google Workspace and the wider creative toolkit, with AI embedded naturally into how you explore, validate, visualise and prototype ideas.
- Lead together. Bring multidisciplinary teams around a strong idea, creating clarity and momentum while making space for others to improve the work.
- Direct with purpose. Lead photographers, directors, designers and illustrators, as well as colleagues across disciplines, with a clear point of view, using their expertise to elevate the idea.
- Bring people with you. Present creative thinking with clarity and conviction, building trust with clients and teams as the work develops.
- Raise the standard. Take responsibility for creative quality from beginning to end, maintaining ambition through execution while helping less experienced creatives raise their own standard.

## QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

- Ideas first. You’re a strong conceptual thinker who can find the opportunity in a brief and imagine what an idea could become.
- Entrepreneurial by nature. You see opportunities others might miss, take initiative and find ways to turn possibilities into something real.
- A strong visual point of view. You have excellent judgement across design, typography, image-making, film and contemporary visual culture, backed by the craft to make your thinking tangible.
- Curious beyond your craft. You’re interested in culture, technology, behaviour and disciplines beyond your own, and bring that curiosity back into the work.
- Comfortable in the unknown. You explore, experiment and challenge familiar ways of doing things when there might be a better answer.
- Generous with ideas. You make space for other perspectives, build on good thinking wherever it comes from and help the people around you do better work.
- Clear and convincing. You can articulate why an idea matters, bring clients and teams with you and respond thoughtfully when the work is challenged.
- High standards, low ego. You care deeply about the quality of the work without needing every answer to be yours.
- A maker at heart. You stay close to the work, the tools and the details, and know when getting hands-on will make the outcome better.

We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

## About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit [WPP.com](http://wpp.com/).

## About AKQA

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: AKQA is a creative agency that combines imagination and technology to design and build transformative products, services, and experiences for the world’s most respected brands.
- **Entity Type**: Private subsidiary (owned by WPP plc)
- **Headquarters**: Not explicitly stated on company site; widely reported as London, UK (global presence across 19 countries and 30 locations)
- **Founded**: 1995
- **Founders**: Not publicly available on company site

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Creative agency, digital agency, innovation consultancy, experience design
- **Target customers**: B2B, enterprise clients (global organisations and institutions)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Create a better future” – the company states its primary motivation is to imagine and create what matters next, using imagination, technology, craft and speed to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

## Products & Services
AKQA operates through several specialised companies and practices:
- **Experience Design**: Designing digital products, services, and interfaces that are intuitive, beautiful, and culturally resonant.
- **Brand, Industrial Design and Architecture**: Creating brand identities, physical products, and spatial experiences.
- **App Development (ArcTouch)**: Building mobile and connected applications for clients.
- **Brand Experience and Communications (Made)**: Developing brand storytelling, campaigns, and communications strategies.

In addition, AKQA offers consulting, engineering, and innovation services as part of its core agency offering.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private subsidiary of WPP plc, a public company with a market cap of ~£9B as of mid-2025)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding not applicable (subsidiary); revenue not publicly disclosed for AKQA standalone. WPP’s Global Integrated Agencies segment (which includes AKQA) reported £12.3B in revenue for 2024.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company WPP plc; long-term clients include many of the world’s most prestigious organisations (specific names not listed on site).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 83 Agency of the Year awards
  - 616 Cannes Lions won in the last decade, including multiple Grand Prix awards (Innovation 2025, Glass 2024, Digital Craft 2023, Design 2021)
  - Ranked 9th Most Loved Workplace in the World by Newsweek
  - Named Campaign’s 2023 Digital Agency Global Network of the Year
  - Winner of Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards (2021, 2022, 2024)
  - Led Gartner’s independent evaluation of Global Marketing Agencies for four consecutive years

## Competitive Advantages
- **Award-winning creative culture**: Consistently recognised at the highest levels of global creative competitions (Cannes Lions, D&AD, Webby Awards).
- **Global scale with local depth**: 30 studios across 19 countries, enabling seamless cross-border collaboration – over 70% of clients work with teams in multiple regions.
- **Long-term client relationships**: Trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, with a focus on enduring partnerships rather than project-based work.
- **Multidisciplinary expertise**: Combines strategy, design, engineering, and communications under one roof, allowing for integrated, end-to-end solutions.
- **Culture of innovation**: Emphasis on disciplined experimentation and “zero-to-one” breakthroughs rather than incremental change.

## Strategic Focus
- **Continuing to lead at the intersection of imagination and technology**, with a strong focus on AI, digital craft, and emerging technologies.
- **Becoming the employer of choice** in the creative and innovation industry, as stated on the company’s careers page.
- **Driving growth for society, clients, people, and values** – the company describes itself as “ambitious, growth-oriented” with a commitment to sustainability and equity.
- **Expanding its global footprint** and deepening capabilities through its specialised companies (ArcTouch, Made, etc.).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Recognised as a Great Place to Work and a Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company. Newsweek ranked AKQA the 9th Most Loved Workplace in the World.
- **Employee Resource Groups**: Active communities including WE (Women’s Empowerment), BOLD (LGBTQIA+), MIND (mental health), API (Asian & Pacific Islander), and a DEI Council.
- **Learning and development**: AKQA Insight platform offers talks and courses from internal and external experts; formal training programs and WPP Professional Development are available.
- **Mental health and physical wellbeing**: Resources include yoga, meditation, self-care resources, and a focus on disease prevention and resilience.
- **Remote/hybrid policy**: Not explicitly stated on site; the company has physical studios worldwide and emphasises in-person collaboration, though some flexibility may exist depending on role and location.
- **Purpose-driven work**: The company’s stated goal is to “create a better future,” and it backs this with sustainability initiatives and community engagement (e.g., Future Lions competition, Future Academy internship program).
- **Diverse and inclusive environment**: The company is committed to “fostering a varied and equitable work environment” and takes active steps toward equity and representation.

## Sources
1. [AKQA Careers Overview](https://www.akqa.com/careers/)
2. [Working at AKQA](https://www.akqa.com/careers/working-at-akqa/)
3. [AKQA Companies](https://www.akqa.com/companies/)
4. [AKQA Culture](https://www.akqa.com/culture/)

## Other roles at AKQA

- [Design Lead - Design Systems - Freelance](https://feeny.ai/job/design-lead-design-systems-freelance-akqa-seattle-3new8n6jejw7) — Seattle, WA
- [Associate Design Director, Product](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-design-director-product-akqa-amsterdam-0gvzhay0nytc) — Amsterdam, Netherlands
- [Account Director](https://feeny.ai/job/account-director-akqa-stockholm-3630xwpdw887) — Stockholm, Sweden
- [Senior Brand Strategist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-brand-strategist-akqa-copenhagen-j3vtdrgkwzk7) — Copenhagen, Denmark
- [Senior Quality Assurance Analyst (Automation)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-quality-assurance-analyst-automation-akqa-gurgaon-6q8j6whk6pfs) — Gurgaon, India
- [Senior User Experience Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-user-experience-designer-akqa-new-york-mr726s9adg8j) — New York, NY
- [Senior Designer - Freelance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-designer-freelance-akqa-san-francisco-g82fcjgskdfj) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Account Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-account-manager-akqa-sydney-t58kq00007w4) — Sydney, Australia
- [Senior Account Director](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-account-director-akqa-sydney-b7kdq0grxh42) — Sydney, Australia
- [Senior Project Manager - Freelance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-project-manager-freelance-akqa-atlanta-gcx0dgwhx823) — Atlanta, GA