Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Week 7 (Art Director)

Behind every advertisement, magazine cover, video, or website is a big-picture person: the art director.If you’d rather call the shots than carry them out, art directing just might be your thing as long as you’re ready to be a fountain of new ideas. Art directors may also oversee a team of junior designers image, developers and production artists. In a smaller organization the art director may fill these roles as well. In a larger organization, art directors may oversee other art directors in a senior/junior art director relationship.
An art director, in the hierarchical structure of a film art department, works directly below the production designer, and above the set designer and set decorator. A large part of their duties include the administrative aspects of the art department. They are responsible for assigning tasks to personnel, keeping track of the art department budget and scheduling, as well as overall quality control.

Are You Ready To...
  • Brainstorm ideas
  • Tune into pop culture Manage a team
  • Work under tight deadlines
  • Deal with difficult clients

It Helps to Be...

A big-picture people person who thrives on the challenge of coming up with a continuous stream of fresh, new ideas. If you’re organized, creative, and bold enough to take risks, this could be the career for you.

Make High School Count

  • Sign up for art class. It will help you develop an eye for color and design. Test the waters and build skills in electives like website design, graphic arts, commercial art, and photography. If these are unavailable at your school, check out a local two-year college.
  • Develop strong writing and speaking skills in English and speech classes. Communicating ideas clearly is a must for art directors.

Did You Know?

  • Management skills come in handy in art directing, where bringing your vision to life often means coordinating the hands-on work of graphic designers, photographers, and others.

Outlook

Government economists expect jobs for art directors to grow as fast as the average for all careers through 2014. However, art jobs always attract a lot of talented people, so expect heavy competition.

Compensation

Art directors earned an average yearly income of $78,420 in 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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