What Educational Background and Ongoing Training Is Needed to Be a Art Director?
It's non unusual to remember a few steps ahead when information technology comes to a career. While many in artistic careers may spend a significant amount of time in the aforementioned job role and exist perfectly content with it, you've been looking into some of the potential advancement options and have constitute a role—fine art manager—y'all'd like to learn more almost.
On paper, it seems like a great fit. Yous'd notwithstanding employ your creative skills to your daily work simply would also have a chance to lead and prove yourself as a large-picture thinker. Add together to that the potential fiscal stability an art director function could bring—the Agency of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a $94,220 median annual salary for these professionals in 2019—and it'due south easy to sympathize if you're eager to showtime making plans.one
Of course, having a clear goal is simply the showtime step. To reach information technology, you'll demand to effigy out how to become an fine art director and what it actually takes to get in that location. If you're gear up to learn more about the path to condign an art director, get-go here.
What does an art director practise?
Let's start with the basics. It's important to have a good understanding of what this position entails before taking the necessary steps in becoming an art managing director. The main responsibility of an art director is to manage the overall design management of a project or initiative, according to the BLS. Instead of focusing their work solely on the execution of individual pieces of work like a flyer or brochure, they aim to ready the broader vision for the look and feel of a projection that those pieces all necktie into.
Fine art directors oversee the work of other designers and artists who produce images for television, picture, live performances, advertisements or video games, co-ordinate to the BLS. They determine the overall style of a visual message.
"Reckoner training in the development of artwork for logo, packaging and layout pattern is the kickoff part of your description," says Danielle Becker, creative director ofLeftys Right Heed. "The other office is the management of not but your team, only also working with merchandising and product teams as well." Becker explains that the creative work is i side of the coin and business is the other—both are vital to the art managing director role.
"The biggest tasks of an fine art director are overseeing the styling of your product," Becker says. The process involves developing the overall brand aesthetic and styling the shoots, which Becker says is the biggest task in her experience. Designing the packaging layout and ensuring information technology can withstand consumer use is another footstep in the procedure for Becker.
Of grade, these tasks tin can look different from job to job. Art directors are needed in many different industries to direct various projects. For instance, art directors in motion-picture show might work with the director and hired artists to create set pattern for the flick. Art directors in publishing might oversee folio layout, book blueprint and web publication versions.
"Every day is different," says Sarah VonderHaar, junior art managing director atMotion. "Mon, I could be designing a bundle for a client; Tuesday, I could exist working on a new branding project and on Midweek, I could exist art directing a photoshoot."
But no affair what manufacture art directors piece of work in, they are the professionals who create the artistic vision for projects and help all the employees working on them to deliver their total potential.
"Equally an art manager, you must exist a prepared multitasker, equally you are expected to not only exist a trained designer, but also a director," Becker says. "That is why versatility in your vision and a diverse set of talents are needed."
Why become an art managing director?
Aside from a salary upgrade, what does the position of fine art director offer to creative professionals?
For Rosa Roman, co-owner and art director ofSurreal Dreams, information technology was a chance to directly a better vision. "I found myself unhappy with the business practices that other companies had for treating female artists and people of color," Roman says. "Because of these weather condition I decided to make my ain company and collaborate with people to brand a living by expressing themselves freely."
Another reason you might consider condign an art managing director is that information technology offers you the ability to guide artistic work—both on a high level and in the small details. "I became an art director by joining upward with a small bureau," says Tim Brown, possessor and art director ofClaw Bureau. Brown says he purposefully sought design positions that offered the nearly opportunity for growth instead of the biggest paycheck.
"Ideally, an fine art director is inquisitive and fascinated by small details—even intoxicated past the visually stunning. To me, it'due south platonic if you really dearest the aesthetics of objects and images."
The allure of being able to set the direction and accumulate new skills also attracts professionals who want to run their own agency anytime. Becker began as a graphic designer, rose to an art managing director position and now runs her own agency. "I get to follow my passion," Becker says. "My path has allowed me to grow every bit a designer and go on to acquire new skills."
What are some natural characteristics of successful art directors?
In that location are a few inherent qualities shared past many successful art directors. We spoke with professionals in the industry to identify a few soft skills that play a pivotal role in the twenty-four hours-to-day operations of the job. Here'southward what they shared with us:
i. Leadership
An art managing director is in a leadership position. Across even supervising or managing employees, art directors need to cast a artistic vision and get other artists to run into what they encounter. This takes a special kind of leader.
"Being on set and having the ability to direct a full squad is vital," Becker says. "From the project management supervisor to the photographer, soft stylists and hard stylists, these people count on you lot for management."
2. Storytelling
"Across understanding the principles of blueprint, I believe the most important skills are an ability to effectively communicate a message or story," VonderHaar says. Communication in every multifariousness is important for art directors, since they need to articulate their creative choices to the team. Merely existence able to create an feel for clients is a whole unlike level of communication.
