Sometimes you have to look beyond training and experience to find the area of specialization that fits with your personality type. If you decide to specialize in a particular area that is incompatible with your personality type, in time you will find yourself growing discontent and frustrated with your choice. In advertising, the division of people into "types" falls into three specific categories: visuals, verbals, and all business types. Knowing your specific type or combination of types will help you decide what areas of specialization or what niches are just right for you.
Suppose you have always thought that you wanted to be a graphic designer but, until now, never knew that you were not a visual type. After reading this chapter, you have decided that your personality is much more in line with the verbal types. As you review the many jobs you could do in advertising, you begin to realize that you have ignored for years that you love to write. Because your artistic/ design skills were recognized and rewarded early in your life by parents, teachers, and friends, you just naturally thought you would study design. And somewhere along the line, you let your interest in writing slip away. Now you understand that by resurrecting your love for writing and using it in advertising you would be much happier than exclusively limiting yourself to design work. In fact, you would be a greater asset to an agency as a copywriter/designer-which is a rare combination.
Visual types
Visuals are those people who tend to think in terms of visual images. If you say to them, "this is such garbage," they will immediately get a picture in their minds of slop, goop, and junk spilling out from a green plastic garbage can. These are the same people who speak in phrases like: "I see what you mean." Or, "I see how that could happen." When they make jokes, these usually involve visual puns.
Visuals are often drawn toward artistic endeavors and interests. Whether it is a form of painting, drawing, sculpture, or dance, they usually become involved in some capacity with the visual arts at an early age. Those who do not possess a natural talent for performance in one of these artistic areas may find a more passive outlet for their interests such as art critic or avid collector of the arts. Those with the ability tend to want to become artists of some sort. Unfortunately, many visuals are told early on by parents, teachers, and the like that it is tough to make a living as an artist. Those who believe this usually abandon their lofty ambitions and go into advertising. The dreamer who wants to be a painter becomes an illustrator or designer, the sculptor becomes a model maker or package designer, and the printmaker turns to computer graphics, and so it goes. I say this with a note of cynicism because it is tough to make a living as an artist, but it is equally tough to make a living in advertising, too. Both pursuits require that you be outstanding in order to make a "good living." So if you have chosen advertising in lieu of the fine arts, be sure it is because you love it, not because you think it will be easier.
The visuals that do go into advertising usually lean toward one of the following areas of specialization: art direction, graphic design, illustration, photography, video graphy, typesetting or typography.
Art direction
An art director's primary job responsibility is to work closely with a copywriter and creative director to develop the main idea concepts for an advertising campaign or an individual project. Once a specific concept has been determined, the art director and copywriter work together to unite the words and graphic images. From this point, the art director may also be responsible for producing rough thumbnail layouts or may opt to turn this phase of the project over to a graphic designer. The art director then supervises the graphic designer's progress from rough layout to presentation format through final completed piece.
Graphic design
Graphic design is the spatial arrangement of various elements (form, line, texture, color, and type) on a two-dimensional surface. Structural design involves the manipulation of the same elements, but on a three-dimensional surface. Package designers, set designers and model makers are concerned with structure although their job function is often referred to as a form of graphic design.
In an advertising agency, graphic designers work on projects that range from the design of newspaper and magazine ads, brochures, newsletters, catalogs, and annual reports to logos, business cards, stationery, vehicle and building signage, posters, charts, and graphs. They can also become involved in package design, model making, and point of purchase and store displays. While someone may choose to become a graphic designer, the exact area of specialization will vary because of personal preference and ability, exposure to one area more than another or on-the-job demand.
