Art director

Not to be confused with Artistic director.

Short description: Supervisor of an artistic production

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Thoughts on Design, a book by influential art director and graphic designer Paul Rand

Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, marketing, publishing, the performing arts (including theater, film, television, and animation), fashion, the Internet, and video games.[1]

The art director's role is to supervise the visual style and images of an artistic production.[2] In particular, they are in charge of its overall visual appearance and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements, what artistic style(s) to use, and when to use motion. One of the biggest challenges art directors face is translating desired moods, messages, concepts, and underdeveloped ideas into imagery. In the brainstorm process, art directors, colleagues and clients explore ways the finished piece or scene could look. At times, the art director is responsible for solidifying the vision of the collective imagination while resolving conflicting agendas and inconsistencies between contributors' ideas.

In eastern animated works, such as Japanese anime and Chinese animation, the role of art director (美術監督, bijutsu kantoku) specifically refers to the artist in charge of supervising and directing the background art and the background art staff of a particular work, rather than a role unifying a work's overall artistic vision.[3][4]

## Contents

* 1 In advertising and marketing
* 2 Performing arts
* 2.1 In theater
* 2.2 In film
* 2.3 In television
* 2.4 Other
* 3 In publishing
* 4 Other
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## In advertising and marketing

Art director and copywriter at an advertising agency in Detroit, Michigan, in 1942

In modern advertising practice, an art director typically works with a copywriter as a creative team[5] to devise an overall concept (also known as the "creative" or "big idea") for a commercial, mailer, brochure, or other advertisements. The copywriter is responsible for the text (referred to as "copy"), and the art director for the visual aspects.[6] Art directors commonly collaborate on execution of the advertisement with other team members such as graphic designers.[7] A benefit of a creative team is that art directors may contribute to the concept or copy, and copywriters may suggest a visual approach. Such collaboration, first pioneered by Bill Bernbach of DDB, is considered to improve the creative work.[8][9][10]

Although a good art director is expected to have good graphic design judgment and technical knowledge of production, it may not be necessary for an art director to hand-render comprehensive layouts, or even be able to draw, now that virtually all but the most preliminary work is done on computer. Despite the title, an advertising art director is not necessarily the head of an art department.

A team composed of an art director and copywriter is typically overseen by a creative director.[7] In a large organization, an art director may oversee other art directors and a team of junior designers, image developers and/or production artists, and coordinate with a separate production department. In a smaller organization, the art director may fill all these roles, including overseeing printing and other production.

## Performing arts

### In theater

### In film

Actor Prabhas with Sabu Cyril, production designer and art director for Baahubali: The Beginning

An art director heads a film art department, working directly below the production designer and in collaboration with the set decorator and the set designers.[11] A large part of their duties include the administrative aspects of the art department. They are responsible for assigning tasks to personnel such as the art department coordinator and the construction coordinator, keeping track of the art department budget and scheduling, and overall quality control. They are often also a liaison to other departments, especially construction, special effects, property, transportation (graphics), and locations departments. The art director also attends all production meetings and tech scouts in order to provide information to the set designers in preparation for all departments to have a visual floor plan of each location visited.

The term "art director" was first used in 1914 by Wilfred Buckland[12] when this title was used to denote the head of the art department (hence the Academy Award for Best Art Direction), which also included the set decorator. Now the award includes the production designer and set decorator. On the movie Gone with the Wind, David O. Selznick felt that William Cameron Menzies had such a significant role in the look of the film that the title art director was not sufficient, and so he gave Menzies the title of production designer.[13] This title is now commonly used as the title for the head of the art department, although the title actually implies control over every visual aspect of a film, including costumes.

On films with smaller art departments, such as small independent films and short films, the terms "production designer" and "art director" are often synonymous, and the person taking on the role may be credited as either.[11]

In the United States and Canada, the Art Directors Guild is a labor union for art directors and related professions in film and television production.