"At the end of the day, we are storytellers—crafting campaigns and experiences that connect to the consumer," VonderHaar says. "I believe the most effective campaigns come up from telling that story through innovative, insightful and strategic solutions."
3. Comfortable with risk-taking
"You lot must be a go-getter if you plan to go down the path of an art director," Becker says. "The thrill of risk and trying new creative approaches can't scare y'all. The biggest rewards come out of the biggest risks, and then you lot can't be timid."
Becker says this ability comes from the confidence of knowing yous take the skill set to create the perfect shot—and knowing that risks are part of what defines creativity. While you'll certainly play information technology safe at times as an art manager, you lot withal need to exist fine with going out on a limb when a situation or idea calls for it.
4. Multitasking and organisation
Fine art directors need to keep an heart on every angle of the project simultaneously. Becker says the overall direction, sets and products—as well as the people that make those things happen—need to be kept in heed. "Overall, the power to manage a lot of moving parts at once is crucial every bit tensions can get high and little details can go lost," Becker says.
"For me, the virtually useful trait is organization," Roman says. "You take to be constantly aware of the limitations provided by the customer'southward budget. If you are non organized, how would you exist able to manage the expectations on a given project?"
Roman says the process can get chaotic very quickly if you don't organize information technology well at the showtime. "The all-time practice is to take a system in place if you want to tackle a new project."
5. Problem solving
"The media may change from projection to project, only the request is always the same: Make this work," says Gary Pyskacek, acquaintance creative director atMovement. Different clients will hand you a whole hodgepodge of requests and needs to synthesize into one cohesive whole.
"We constantly have to be able to find visually stimulating ways to contain our clients' requests and get above the circumstances' limitations," Pyskacek says. Creative problem solving to venture outside your comfort zone is a crucial power.
six. Perspective
"You need vision, and a swell interest in apprentice psychology," Dark-brown says. "We need to see across the moves we might make on our screens and dig into the nature of our clients—to see what the true spirit of their brand is." Existence able to step into a client's shoes and look at the project with multiple perspectives is a valuable asset.
"It also goes without saying that having that innate visual eye to run across things others do not is invaluable," Becker says. "As a creative, you lot must be able to retrieve outside the box, create fresh styles and deliver balanced imagery."
seven. Optimism
"A long career as an art manager is dependent on responding to every request with the firm belief that your efforts make a brand more consistent, more than exciting and more than successful," Pyskacek says.
On top of that kind of positivity, Pyskacek points out that art directors spend lots of time teaching non-creative people virtually visual solutions—which can take a lot of optimistic energy. If positivity is your natural outlook, you'll have an easier time.
How practise I become an art director?
In that location are several routes to acquiring the knowledge needed to become an art director, but the root of what you'll demand is experience working in a creative office—graphic design is a common selection, but other creative pursuits like photography, videography and fifty-fifty copywriting could be a solid starting bespeak. Much of it comes down to trust. Will an employer trust yous to have what can be a roughly defined idea or feeling in a creative cursory and provide a comprehensive vision for how that comes to life? It's easier said than done and experience carrying out the vision of others is often the best way to make that happen.
That being said, transitioning into a leadership role often requires a solid foundation of instruction. To help illustrate this fact, we used real-time job analysis software to scour the education requirements for more than 6,000 art director job postings from the final yr.
Our analysis found that 92 pct of employers required candidates with at least a Bachelor's degree.2 While there's no such thing as an "Art Manager degree," a Graphic Design degree is a commonly sought-after choice—though degrees in fields like ad, communications, marketing and artistic arts tin also be a potential fit.
Once yous have a solid foundation of education and experience, success will take making the about of your opportunities. Seek out stretch-projects with additional responsibilities, gather advice from established art directors yous've met and strive to impress. The opportunity might not come on your preferred schedule—but do your all-time to be prepared to capitalize.
Directing your own future
Developing your fine art managing director career might take some extra experience or education, but if you have the drive, you can brand choices now that assist prepare y'all.
"Never e'er stop learning as there are unlimited facets to this job," Becker says. "Be a sponge and larn from every opportunity. Be hungry for instruction!"
At present that you have a clearer picture of what it takes to become an art director, are you ready to accept the first step? A Graphic Design caste from Rasmussen Higher can assistance you showtime on the path to a creative leadership position.
aneBureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed Oct, 2020] world wide web.bls.gov/ooh/. Salary information represents national, averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and feel. This data does non represent starting salaries, and employment weather condition in your area may vary.
iiBurning-Glass.com (Analysis of vii,145 art director chore postings, Oct. 01, 2019 – Sep. 30, 2020)
EDITOR'Due south Notation: This article was originally published in February 2014. It has since been updated to include data relevant to 2020.
Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/becoming-art-director/
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