An art director is the member of a creative team of the direction and production department which is involved in creating advertising materials. He works at the executive positions and is responsible for the idea and the creativity of the advertisements. An art director may create television and filming commercials as well as print materials. They decide the theme and the idea behind the commercial and make sure that the advertisement is successful in conveying its message. The art director work involves use of various computerized tools and advanced video and graphic editing tools.
Work Profile of an Art Director:
An art director is responsible for handling the complete creative team. He chooses a team of models, photographers, illustrators, voice artists, etc for the advertisement. He also decides the concept, location and the idea behind the advertisements. Here are some of the most important work responsibilities of an art director:
Career scope for Art Directors:
Art directors have opportunities to work in various industries such as television, film and print media. Some of the titles under which an art director works are as given below.
Magazine Art Director: A magazine art director makes sure that the art work or the photographs that are printed on the magazine are well conceptualized and relevant to the information provided on the magazines. A magazine art director resizes and restructures the photos and looks at the finer details.
Film Art Director: A film art direct decides the concept and the crew members including the models, photographers, and the location of the shooting. He also designs the background for shooting. After the completion of the shooting, the art director corrects the details and edits the shoot which is then ready to be sent to the clients.
Advertising Art Director: An advertising art director creates storyboards and concept of the advertisement understanding the requirement of the clients and the products that are to be launched. He uses various graphic tools and editing tools that can help in making the advertisement captivating.
Interactive Art Director: An interactive art director is also involved in the creation of the advertisements. They use more advanced graphical tools and try to make the advertisement more interesting and technically perfect for the viewers and the clients.
Work Environment
An art director spends most of his time creating and conceptualizing the advertisements at his desk. Use of advanced graphical tools has made their work more interesting and easier. They may have to interact with the clients at times to collect their specifications. Most of the client's visit their offices but at times an art direct may have to travel to the clients place.
Current Industry Trends and Employer's Requirements
An art director should possess a degree in Mass Communication and should have the ability to make use of advanced technologies to create unique and inspiring advertisements. Apart from this employers look for individuals who have good knowledge of photography and are updated with the trends in the market.
Career Path and Growth Opportunities
Art directors have opportunities to work as senior art directors and production lead with experience. They can even start their own advertising firms. Due to the increasing trend of using advertising media in marketing, this career is gaining importance and offering many job opportunities for talented individuals.
The art director work profile is very interesting and as they have to implement new ideas in each project their work is exciting as well.