What Is an Art Director in a Design Studio?

Understand the role of an art director and what part they play within a creative team

Art directors have a significant role in the design industry. Linus Lohoff (@linus_lohoff), a freelance art director for clients like Adobe, Nike, and Comme des Garçons, helps us explore this role and tells us how an art director translates ideas into visual communication tools. In his Domestika course, he reveals a few secrets he gained from his career, working in different environments and industries.

What is an art director?

For Linus, an art director is a communicator and a leader. An art director's job is to guide and work with the designers in their team, making sure that the whole project's vision remains the main focus. Their main task is to develop visual communication strategies for the client's creative brief. They are responsible for the visual output of the project.

To explain the art director's concept, Linus also quotes some established colleagues' interpretation of this creative role.

Blimp Creative founder, James Fenton, believes that:

"As an art director, you must be a leader, someone who inspires and guides the vision of the design team. You have to recognize the talent in those around you and learn how to get the best from them. The role of the art director could be compared to that of a chef, fusing ingredients to produce a menu of delightful dishes."

The creative brief

The work of an art director begins with the creative brief. It summarizes what the client wants, and the art director must use all their creative skills to help achieve the client's vision. The brief is the foundation of all successful creative campaigns.

Investigation

The next step is to do a general investigation. You must understand the client's requirements, research competitors, and know their business in general.

Visual language

Before you start on the job and 'make it happen,' as Linus says, you begin to explore the visual language. This is the fun part, as after investigating and getting ideas, you come up with the message through visual exploration.

Teamwork

Once you have a visual direction you want to go for, you need to build up a team. Your job is that of a generalist and a multitasker, as you guide a team. In a design studio, your team will already be part of the staff, but you can also hire freelancers if you think they will improve the project.

To quote freelance creative Christian Lopez:

”I see art direction as a grand orchestra composed of directors, photographers, light, colors, editors, etcetera. To me, it's the art of making them all live in harmony with a personal and concrete point of view."

In his course Art Direction for Creative Visual Branding, Linus will show you the ropes to create a visual communication strategy, step-by-step.

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