Creative Strategist

Elmwood Design Consultancy is a leading global design consultancy renowned for creating impactful and innovative brand experiences. With a rich history of design excellence, we push the boundaries of creativity to deliver outstanding results for our clients. As we expand our strategic capabilities, we're seeking an exceptional Creative Strategist to join our Singapore studio.

Who are we looking for:

You're the vital bridge between strategy and creative execution—someone who distils complexity into clarity and transforms consumer insights into compelling design rationale. You command the room with senior clients and shape our studio's strategic culture. With mastery of visual semiotics and strategic craft, you're equally comfortable analysing design language as crafting brand strategies that inspire breakthrough creative work. You work independently, owning your craft from insight to execution.

What you will do:

Strategic Leadership & Craft

• Unlocking insights and tensions that map into creative/brand opportunity spaces
• Develop brand and portfolio architecture blueprints that create clarity across complex product ecosystems and sub-brand relationships
• Demonstrate fluency in asset thinking and its strategic foundation; identifying, rationalising and informing the role of current and potential distinctive brand assets.
• Apply need-scope and demand space understanding to inform strategic positioning and brand territory development
• Own strategic direction for complex brand projects independently with minimal oversight
• Write compelling brand strategies, design territories, and creative principles that inspire exceptional design outcomes
• Unpack the brief, play back key client’s intent and distilling relevant insights into actionable implications in a clear strategic framework
• Conduct advanced visual semiotic and design language analysis, decoding how design communicates at conscious and subconscious levels
• Craft strategic narratives that flow seamlessly from strategy into design execution, creating coherent storytelling across all touchpoints

Cultural & Market Intelligence

• Stay ahead of emerging trends and translate them into actionable messaging and semiotic codes across the entire brand world—from packaging to content
• Demonstrate deep cultural fluency across India, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Korea/Japan, and Australia/New Zealand, translating regional nuances, consumer behaviours, and cultural codes into actionable design implications
• Source, analyse, and synthesize consumer and cultural insights that ground strategic work in evidence

Client Leadership & Presentations

• Develop and deliver visually compelling, exceptionally well-designed presentation decks and creative briefs that bring strategy to life through appropriate visuals, mood boards, and design references
• Lead strategic presentations to senior stakeholders with confidence, authority, and compelling storytelling
• Provide sharp written and verbal articulation that elevates and defends creative work
• Serve as trusted strategic advisor to key accounts, identifying growth opportunities
• Participate actively in new business pitches, contributing winning strategic narratives

Creative Excellence & Collaboration

• Apply strong aesthetic sensibility and design judgment to ensure strategic work inspires visually compelling and culturally resonant creative outcomes
• Collaborate closely with Executive Creative Director and Associate Creative Directors to strengthen design insights
• Work seamlessly with client services to translate business objectives into strategic opportunities

Commercial Effectiveness

• Manage project scoping, budgets, and timelines efficiently and profitably
• Work independently across multiple projects simultaneously with strong commercial awareness
• Balance creative ambition with commercial reality, ensuring strategies drive both excellence and business success

What you have done:

Experience & Expertise

• 6-10 years in brand strategy, design strategy, or creative strategy within leading agencies or consultancies
• Category experience in Beauty, Personal Care, Alcohol, F&B, Healthcare and Luxury with understanding of their unique dynamics
• Working knowledge of India, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Korea/Japan, and Australia/New Zealand markets
• Portfolio demonstrating strategic work that influenced award-winning or commercially successful creative outcomes
• Experience developing brand and portfolio architecture strategies for complex brand systems
• Proven application of needscope methodology and demand space frameworks in strategic development
• Advanced expertise translating consumer and cultural insights into compelling design territories and creative frameworks
• Mastery of visual language, design semiotics, and how visual elements communicate meaning and emotion

Communication & Presentation

• Exceptional written and verbal skills—articulate complex ideas with clarity, precision, and impact
• Sharp presentation skills with an eye for well-designed, visually engaging decks
• Natural ability to make the complex simple—strategic thinking that's insightful and articulate

Core Attributes

• Independent operator who thrives working autonomously across multiple complex projects
• Proactive, curious, and energetic toward strategic and creative challenges
• Strong aesthetic sensibility with deep appreciation for how great strategy enables great creativity
• Commercially savvy with ability to balance creative ambition with business realities
• Confidence in leading conversations, challenging briefs, and defending strategic points of view

Why Elmwood Design Consultancy: 

• Join a globally recognized design agency with a rich history of innovation and creativity.
• Work on diverse projects for prestigious clients including major FMCG brands across APAC markets
• Shape the strategic culture of a studio committed to creative excellence

What We Offer 

• Birthday Leave
• Hybrid working environment
• Group Health Insurance 
• Group Personal Accident Insurance 
• Curated Learning & Development opportunities 
• Annual festivities, along with various social events throughout the year 
• Fun Studio environment working alongside great and talented individuals 
• We offer 'Recharge Friday' every two weeks, providing our team members a half-day off on Fridays to promote well-being and rejuvenation. 

Equal Opportunities:

Elmwood Design Consultancy is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We appreciate all applicants' interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Bring your brand:

We are always eager to hear from ambitious individuals and encourage any curious minds to apply for the role, even if you think you don't tick all the boxes. We continue to promote a positive and collaborative working environment where you can be yourself, bring your insights to the table, and grow professionally.

Learn more about the Elmwood Singapore Studio:

Want to see what it's like to work at Elmwood?

Head to our Instagram (@Elmwood Global) to browse the work we do and see what our team gets up to.

Make sure to follow our LinkedIn page to stay up-to-date with the latest available opportunities across all our studios.