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Topic: Art director
| Author | Message |
| someone | Posted – 8/25/2007 6:44:58 PM | show profile I recently saw an art director position published, and I wonder if I'm qualified for it. I have a background in photography, page design, editing. I know Photoshop and Quark, but I don't know Illustrator. Is it difficult to learn? What are an art director's primary responsibilities? |
| pob | Posted – 8/25/2007 7:59:08 PM | show profile Have you worked in advertising before? I'm assuming this was an ad agency position? That's what the title is usually used for. If so, they're going to want advertising experience for any art director they'd hire. You'd need to have worked with creative briefs, be able to execute work on strategy, and probably work with a copywriter. Does any of this sound familiar? If not, you'd probably be looking for a designer position first, or something like "junior art director." Good luck. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 8/26/2007 12:43:57 PM | show profile Or...it could be for a publication or a non profit or some other inhouse creative dept. Art direction isn't at all limited to the advertising field. Get good skills in all the software (InDesign will replace Quark soon, Illustrator, P'shop, Acrobat, etc.) but the most essential thing is basic talent. That you cannot learn. You must have expertise with typography, balancing white space with live matter, and an inherent skill for placing visuals on the page elegantly. Primarty resp. of an editorial AD: concepting and assigning all photog., illustration for the entire issue and keeping it within budget each month. If you're lucky, you'll have a designer and a production person to help you with depts. outside the feature well and cover but I haven't ever had that luxury so far in my lengthy career. You must be able to work within unforgiving deadlines and establish relationships with lots of printers, but usually one main printer that you'll send your pages to. It's a lot of responsibility so I'd suggest starting as a designer somewhere and learning the ropes first, build your credibility and then perhaps slip into an AD position. Be forewarned though that this profession is getting harder every day to find a job in. The notion that all a publisher needs is a computer with the software on it is prevailing. If I were to do it again,. I'd definitely go into the medical profession... |
