Creative Directors and Art Directors are very common across many different industries, but the exact differences between these two oft confused roles are sometimes lost, even on industry professionals. In this article we break down these differences and how to go about pursuing either of the roles as your career.
What is a Creative Director?
A creative director is essentially in charge of the overall vision and narrative in marketing, advertising, or creative campaigns. Creative directors set the direction for a brand’s identity or the vision for a film. They’re in charge of the overall vision and narrative in marketing, advertising, or creative campaigns. They don’t typically dive into the creative work themselves; rather, they direct others to produce the end result.
Common Career Path of a Creative Director
A creative director’s career path typically starts as a visual effects or production designer. After graduating college or grad school, a person might pursue a job in film or TV. However, these days many creative directors are becoming involved with technology companies and startups. For instance, Steve Jobs is famously an Apple design (and digital marketing) wizard. Or, we recently learned that Twitter’s former head of user experience is now a creative director for Google. He’s in charge of user experience (UX), as well as art direction and the creation of brand identity.
Interested in pursuing a Creative Director career? Check out our article on How to Become a Creative Director!
What is an Art Director
An art director is a designer who is trained and skilled in designing graphics. A good art director will understand the entire design process and, most importantly, will have the skills to bring the product to life.
Art directors can be found across different industries and job categories, as well. Most commonly, art directors work for fashion/retail, or the motion picture/film industries, whereas creative directors are likely found in the advertising and creative departments of companies across various sectors.
Education and Background of an Art Director
The art director’s professional training is in the fine arts. The career path in this industry looks a lot like that of a cinematographer. Usually, the art director is trained in the design and motion-picture industries. The art director’s journey usually includes university education, internships and beginning with a job in an entry level creative position. The career path for an art director has a huge range, from being an independent artist to art director at a studio to an employee of a digital agency.
Creative Director Position Compared to an Art Director Position
A creative director can be defined as a person who works to create and market ideas and solutions within a particular field. Art directors, on the other hand, design everything that surrounds these ideas–typically packaging and showcasing these ideas.
A creative director is a designer who understands branding, positioning, and how to integrate the brand into every product it is attached to. An art director may be great at creating the perfect color scheme or poster, but a creative director may be great at identifying ways to align the brand with that strategy.
You might be interested in: 13 Job Boards for Creative Artists and Designers
Conclusion
Both Creative Directors and Art Directors have heavy involvement in the creative endeavors of companies across different industries, and the exact differences in the roles might be subtle. Nonetheless, they are great opportunities to strive towards in your art and creative career.
As you progress through your career path, it may become apparent which path you’d like to choose. One thing is for sure, with the thirst in the market for creative works of all kinds, these careers aren’t going away anytime soon.