What does an art director do?

[softgrey]

can anyone answer this question?...

 

[Scott]

Aren't they responsible for making sure everything stays within context of a certain vision or concept and that nothing strays.

 

[fourboltmain]

Depends on where you go. Art director is supposed to the the governor of vision, but more or less the clients vision. Wait, that exactly what was said...

But, some take on more things than others. I've known and heard of a few that have absolutely no skills and pretty much just b*tch about things. Others have gotten the position through years of climbing their way up and in fact participate in the actual creative process. I guess you could say it's the coach of the team.

 

[chiqmeow]

An art director basically manages the creative team. They are the one who oversee a project as most jobs are broken down into a few smaller tasks. And they also make sure that although the same project are being carried forward by a few different designers, they will still be heading towards the same direction. As in, it still stays within the concept of the project. Hope that answers ur question.

And ooh, correct me if I’m wrong

 

[kimair]

Aren't they responsible for making sure everything stays within context of a certain vision or concept and that nothing strays.

i would say this is more or less correct, scott...

i'm an art director at an advertising agency...i'm responsible for coming up with concepts for ads and other direct mail pieces our clients want to produce. here's an example of how a typical project for me would go:

1. client comes in and says, we want to do a direct mail piece for our new product, "x."
2. the client gives us (myself and what other ADs are working on the project) a creative brief, which outlines who the target is, what the pieces is trying to achieve (more customers, etc.), what limitations we have (can we do a photoshoot, buy images, how many colors, size/postage limitations, etc.)
3. the team goes away and develops concepts for the piece. sometimes you'll develop more than one concept, depending on the time/budget, but all concepts should stay within the brief. you can be as creative as you want, as long as the client's message is still getting through.
4. meet internally with creative director/account team to narrow down what concepts are going to be shown to the client. you'll also iron out details like printing issues, photography/illustration, etc.
5. further refine concepts and make mock-ups
6. present ideas to the client, then (hopefully) they'll chose one.
7. concept is further refined with copy, etc. while artwork (photography/illustration) is chosen.
8. once the concept is signed off by the client, it goes into production. i usually hand off the project to a production designer, who gets it ready for press.

computer skills are a definite, but i know some ADs that sketch everything in pen, so those skills are handy. photoshoot art direction experience is also a plus; i've had to art direct shoots with models, environmental shots, etc. art directing a shoot basically means telling the photographer what you want for the shots, and can include styling.

hope that helps softie!

 

[softgrey]

oh...i already know...
i just thought it would be helpful for some of our younger members to know...
thanks for taking the time to respond...


anyway...
this applies to advertising...

but an art director for a magazine is different..
can anyone explain the difference?...

...

 

[deflyricist2006]

From Collegeboard.com:

Art directors come up with the visual concepts for everything from billboard advertisements to magazine layouts to videos and websites. Not all work in advertising; some create the look of editorial publications, such as newspapers.

Also,

Art directors earned an average yearly income of $73,400 in 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

[pinksatin]

Nice thread! I have more questions . . . .

How does an art director for a fashion magazine differ from a fashion editor for a fashion magazine? I know there is a difference but can someone elaborate?

How does one go about becoming an art director for a fashion magazine?

I'm asking because I'm a fashion student who is not positive what she wants to be when she grows up/graduates but I think I want to be the person who creates editorials and that kind of work for fashion magazines. I love to look at them and I think the coolest job ever would be to choose the storyline, cast them, choose the location, style the shoots, arrange the photos and choose the garments featured! I'm guessing this is more of the job of a fashion editor but I want to know how much art directors have to do with this kind of work also. Thanks a ton!

 

[twilight fairy]

Very interesting..thanks for all the input.

 

[xiao.mao]

I used to be an art director at an ad agency too, and my duties were basically the same as kimair said, but I also got to cast the models, choose locations, stylists, wardrobe and photographers for shoots, and make sure that exactly what the client has signed off on is captured on film. I'm guessing an art director on a magazine shoot would have all those same duties. I've since left advertising to study fashion, and would also be interested to hear from someone who has art directed an editorial shoot. I wonder if it's a huge leap to take from advertising art direction to fashion mag art direction?

 

[LindaL]

I am not sure if the original poster is still interested in the question but I an editor at a magazine. At our magazine we have an Art Director and an Assistant Art Director.

Our Art Director is responsible for conceiving how stories will be presented and ensuring that the design of the entire magazine is cohesive rather than like a hodge podge.

Once a line up (of stories and how many pages each story will get) is determined by our Editor in Chief, it is then up to our Art Director to determine how much space she will need within those given pages for art work or graphics. In some cases the design of the story happens before the story is actually written.

She is also responsible for gathering the art work for each story, whether it's calling the appropriate PR reps or hiring a photographer and directing him or her to get the images she wants.

We are also in the process of a redsign of our magazine and our art director is behind that. And as our magazine is across Canada, she is responsible for ensuring that the look is consistent in all of the cities across the country for branding purposes.

 

[theRenaissance]

Art Director

What are the job scope and what does an art director deals with?
any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Thanks
A

 

[smashinfashion]

so how does one become an art director? its kind of a combination of photo editor, layout designer, stylist, etc. do you just start as an assistant art director like you would as a stylist?

 

[madeline20]

I'm going to attend a community college next fall for 2 years. My school is offering Art: emphasis in studio, Art History and Media Arts. Which of these do you think I should take if I'm aiming to be an art director in the future? What would be a good minor? Marketing? Can you be an art director with Associate's Degree? Are there a lot of job openings in the field? Thanks !

 

[Angie C]

If you want to be a magazine art director, you should probably study some kind of graphic design. With very little exeption you have to know indesign/quarkxpress, photoshop and illustrator. So I'd say media arts!

To be a advertising art director, study advertising and marketing.

BUT as in all creative businesses it's rather more important to be determent than have the "right" education. You won't find the dream job as art director for a fashion magazine in the classifieds, it's all about contacts contacts contacts, and be prepared to slave as assistant for some years.

OR you can start your own business and your own magazine

Most important is to have a strong vision, an endless amount of ideas, be picky and merciless and good at dealing with people. And beeing prepared to work many late nights and weekends until deadlineB)

Nowadays every mag has a Creative director too... that has even more power than the AD... and for that there is certainly no education... but it helps to have to have light narcissistic personality disorder

 

[madeline20]

so basically be an art director and have zero free-time? And it's a 5% chance of landing great jobs with a good salary? Might be too risky for me :/ Any other jobs that are similar to art directing but less crazy?

 

[Angie C]

^didn't mean to scare you off, that is of course if you want to become a super-successful star-AD. There are tons of "less cool" but nevertheless great positions that also pays well... every single magazine has an art director after all...

You could also consider being a graphic designer, webdesigner, prop/set designer, illustrator, animator, director... there are thousands of options...

But generally , yes, creative jobs are crazy if you want success and $$$

 

[madeline20]

thanks

 

[ultramarine]

Hum ... so is this affirmation correct:

art director : advertising :: stylist : fashion ?

 

[fashionlives]

interesting thread! thanks Kimair for that description! I think it answered alot of what i was looking for =)

how many people are usually on the team?