### In television

### Other

## In publishing

Louise Fili, former art director at Pantheon Books, and Gail Anderson, former senior art director of Rolling Stone

Art directors in publishing typically work with the publication's editors. Together, they work on a concept for sections and pages of a publication. The art director is mostly responsible for the visual look and feel of the publication, and the editor has ultimate responsibility for the publication's text content.[citation needed]

Mehemed Fehmy Agha was one of the first art directors in magazine publishing, having assumed the role first at German Vogue in Berlin, and then in 1929 at Condé Nast in New York, providing art direction for Vanity Fair, Vogue, and House & Garden.[14]

## Other

See also: Game art design § Lead artist / art director

## See also

* Production designer
* VFX creative director
* Scenography
* Art Directors Club of New York

## References

1. ↑ "'33 Things I Know About Art Direction'". http://catandbee.onsugar.com/33-things-I-know-about-Art-Direction-19040343.
2. ↑ "Art Directors" (in en-us). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/art-directors.htm.
3. ↑ "Error: no `|title=` specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Japanese). August 20, 2020. https://creativefreaks.net/0819-2/.Error:+no+`|title=`+specified when+using+{{[[Template:Cite+web|Cite+web]]}}[[Category:Articles+with+incorrect+citation+syntax|Art+director]]&rft.atitle=&rft.date=August+20,+2020&rft_id=https://creativefreaks.net/0819-2/&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Art_director">
4. ↑ "Art Director". 30 October 2016. https://blog.sakugabooru.com/glossary/art-director/.
5. ↑ Kay, Ben (2021-11-29). "Art director vs copywriter?" (in en-US). https://www.creativereview.co.uk/art-director-vs-copywriter-advertising-creatives/.
6. ↑ "Duties and career opportunities of an Art Director" (in en-US). 2022-05-03. https://miamiadschool.es/en/art-direction-everything-you-need-to-know/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Inglis, Theo (2023). Graphic Design Bible: The Definitive Guide to Contemporary and Historical Graphic Design for Designers and Creatives. Prestel Verlag. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-3-7913-8990-5.
8. ↑ BAYERS, CHIP (2011-08-08). "Bill Bernbach: Creative Revolutionary" (in en-US). https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/bill-bernbach-creative-revolutionary-133901/.
9. ↑ Petit, Zachary (2014-03-12). "Legends in Advertising: Bill Bernbach, the Original Don Draper" (in en-US). https://www.printmag.com/featured/legends-in-advertising-bill-bernbach/.
10. ↑ "Bill Bernbach - Creative Hall of Fame" (in en-US). https://creativehalloffame.org/inductees/bill-bernbach/.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "How to Become an Art Director" (in en). 2022-09-16. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/art-director-70426/.
12. ↑ "ADG - Full History" (in en). https://adg.org/the-guild/full-history/.
13. ↑ Preston, Ward (1994). What an Art Director Does. Silman-James Press. pp. 150. ISBN 1-879505-18-5.
14. ↑ Inglis, Theo (2019). Mid-century modern graphic design. London, United Kingdom: Batsford. pp. 157. ISBN 978-1-84994-482-3.

* v
* t
* e

Film crew (filmmaking)

Above the line

* Actor
* Bit actor
* Cameo actor
* Character actor
* Leading actor
* Movie star
* Superstar
* Supporting actor

Film director
* Screenwriter
* Film producer
* Executive producer
* Line producer

Below the line

| Pre-production|

* Unit production manager
* Production coordinator
* Production accountant
* Assistant director
* Script supervisor
* Script coordinator
* Casting director
* Production assistant
* Location manager
* Location scout

| Storyboard|

* Storyboard artist

|

Production
design|

* Production designer
* Art director
* Costume designer
* Greensman
* Hairdresser
* Make-up artist
* Set decorator
* Set dresser
* Property master / mistress ("props")
* Weapons master

| Visual arts|

* Matte painter
* Illustrator
* Scenic design

|

Photography|

* Cinematographer / Director of photography
* Camera operator
* Focus puller
* Clapper loader
* Steadicam
* Digital imaging technician
* Second unit
* Gaffer
* Best boy (electrical)
* Lighting technician
* Key grip
* Best boy (grip)
* Grip
* Dolly grip

Sound|

* Director of audiography
* Production sound mixer
* Boom operator
* Utility sound technician
* Dialogue editor
* Re-recording mixer
* Foley artist
* Dubbing
* ADR
* Subtitles
* Composer
* Music supervisor
* Music editor
* Orchestrator

Special effects|

* Special effects supervisor
* Visual effects supervisor

Animation|

* Animator
* Visual effects
* Modeling
* Rigging
* Layout artist

Talent|

* Acting coach
* Body double
* Dialect coach
* Ensemble cast
* Movement director
* Choreographer
* Extra
* Talent agent
* Actor (voice)
* Cast member
* Stand-in
* Acting instructor
* Stage combat
* Stunt double
* Stunt performer
* Under-five

Post-production|

* Film editor
* Sound editor
* Colorist
* Animator
* Technical director

| Visual effects|

* VFX creative director
* Visual effects editor
* Compositor
* Computer-generated imagery
* Rendering

|

Other|

* Unit still photographer

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