| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Media and Advertising |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Associate Creative Director |
| Direct reports | Visualiser, Graphic Designer |
| Experience | 3 to 6 years in agency art or design, working across print and digital |
Art Director job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Art Director
Department: Media and Advertising
Reports to: Associate Creative Director
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Art Director owns the visual side of advertising campaigns. They turn briefs and ideas into layouts, key visuals, storyboards and film frames, choose type, colour and photography, and work closely with a copywriter to build ideas that work as words and pictures together. The role sits in the agency creative team under an associate creative director. A good one gives campaigns a look that is fresh, on brand and consistent across print, digital and film, and keeps the craft high through every production round.
Key responsibilities
- Develop the visual idea for campaigns from the brief, and build key visuals, layouts and mood boards across media.
- Pair with a copywriter to create concepts where words and visuals work together, not separately.
- Design layouts for print, digital, social and outdoor, and adapt one idea across many formats and sizes.
- Draw storyboards and frames for films, and set the visual direction for shoots and edits.
- Choose typography, colour, photography style and illustration that fit the brand and the idea.
- Direct photographers, illustrators and retouchers on shoots and in post-production to get the intended look.
- Present visual routes to the creative lead and the client, and explain the design thinking behind each.
- Refine designs through feedback rounds while protecting the core idea and craft.
- Prepare and check final artwork for correct sizes, colours, bleed and brand guidelines before release.
- Guide visualisers and designers, and review their execution against the approved direction.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or diploma in design, fine arts or applied arts
- A strong portfolio of advertising and design work
- Knowledge of print and digital production is an advantage
- 3 to 6 years in agency art or design, working across print and digital
KRAs and KPIs for a Art Director
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Visual craft | Concepts approved on visual quality within two rounds on most projects |
| Brand consistency | Artwork follows brand guidelines with zero release errors on colour, logo or type |
| On time artwork | Final files delivered by the agreed date for at least 95 percent of jobs |
| Format coverage | One campaign idea adapted across all required sizes and channels without loss of quality |
| Production quality | Shoots and post-production deliver the storyboarded look, with minimal reshoots |
| Portfolio output | At least one portfolio-grade campaign produced each year |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Figma, Procreate or Wacom tablet.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Senior Art Director, Associate Creative Director
Interview questions for a Art Director
- Walk me through a campaign in your book. What was the idea and how did the visual carry it?
- How do you work with a copywriter so the words and visuals feel like one idea?
- You have one key visual and need 30 sizes by tomorrow. How do you approach it?
- How do you keep a shoot true to your storyboard when the location changes on the day?
- A client wants their logo bigger and it breaks the layout. How do you handle it?
- How do you make sure final artwork has no colour or brand errors before it goes out?
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does an art director do in advertising?
An art director owns the visual side of campaigns. They turn ideas into layouts, key visuals, storyboards and film frames, choose type, colour and photography, and pair with a copywriter so words and visuals work together. They direct shoots and post-production and keep the craft and brand consistency high across every format.
What is the difference between an art director and a graphic designer?
A graphic designer executes designs and artwork, often to a set brief or template. An art director develops the visual idea, sets the direction, pairs with a copywriter on concepts and directs shoots. The art director thinks about the campaign idea, while the designer focuses on producing clean, correct artwork.
What software should an art director know?
An art director should be strong in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, and increasingly Figma for digital and social work. Knowing storyboarding, basic retouching and print production helps too. Interviews focus on the portfolio and thinking more than tool lists, but weak software skills slow the work down.