art director

Responsibilities

responsibilities

• Oversee the images in newspapers, magazines, web sites, etc.
• Generally in charge of a design department
• Coordinate images that appear with the text of a piece
• Creates a visual concept for a piece

"At a magazine an art director would work to create the specific look and feel of the entire magazine, ensuring there’s a unified visual look throughout. If you notice that certain magazines maintain different types of 'looks' -- with certain layouts and certain types of images -- you’re picking up on the work of the art director."

-- about.com

Skills

Skills needed to become an art director

• An understanding of photography, typography, and print techniques
• Excellent computer skills in relevant art and design software packages
• Work well as part of a team and with a range of people
• Ability to see other viewpoints and cope with criticism
• Work within strict budgets

"For me, the main difference between working as a graphic designer and as an art director was that I worked more with people than computers. And since I prefer to see the creative industry as a peoples’ industry, this collaboration and co-working was key to creating exciting new work."

--- Jenny Theolin, Creative Bloq article

Learn

Becoming an Art Director generally requires a degree in graphic design as a starting point. However, Art Directors also need experience and a portfolio showing that they understand the interplay of images and typography.

James Fenton is the Art Director for his studio, Blimp Creative.

Where Art Directors Work

Where They Work

• Art Directors work in advertising, book publishing, and at magazines.
• Usually, an Art Director specializes (or focuses) on one of those areas.
• Art Directors working at magazines typically oversee layout design.
• In book publishing, an Art Director focuses on designing book covers.
• In advertising, the AD might specialize further in print, TV, or web.

What art directors earn

Art Director Annual Salaries (in thousands)

Professional Associations

Art director associations

• AIGA (http://www.aiga.org/)
• Art Directors Guild (http://www.adg.org/)
• American Association of Advertising Agencies (http://aaaa.org)