Advertising Art Director

Art directors, often known as advertising creatives, are responsible for the visual elements of advertising campaigns. Usually working as a team with a creative copywriter, art directors may come up with visual concepts across the whole media, including television, cinema, internet, outdoor advertising, inserts and direct mailings.

Each project usually begins with a client briefing, where the creative team would learn about the client, the product and target audience and the main advertising message. The art director would usually then work closely with the creative copywriter to:

generate original ideas that fit the brief to present to the client
produce storyboards or sketches of ideas
present ideas to the agency’s creative director and account managers.

At this phase, the art director and copywriter (creatives) will usually attend the client meeting to help present their ideas before:

working up designs and finalising copy
commissioning specialists, such as graphic designers, artists, photographers and film crew, to generate artwork or TV adverts
choosing locations, managing projects and attending photo shoots and/or film shoots
ensuring budgets and deadlines are all met
testing adverting concepts with target audiences
overseeing the final edit of all adverts for presentation to the client.

Most art directors work on several projects at once, under the supervision of a creative director. The work is fast paced and demanding.

Hours and environment

Most art directors work Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9.00am and 6.00pm. As with many creative jobs, flexibility is important and they would be expected to work additional hours to ensure tight deadlines are met. Part-time work or job sharing may be possible for experienced art directors.

Art directors spend most of their time working indoors, in offices or studios. They also travel to meet clients and visit television studios or other locations where advertisements are being filmed. Working on location may involve staying away from home for short durations.

Salary and other benefits

Salaries may range from €25,000 a year for new entrants, to over €85,000 at the most senior level in top agencies.

Skills and personal qualities

An advertising art director should be:

highly creative
completely familiar with photography, typography and printing techniques
an excellent communicator, with good interpersonal and persuasion skills
comfortable working in a creative team environment, with a diverse range of people
good at managing and overseeing creative projects
skilled in using the latest art and design software packages
able to work under pressure
highly motivated and well organised
attentive, with a good eye for detail
able to see other people’s point of view and cope with criticism
able to work within strict budgets.

Interests

It is important to have an interest in:

social and cultural trends and fashions
advertising as a business
developments in the media.

Getting in

Most art directors work in creative agencies producing advertising, marketing and digital communications. Some art directors are self-employed and work on a freelance basis. At least 75 per cent of all jobs in advertising are based in Dublin but jobs also exist in other major cities, including Belfast, Cork, Galway and Limerick. Well-regarded art directors are usually in constant demand, but advertising is an extremely competitive industry to break into.

Entry routes

While there are no set qualifications to become an advertising art director, it’s usual to have an artistic and creative design background.

In practice, most art directors would have studied design and possess either a Higher Certificate, foundation degree or degree. Studying graphic design, advertising design, art and design, illustration or fine art can be particularly useful.