Also called: Associate Creative Director
Creates the visual style of ads, magazines, packaging, and campaigns, and directs designers and photographers.
You sketch the look of a new campaign, direct a photo shoot in the desert, and work with a copywriter to make the words and images click.
BLS art directors median about $111,000 (May 2024).
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in art or design plus several years as a designer.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Advertising.
Growing slowly. BLS projects slow growth for art directors.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI image tools speed comps and production; visual taste, directing shoots and pairing images with words stay human.
Classes: Art and design, Graphic design CTE class, Photography, Art history.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.