In connection with the increased social demands of society, the need arose for narrow specialists of various profiles. Thus, new professions appear. For example, literally a decade ago, such a specialization as art director demanded in many areas of the business industry was formed. What is this profession, what does this specialist do, what are his responsibilities, we will try to find out right now.
Profession or vocation?
The prefix "art" in translation from English means "art". Thus, an art director is a profession that is directly related to creativity, creativity, aesthetics. At the same time, based on the name, it follows that such a specialist has leadership skills, is able to organize and manage subordinates. How are such incompatible qualities combined in one professional? Where can I apply such knowledge and skills? More on this below.
What does the creative director do?
The job description of an art director usually has a long list of responsibilities. The main goal of this specialist is to maintain the profitability of the project. Based on this, we can distinguish the following tasks and functions that this professional performs:
- Formation of a single company concept, brand development. In addition to working directly with the product, the creative manager must correctly convey his ideas to the team in order to further implement the planned project. That is, the task of the art director is not only to engage in the creative aspect, but also to competently and correctly manage subordinates.
- The art director is involved in project management at all stages of their implementation: from the stage of organization to the full completion of work. For this, it is necessary to monitor each process, logically distribute tasks and further monitor their implementation by subordinates.
- Organization of work of various departments of the company that take part in the implementation of the project. For example, to release a product, it requires the interconnected work of accounting, design studio, printing, export department, and many others.
Where can I work?
It is noteworthy that such a creative professional as an art director does not always work in the field of art. The skills of such a specialist are in demand, for example, in trading and manufacturing companies. The task of such an employee is to create and distribute to potential consumers the brand of the product being manufactured or sold. Such a professional not only independently develops a project, a business idea and maintains all the necessary documentation, he also manages the staff of designers, webmasters and other specialists who will help to realize the main brand idea of the company.
Of course, in advertising and printing agencies, design and branding studios, publishing houses, the creative director is an important and sought-after specialist.
What are the responsibilities of an art director’s nightlife? There are a lot of nightclubs now, and in each of them there is such a specialist. He is developing the concept of the institution, its direction. In addition, organizes theme parties and concerts. Often performs the functions of a manager or PR specialist, whose responsibilities include promoting the club, planning the advertising campaign of the institution.
Thus, the profession of art director is multifaceted and necessary in various fields of activity. But in order to master such specialization, not only certain knowledge will be required, but also a creative streak, developed business intuition, originality and flexibility of thinking. In this regard, not everyone can become a high-class creative leader of a company, therefore the remuneration of such qualified specialists is quite high. Since the profit and growth of a company directly depends on the effectiveness of the art director’s work.
What kind of education is required?
How to become an art director of a company? In order to occupy this position, higher education is required. Special education in this profile is not currently provided by any domestic university. Preferably, the candidate for the post of art director had an art, design or management education.
In any case, additional professional courses will be required. So, if the potential art director is a designer, you will additionally need to study at managerial courses. If the situation is the opposite, then the professional organizer needs to have creative inclinations, flexibility of thinking, and creativity. In this case, the art director will study design.
Employment Recommendations
It is difficult enough immediately after graduation to get a job as an art director. Employers prefer candidates with experience in related industries, such as publishing. In order to become a creative leader of a company, it is necessary to master special skills and accumulate knowledge in the field of advertising, branding, printing, PR management, etc. Also, an undoubted advantage for a candidate will be the presence of a professional portfolio with materials from successful projects.
What skills are required?
What skills should an art director have? The training of such specialists takes place in each company in its own way. For some projects, existing education is sufficient, while others require professional training. But you can highlight the general skills that are necessary for such a specialist to perform job duties.
As mentioned above, the art director must have creative thinking and at the same time be able to manage subordinates. We define the specific necessary skills that an art director should possess:
- Artistic perception, aesthetic taste, as well as knowledge of the basics of design.
- Fluency in graphic editors.
- Marketing abilities: the ability to make a product that will be in demand among consumers and, accordingly, will bring profit to the company is highly appreciated.
- To think in a standard way, the art director is unacceptable with common cliches. The task of such a specialist is to offer new original ideas.
- It is important for a creative director to have managerial and organizational skills at the stage of implementation of an approved project.
- Oratory is required to guide company departments.
- Additional creative skills are also an undoubted advantage of such a specialist: the ability to organize and conduct professional photography, auditions, as well as the presence of artistic inclinations will help the art director consolidate the title of professional in his field.
Job responsibilities
What exactly does a creative leader do? The approximate instructions of the job art director are presented below. Such a specialist performs the following functions:
- studies the needs of the market;
- offers new ideas;
- on the basis of the data obtained as a result of analysis of consumer demand, draws up the concept of the project, thinks over the details of the forthcoming work;
- selects personnel for the implementation of the approved project;
- calculates the budget of the upcoming project and is responsible for material costs, maintains an estimate of costs;
- organizes the activities of departments;
- monitors the implementation of the project at all stages.
Advantages and disadvantages of the profession
Like every profession, the art director’s specialty has its own advantages and disadvantages. But here it should be noted that not always what one person considers a minus is such for another. Having decided to become a creative leader, first of all, you should adequately assess your own abilities. So, this profession cannot be called routine. The daily flow of ideas, a huge number of tasks, a large circle of communication with a variety of people leave little time for personal space. At the same time, thanks to such a busy activity, there are wide opportunities for self-realization and creative activity.
The position of art director implies the presence of responsibility not only for their own actions, but also for the work of other employees and, in general, for the successful implementation of the project. Despite the fact that the laws of supply and demand are actively applied in the development of a product, the risk of its lack of demand by consumers always remains high. It is impossible to predict and analyze all factors, so the likelihood of failures in the work of an art director can also not be ruled out.
Salary
As a result of the fact that in large cities the business industry is actively developing, competition between companies is growing, the profession of a creative leader has become popular and highly paid. The growth of the enterprise depends on the professionalism of such a leader. A specialist who brings a stable income to the company will receive a decent payment for his work. For example, the art director of a beauty salon receives an average of 500 to 1 thousand dollars a month. And large companies and corporations are ready to pay such a specialist at least 2 thousand dollars.
Work specifics
We found out that such a profession as an art director is creative. The main task of this specialist is the generation of new ideas. A person is regularly in creative search. Such psychological stress often leads to burnout and, as a consequence, the development of various kinds of diseases. Lack of time for proper nutrition and rest often lead to health problems. Large corporations pay attention to this problem by providing the necessary set of social protection measures to their employees.
Analyzing the information, we can conclude that the art director is initially a creative profession that requires innate abilities for the artistic vision of the environment, flexible thinking, creativity, but also specific economic and managerial knowledge and skills.
