Art director

In advertising and marketing

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. 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

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. 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 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. 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.

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

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.

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.

Other

References

References

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