Advertising Art Director
The Work
Art directors (often known in the advertising industry as 'creatives') design visual concepts
for eye-catching advertising campaigns.
As an art director, you would work as a team with a copywriter, who provides words to go
with your visual images. Each project would begin with a briefing about the client, the
product, the target audience and the advertising message to be put across. Your work
would then involve:
working closely with the copywriter to create original ideas that fit the brief
producing storyboards (for TV commercials) or sketches of your ideas
presenting the ideas to the agency's creative director and account team
helping to present ideas to the client
making any changes that the client asks for
getting graphic designers, artists, photographers or film companies to produce the
artwork or TV ads
choosing studios or locations and attending photo or film shoots
making sure that budgets and deadlines are met
overseeing the final editing of the finished advertisements.
You would often work on several projects at once, under the supervision of a creative
director.
Entry Requirements
You will need good creative design skills and a high level of artistic ability. In practice,
most art directors have studied design and have a BTEC HND or degree in graphic
design, advertising design, illustration or fine art.
To find out if you have what it takes for a career in advertising, visit the Diagonal Thinking
website.
Diagonal Thinking
You can search for colleges and universities offering art foundation courses, HNDs and
degrees on the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) website. You should
always carefully check entry requirements with course providers.
Universities and Colleges Admission Service
Most people get their first 'creative' job as a result of work experience in an advertising
agency, as this gives you the chance to make contacts and impress potential employers.
You could contact agencies directly to ask about placements, and make industry contacts
through relevant groups on social networking sites. See the Work Experience section of
the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) website for more information and a list of
member agencies. The IPA also runs a Graduate Recruitment Agency, and D&AD runs a
Graduate Placement Scheme.
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
When looking for jobs, you will need to show a portfolio of your work (known as a 'book')
to potential employers, as you will be employed on the strength of your artwork and ideas.
It's a good idea to team up with a would-be copywriter and work together on campaign
ideas for your portfolio, as this can help prove your ability to fulfill a client's 'brief'. See
D&AD's website for details of their advertising workshops, aimed at helping people build a
portfolio and make contacts in the advertising industry.
If you join the IPA, you can also showcase the best of your portfolio online on their All Our
Best Work website.
All Our Best Work
Hours
Your hours could vary - you would usually work Monday to Friday, but your days may
often be longer than 9am to 5pm if you had deadlines to meet.
The work is office-based, but you may also travel to meet clients or visit studios or
locations where advertisements are being made.
Skills and Knowledge
creativity and imagination
good art and design skills, including an understanding of photography and printing
excellent communication and teamworking skills
good computer skills
a good eye for detail
the ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines
resilience and the ability to cope with criticism of your work
good business sense and awareness of budgets.
Training and Development
You would start as a junior creative and develop your skills on the job. In larger
advertising agencies, you may be trained through a structured graduate scheme.
Your training may include the IPA Foundation Certificate, an online course for junior staff
with at least six months' experience in any area of advertising.
You should keep up to date with advertising industry news and developments throughout
your career. D&AD offers Workout, a range of one-day development courses for creatives,
and the IPA runs a range of short courses and seminars for staff working in its member
agencies.
More Information
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
44 Belgrave Square
London
SW1X 8QS
Tel: 020 7235 7020
www.ipa.co.uk
Skillset
Focus Point
21 Caledonian Road
London
N1 9GB
www.skillset.org
Skillset Careers
Tel: 08080 300 900 (England and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 0845 850 2502(Scotland)
Tel: 08000 121 815 (Wales)
www.skillset.org/careers
D&AD
9 Graphite Square
Vauxhall Walk
London
SE11 5EE
Tel: 020 7840 1111
www.dandad.org
Opportunities
Advertising is a very popular career among graduates, and competition for jobs is strong.
Most jobs are based in London and other major cities in the UK.
Jobs are advertised in the national and trade press, on the IPA website (at IPA Jobs
Online) and specialist recruitment agencies. However, not all jobs are advertised, so you
could also approach agencies directly, or find work through making contacts in the
industry.
With experience, you could progress to senior art director and creative director. You could
also choose to work freelance.
You may find the following useful for job vacancies and further reading (links open new
window):
Campaign
Creative Review
Marketing Week
Media Guardian
Major Players
Adforum.com
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
Income
Starting salaries are often between £18,000 and £25,000 a year.
With experience, earnings can be between £25,000 and £50,000.
Senior creatives in leading agencies can earn up to £100,000.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
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