Opportunities to further your career within the Art & Creative Direction industry
Careers in Creative Direction have been in high demand over the last few years, as more businesses are recognising the power of effective branding. Art Direction jobs, in particular, have become more crucial, as clients want to ensure their message and image is conveyed consistently to consumers across a number of different channels.
Art Directors must be creative, and should ideally be able to create for a range of business needs and requirements, though they can specialise in one particular style. On a daily basis, Art Directors will need to work with teams across a business, including but not limited to copywriters and marketers, and ensure the design of all materials remain consistent.
Popular Industries
Advertising is one of the typical industries which supports careers in Art Direction, but more and more start-ups are realising that they need to work with Art Directors from the get-go. The financial industry is also seeing a growth in the number of Creative Direction roles, in order to convey their messages to a wider audience and simplify complex terminology.
Recent Changes
One consequence of the world’s digitalisation is that Art Direction jobs, which involve digital skills are on the rise, and are becoming extremely well paid. Salaries for traditional Art Directors have also increased. This is because many companies grew faster as a result of hiring top designers, with the decision helping to differentiate them from their competitors, improving customer experience.
Future Prospects
In the coming years, the biggest change for the Creative job sector is that it will become more hybrid. This means that design will incorporate technical skills as much as creative aspects. Moreover, design will be a lot more human-centred by combining code, research, visuals, and interaction. These new approaches will create new design roles, such as augmented reality designers, real-time 3D designers and embodied interaction designers.
Portfolio Requirements
One of the key requirements for landing a job in Creative is an excellent portfolio of work. Some hiring managers may look for candidates with a few years of experience, depending on the level of the role you’re applying for. Creating a beautiful portfolio of case studies, clearly showing each step of the project from ideation through to research and UX, and finally, the finished product is what hiring managers want to see. Designers must also have experience working with Sketch as well as Adobe Creative Suite and be comfortable when using the software.
Interview Preparation
In the majority of cases, jobseekers rate interviews for Creative jobs as quite relaxed and easy. The interviewer will instead ask you questions about your past experience and personality to see if you fit into the company culture, though your portfolio will give an indication of your past work and style. You may also be asked about the projects you have been working on and give your opinion on the company’s current design elements.
Educational Requirements
Creative Directors are generally expected to have a bachelor’s degree in a related subject, such as graphic design, fine art or marketing. Employers may be more impressed with candidates who combined this with something related to their own field, or a broader marketing or sales qualification.
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