The world of professions is large and diverse. He, as a living organism, is constantly growing and updated. With the development of the economy, technological progress, living standards in general, some specialties arise and others disappear. One of the new posts demanded today is an art director. About in which areas it is significant, what is included in the circle of duties of this specialist and what qualities must be possessed for work, and we will discuss this in our article.
Occurrence of a profession
This post appeared relatively recently: about 20 years ago. Her appearance was associated with the rapid development of the advertising business. During the rapid growth of competition, a need arose for a specialist who could produce non-standard advertising, oversee the creation of creative projects, organizing the work of the creative department.
The first representatives of the profession did not have specialized education. These were graphic designers, employees of publishing houses, in a word, people associated with creativity. They had the skills necessary for the art director: a sense of color, the ability to draw, knowledge of design styles and types of fonts.
The meaning of the term
Based on the name of the profession, where art (English) is art, and director is the head of the enterprise, we can conclude that these 2 components literally mean "creative boss", that is, the person who heads the whole department of employees in this area, himself puts forward new ideas and contributes to their implementation. He oversees the creative activities of the company and is directly responsible for the implementation of creative projects. As a rule, he works directly with photographers, editors, designers, copywriters and other representatives of this field.
The volume of work, assigned responsibilities and the staff of subordinates always depends on the professional qualities of the employee and the scale of the organization in which he works.
Today, the post of art director refers to management and has a number of other names: art manager, art director, administrator ... The overriding task of this employee is to increase the profit of the institution.
The necessary segment of the labor market
This profession, as a rule, is in demand in areas related to creativity. Among them: publishing house, design, cinema, television, advertising, entertainment, the Internet, video game creation, branding, etc. In all these areas, the “creative leader” performs both general and specialized tasks (depending on the type of company’s activity) .
Job responsibilities
The work of an art director boils down to two main functions, namely:
1. Creative:
- Creating a brand concept.
- The choice of media for an advertising campaign.
- Preparing content for an online resource.
- Work in social networks.
- Preparation of materials for public relations (preparation of printing, layouts, sketches of advertising products).
- Implementation of promotions and special offers for customers.
- Work on brand presentations.
2. Management:
- Collaboration with a creative group of designers, authors, artists and other involved specialists on the creation of the project, monitoring the implementation of the tasks assigned to it on time.
- Market analysis and strategic planning of the department.
- Monitoring the results of an advertising campaign.
- Making report.
- Signing of contracts with contractors.
- Communication with partners of the company.
If necessary, the work of the art director includes the organization of photo and video shooting, sales, preparation for participation in tenders.
It should be noted that the list of these duties is generally accepted, since depending on the creative direction, the specialist will have an additional amount of work.
Features of the profession in various fields
Each creative direction imposes additional duties on the art director. For example, in design studios and branding companies, one of the main tasks of this employee is to create a unique style for the company, its products and services, prepare printed advertising products and develop a sketch of product packaging.
In publishing, the duties of an art director include working with heading editors, designers, illustrators, and technical workers to decorate printed literature. He analyzes the general idea of the publication, develops a layout grid, makes a selection of fonts, and, if necessary, offers ideas for a photo shoot. When creating typographic literature, it is the creative director who monitors compliance with the requirements of GOST, especially for young readers.
In the advertising field, his main task is the creation of creative ideas and their implementation. The art director is responsible for the visual part and oversees all stages of the implementation of the creative project.
The representative of this profession is also irreplaceable in the entertainment industry, namely in restaurants and night clubs. Here, his duties include analyzing the needs of clients, drawing up a plan of entertainment events and cost estimates, choosing media for advertising, managing creative ideas and concepts. At the same time, the art director of the restaurant analyzes the competitive environment, advertising photo sessions, and works on visitor reviews.
In a nightclub, the creative manager performs administrative functions: searches for and attracts tenants to conduct custom events, organizes concerts, parties, spectacular show programs and performs all related tasks (selecting a repertoire, signing contracts with artists, booking hotels), works to promote the institution (places information on the site, selects content and designs advertising products). The club’s art director also constantly monitors the fulfillment by employees of their duties with the goal of coordinated work of the institution.
Professional skills
For good personal performance and skillful management of the creative department, certain skills are required:
- ability to work in office programs: Excel, Power Point, Word;
- knowledge of graphic programs (Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, InDesign);
- understanding the basics of composition and graphic design;
- sketching;
- layout
A competent speech is a must for a creative leader, as the result of his work depends on the ability to reach mutual understanding with employees, customers and business partners.
Personal qualities of the department manager
An art director is a fairly responsible profession, so a person who decides to engage in this type of activity should have the following characteristics:
- Organizational skills.
- Stress resistance.
- Purposefulness.
- Determination.
- Creativity.
- Leadership skills.
- Skill to work in team.
- Responsibility.
- Sociability.
Having all of the above qualities and specialized education, you can achieve good performance in the profession and decent pay for your work.
Education required
As an analysis of the requirements for the position of art director (vacancies in Russia) shows, the applicant must have a higher specialized education (art), therefore, the specialties "Art Management", "Industrial Art", "Entrepreneurship in Culture", etc. are suitable for studying at a university .P. Additional courses in commercial institutions, such as the School of Design and Computer Graphics, will not be superfluous. And for those who want to get a position in a large company operating in the international market, a good command of English is necessary.
Career opportunities
The profession of art director is prestigious, as it is a leading position with a good salary. It is clear that not everything is given at once, and sometimes career advancement begins with a simple manager, but with full dedication and determination, you can make an excellent career. So, having good organizational skills, work experience and leadership skills, it is quite possible to get the aforementioned position with a good salary in a short time. Today, a novice art director (Moscow), according to specialized job placement sites, receives 30-40 thousand rubles, and a professional - from 50 to 150. It must be borne in mind that this specialist has a large range of responsibilities and considerable responsibility, so his financial reward is direct depends on the level of professionalism, the volume and effectiveness of the work performed.
If desired, having comprehended all the basics of this creative profession, a person can open his own company, recruit staff and successfully do what he loves.
Thus, the services of an art director are in high demand today. In the field of education, there is every opportunity to get the right specialty, and the labor market is filled with interesting and promising offers for applicants in this field. This position is ideal for people who do not like monotony, can work in multitasking conditions, are not afraid of difficulties and want to become successful in their profession.