Art director
Encyclopedia
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.
The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising
, publishing
, film
and television
, the Internet
, and video games.
, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements used, what artistic style to use, and when to use motion.
One of the most difficult problems that art directors face is to translate desired moods, messages, concepts, and underdeveloped ideas into imagery. During the brainstorming process, art directors, coworkers, and clients are engaged in imagining what the finished piece or scene might look like. At times, an art director is ultimately responsible for solidifying the vision of the collective imagination while resolving conflicting agendas and inconsistencies between the various individual inputs.
art director is not necessarily the head of an art department. In modern advertising practice, an art director typically works in tandem with a copywriter. The team usually works together to devise an overall concept (also known as the "creative" or "big idea") for the commercial, mailer, brochure, or other advertisement. The copywriter is responsible for the textual content, the art director for the visual aspects. But the art director may come up with the headline or other copy, and the copywriter may suggest a visual or the aesthetic approach. Each person usually welcomes suggestions and constructive criticism from the other. Ideally, the words and visual should not parrot each other; each should enhance or enlarge the other's meaning and effect.
This is not to say that marketing sense is not important. The ability to understand, develop and elegantly communicate the marketing message (and to accept its prime importance) is one of the qualities that separates an art director from a pure graphic designer. The two professions overlap in what is known as communication design
, with individuals fulfilling both roles at the same time or alternating between roles. Although a good art director is expected to have graphic design
judgment and technical knowledge of production, it may not be necessary for an art director to hand-render
comprehensive layout
s (or even be able to draw), now that virtually all but the most preliminary work is done on computer.
Except in the smallest organizations, the art director/copywriter team is overseen by a creative director
, senior media creative
, chief creative director. In a large organization, an art director may oversee other art directors and a team of junior designers, image developers and/or production artist
s, and coordinates with a separate production department. In a smaller organization, the art director may fill all these roles, including oversight of printing and other production.
, in collaboration with the set decorator, and above the set designers. 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 Leadman, keeping track of the art department budget and scheduling (i.e. Prep/Wrap Schedule) as well as overall quality control. They are often also a liaison to other departments; especially the construction
, Special FX, Property, Transportation (graphics) department, and Locations Dept. 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 floorplan of each location visited. In the past, the art director title was used to denote the head of the art department (hence the Academy Award for Best Art Direction
). 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. The title has become more common, and now Production Designer is 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.
typically work with the publications editor
s. Together, they work on a concept for sections and pages of a publication. Individually, 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 verbal and textual content.
in charge of producing background art for the animation, either personally or by directing a team of artists.
The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
, film
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, and video games.
Art director general role
Various artists may create or develop specific parts of an art piece or scene; but it is the charge of a sole art director to unify the vision. In particular, the art director is in charge of the overall visual appearance and how it communicates visuallyVisual communication
Visual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon...
, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements used, what artistic style to use, and when to use motion.
One of the most difficult problems that art directors face is to translate desired moods, messages, concepts, and underdeveloped ideas into imagery. During the brainstorming process, art directors, coworkers, and clients are engaged in imagining what the finished piece or scene might look like. At times, an art director is ultimately responsible for solidifying the vision of the collective imagination while resolving conflicting agendas and inconsistencies between the various individual inputs.
In advertising
Despite the title, an advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
art director is not necessarily the head of an art department. In modern advertising practice, an art director typically works in tandem with a copywriter. The team usually works together to devise an overall concept (also known as the "creative" or "big idea") for the commercial, mailer, brochure, or other advertisement. The copywriter is responsible for the textual content, the art director for the visual aspects. But the art director may come up with the headline or other copy, and the copywriter may suggest a visual or the aesthetic approach. Each person usually welcomes suggestions and constructive criticism from the other. Ideally, the words and visual should not parrot each other; each should enhance or enlarge the other's meaning and effect.
This is not to say that marketing sense is not important. The ability to understand, develop and elegantly communicate the marketing message (and to accept its prime importance) is one of the qualities that separates an art director from a pure graphic designer. The two professions overlap in what is known as communication design
Communication design
Communication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development which is concerned with how media intermission such as printed, crafted, electronic media or presentations communicate with people...
, with individuals fulfilling both roles at the same time or alternating between roles. Although a good art director is expected to have graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
judgment and technical knowledge of production, it may not be necessary for an art director to hand-render
Artistic rendering
Rendering in visual art and technical drawing means the process of creating, shading, and texturing of an image, especially a photorealistic one. It can also be used to describe the quality of execution of that process...
comprehensive layout
Comprehensive layout
In graphic design and advertising, a comprehensive layout or comprehensive, usually shortened to comp, is the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client, showing the relative positions of text and illustrations before the specific content of those elements...
s (or even be able to draw), now that virtually all but the most preliminary work is done on computer.
Except in the smallest organizations, the art director/copywriter team is overseen by a creative director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
, senior media creative
Senior media creative
The position senior media creative is found on the advertising agency side as well as on the client side.The senior media creative oversees and develops the creative work of a product launch or product repositioning....
, chief creative director. In a large organization, an art director may oversee other art directors and a team of junior designers, image developers and/or production artist
Production artist
A production artist is a technical and creative position in a creative profession. The job title originated at advertising agencies, assigning what was known as paste-up work to the position. Production artists work closely with the designer and art director to execute the design...
s, and coordinates with a separate production department. In a smaller organization, the art director may fill all these roles, including oversight of printing and other production.
In film
An art director, in the hierarchical structure of a film art department, works directly below the production designerProduction designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, in collaboration with the set decorator, and above the set designers. A large part of their duties include the administrative aspects of the art department
Art department
Art department in movie terms means the section of a production's crew concerned with visual artistry. Working under the supervision of the production designer and/or art director, the art department is responsible for arranging the overall look of the film as desired by the film director...
. They are responsible for assigning tasks to personnel such as The Art Department Coordinator, and the Leadman, keeping track of the art department budget and scheduling (i.e. Prep/Wrap Schedule) as well as overall quality control. They are often also a liaison to other departments; especially the construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, Special FX, Property, Transportation (graphics) department, and Locations Dept. 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 floorplan of each location visited. In the past, the art director title was used to denote the head of the art department (hence the Academy Award for Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
). On the movie Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, 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. The title has become more common, and now Production Designer is 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.
In publishing
Art directors in publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
typically work with the publications editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
s. Together, they work on a concept for sections and pages of a publication. Individually, 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 verbal and textual content.
In Japanese animation
In Japanese animation productions, the role of art director (美術監督, bijutsu kantoku) refers specifically to the background artistBackground artist
A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can either be through traditional painting or by digital...
in charge of producing background art for the animation, either personally or by directing a team of artists.
Tactics used in art direction
The use of the Sublime to make effective adverts - http://schoolcommunicationarts.com/18112011-2/External links
- ADG Art Direction Wiki Online community and knowledgebase relating to new and classic technologies relevant to the art of film design