Have you ever asked yourself who designs the billboards, magazine advertisements, CD covers, or any of the plethora of print photography, film, online, and television advertisements that we are immersed in everyday? A Commercial Art Director is the one in charge of making those things happen. Art directors work with a team of visual artists to help create visual communication that transmits emotion, influences decision-making, and forms a psychological connection with a targeted audience. It's up to the art director to decide the style, imagery, and movement of a piece.
Art Directors can work in advertising, publishing, photography, Web production, film, and in fact anywhere where clear artistic vision and the ability to take ideas from multiple sources is needed to create a unified vision. Because being a Commercial Art Director requires a unique balance of creativity and management skills, it offers rich emotional and financial rewards. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics quotes the average annual income in 2007 for Commercial Art Director as $83,230. The Department of Commerce also predicts that jobs in Commercial Art Direction will remain strong through 2016. At the same time, the job is also in high demand for applicants, so you have to put your best foot forward, get the proper training, gain experience in the world of artistic design, develop your management skills, and keep up with the industry.
The first step in getting trained is to cultivate your artistic talent. You can do some of this through self training. There are a number of useful books on the industry, but nothing replaces practice. You should also be able to find classes in photography, film direction, drawing, painting, and other visual arts related coursework. This will help you to cultivate your creative vision so that you can learn to visually develop your ideas. Nothing beats the classics, so don't neglect visits to museums and courses in art history, as well as studying magazine advertisements, film, commercials, and online content.
As a student, you will also have access to a number of art and advertising clubs. These are important not only as a networking tool, but also because clubs tend to publish information about jobs, resources, and other benefits. In addition, a great way to develop experience and gain skills is to find an internship. Or if you've already graduated, you may want to take an entry-level position at a publisher in the art department in order to beef up your credentials.
An excellent degree to consider if you're interested in becoming a Commercial Art Director is in graphic design. Whatever you do, you're going to have to start at the bottom, and the bottom for a potential Commercial Art Director requires a firm grounding in both practice and theory. Theory means a basic understanding of art principles from psychology to color. Practice means gaining fluency with the most up-to-date software such as InDesign, Quark Express, Dream Weaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator. An important area to focus on as a part of your graphic design studies is harmony of design and the specifics of integrating copy into your work.
Being an art director requires more than just understanding the visual, because art directors not only supervise visual artists, but also copywriters. Make sure to think seriously about how these two fields work together, including ratio of design to copy, compatibility of fonts, in addition to developing the images themselves. There is some debate as to whether it is better to start as a generalist-someone who is generally familiar with many aspects of the visual art- or to try and develop a specialty right off the bat. Usually, taking an internship or an entry-level position will have you working in a number of different areas, including marketing, design, editing, or advertising. This is good, because it will familiarize you with a variety of necessary skills. However, once you've decided where your passion lies, your best bet is to start gaining specialized skills.
As the maxim goes, a Jane of all trades may well end up drawing water from a bucket with a hole in the bottom (or was that Eliza?). Picking a specialty does not mean that you throw away all of the hard work and skills that you've already gained. In fact, your broad foundation will be helpful when you're managing different creative minds also specializing in different areas. It is also critical to develop your management skills if you want to become an art director. Working with a group of creative people can sometimes seem like herding cats. Everybody comes in with their own perspectives and their own ideas. Your job is to be sensitive to the multiplicity of vision without sublimating your own. Different perspectives will be the powerhouse of your team's designs. Your goal is to inspire your team by explaining your vision and integrating their ideas. Also, you're going to have to take those ideas and explain them again to the hard-nosed financial folks who sign your checks. Bridging all of these personalities is best served by having a good sense of humor, patience, and diplomacy. In this way your creative leadership will be assured.
Lastly, it is essential to keep up with the industry. The field of advertising and the technologies of film and photography are constantly changing, and these changes will affect everything you create. Every season brings new colors, styles, and trends that can change how and why people buy. You'll have to make sure to subscribe to the relevant publications, enroll in continuing education classes and workshops, join professional organizations, and keep on top of updates in software to stay on top of your game. Joining the ranks of Commercial Art Directors is an exciting and attainable goal. With the proper training, dedication, creativity, and hard work you will be well on your way to making a splash in this fast-paced, challenging, and ultimately rewarding industry.
