20 Tips for Landing an Art Director Job
As explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, an art director is responsible for developing and executing designs for advertisements, magazines, digital publications, newspapers, movies, television shows, product packaging, and other collaborative creative projects. The job of an art director often involves creating original designs and directing the work of artists, designers, and other individuals involved in the project. If this sounds like something that interests you, here are 20 tips for landing an art director job.
Get an education
As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, many art directors have some type of formal education, such as a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in design or a closely related field. Depending on your interests and skills, you may want to pursue a degree in graphic design, fine art, or photography. It is possible to become an art director with a degree in media technology or film production if you are interested in working on movie and television sets.
Develop your skills
To succeed as an art director, you must have a specific combination of hard and soft skills. Depending on which industry you choose, you may need to excel at graphic design, multimedia content development, desktop publishing, or creating illustrations with Adobe software. You can develop these skills in lower-level roles or work as a freelance creative professional to get the experience you need.
Build an art director portfolio
As you gain experience, add completed projects to your design portfolio to show future clients how your skills have improved over the years according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Having a portfolio is key if you want to get noticed by employers.
Know how to build your art director portfolio
If you don’t have a portfolio yet, make sure you include only your best work and put your most impressive project at the beginning of your portfolio to capture the viewer’s attention, add a variety of projects to your portfolio, digitize your portfolio, and include self-initiated projects when building your portfolio.
Never stop learning
Just because you already completed your degree and have some work experience under your belt doesn’t mean it is okay to stop learning. One of the keys to becoming an art director is to engage in continuous learning. As you build your portfolio, you should continue developing your skills and proactively stay up to date on the latest trends and happenings in your field.
Build your professional network
Professional networking can be highly effective for those looking to land an art director job as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. However, instead of attending a networking event for the sole purpose of landing a paid gig, make it a point to build relationships with the people you meet.
Tips on how to network properly
If you don’t have a lot of networking experience, then some of the things you can do to ensure everything goes smoothly include making sure you have a business card with you to make it easy to exchange contact information, writing an elevator pitch, and practicing it before the event, listening more than you talk, and staying in touch after the event is over.
Attract new clients
If you are a freelance art director, your income depends solely on your ability to land new projects as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. If you are searching for your next opportunity, you can try to develop a comprehensive marketing plan to increase awareness of your services and ask previous clients for referrals.
Professional networking
Professional networking sites offer a platform to land a job as an art director. Therefore, you should make sure you create profiles on Dribble, LinkedIn, and other professional networking sites and ensure that you indicate you are open to new opportunities.
Blogging
Blogging is a very effective technique for building your profile and making yourself known to employers out there as an art director. Start a blog or look for opportunities to contribute to magazines and digital publications. Sharing your experience is a great way to get potential clients interested in what you have to offer.
Position yourself as an expert
As covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, you should also move to position yourself as an expert in the field by publishing an eBook or answering questions on sites like Quora. This will help you stand out from the pack and increase your chances of getting employment.
Focus on your craft
Art directors will always have technical skills themselves. Whether you are a designer, illustrator, or photographer, the first step you can take to becoming an art director is to focus on your craft. Additionally, focusing on and practicing your craft will help you generate better ideas.
Partner with a talented wordsmith
Art direction and copywriting go hand in hand and very rarely can you have one without the other as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Getting a partner to bounce ideas off is always a good way to stimulate your creativity. As an art director, you will have to work collaboratively, and starting it early will do your prospects of landing a job no harm.
Learn how to give direction
Art directors don’t always execute their own ideas. In this role, you will have to learn how to hire the right type of talent for a particular job and then guide them on how to do their best. Providing direction is a skill, and to do it well, you will have to learn how to get your point across.
Don’t lose your love for art
Art direction is a creative profession that people usually go into out of pure love for their craft. When corporate life or money comes into play, it is easy to forget why you started in the first place. If you want to stand out so that hiring managers can see your passion shine through, stay creative outside of your job or job hunt.
Social media
As is the case when searching for any other job, social media can be a great tool when looking for an art direction job as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. When you establish a strong social media presence, you build a reputation that may open doors for you in terms of job opportunities.
Volunteer
Another way to build your work experience, which will in turn help make you more attractive to employers, is by volunteering to present at conferences for industry professionals or donating your services to a nonprofit organization.
Know the most important skills
If you are interested in becoming an art director, you should have the most important skills needed. As outlined at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, they include leadership, facilitation, an artistic eye, team-building skills, inspiration, and passion.
Be confident with feedback
To be the best art director you can be, you will need to be confident in giving feedback, both internally and outside of your studio. This is a skill you will need to hone and showcase when called for an interview as it is key in this position.
Get a mentor
A mentorship program will not only help you upscale your skills as an art director but will also open doors for you as far as employment is concerned. You can find mentors who can take you under their wing in networking events and online.
This article only just begins to scratch the surface as far as this topic is concerned, and you can uncover more on this topic and much more over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.