Being an Art director in the advertising industry does not mean it is a position of seniority or the head of the department. In many organizations the art director works along with the copy writer and they together develop a concept or theme for an advertisement. The job of an art director definitely involves a lot of team work. Commercials need a lot of persuasive themes and these are developed by the creative department.

The art director might dictate the order of events in the commercial and give an overall meaning for the advertisement. The creative department activities are looked after by the creative director and the art director would work directly for the creative director. Before a commercial or advertisement gets finalized, there are many motions it goes through. First an idea is created, then slogans are made and then a story is developed involving the slogan and the theme.

The order of events and the story is depicted by the art director. While presenting the themes to the client, the art director has to visualize the whole theme through sketches in the form of a presentation to the client. Previously, these sketches were drawn and presented, but these days, with the advent of computer technology; even art directors have to work with computer software created for art direction.

Art Director Qualifications

Advertising companies have a lot of expectations when it comes to art directors because they are the main creative people of the organization. If you have good artistic skills and want to pursue a career as art director, or work within a related field, then you should take up a course in art as your main course. Many art directors in the industry would have studied design as their main course in college, as well as procuring a B-Tech degree at the same time.

Also, some of the other courses you will want to take are Graphic design, Advertising design, and even fine arts and illustration. These are valued courses in the advertising industry. One should show a lot of relevant experience while applying in big advertising houses.

They should also maintain a portfolio of their work in order to secure good jobs.
To become an art director, you will need good creative design skills and a high level of artistic ability. An art director can also take up a copy writing course to be additionally qualified. Many people prefer working on their own concepts to avoid a break in the thought process.

Art Director Salaries

A person who can do art direction and copy writing can work well in the creative department by creating the ad campaigns and slogans. Art Directors are also paid around $60,000 to $80,000 per annum. There is scope for more earnings; however this depends on the industry standards of that particular city.

Art Director Skills

An art director is expected to be a powerhouse of creative talent. When an ad requirement is given to the art director from the client, the artist creates the right concept and the series of events for that concept in the form of visual images. The copy writer sees the images and thinks of appropriate slogans to match the clients requirements and the art created by the artist. The ad is put together in this method and is presented to the client. The following responsibilities and skill encumbers the art director’s profession.

• Work in a team along with the copy writer to create ideas and concepts for ad films. 
• Make sketches for presenting to the client and the person should be very good with depiction and art work. 
• Should be well versed with computers and also be able to create the images on the computer 
• Should also work with a team of graphic viusualizers.