LIVE ONLINE COURSE

BECOME AN ART DIRECTOR

Name: Become an Art Director
Price: On-demand USD

Dates: 27 MAR 2025 - 6 MAY 2025

Duration: 6 WEEKS
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
6 PM PST / 9 PM EST

APPLY

ELAINE KALVELAGE
HIGHDIVE

LIVE ONLINE COURSE

Create big design-focused & idea-driven campaigns strong enough to stand on their own.

Viral advertising creative Elaine Kalvelage of BBDO and Highdive teaches you the skills needed to become the perfect match for top ad agencies and design studios.

THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU, IF...

YOU ARE TAKING THE FIRST STEP INTO ADVERTISING

Dreaming of an art direction role but feeling unsure how to get there? If creative briefs leave you scratching your head or you’re bursting with ideas but lack confidence in color, typography, and composition, you’re in the right place. You’ll master the method behind big ideas, learn to pitch, and craft a complete, integrated campaign.
YOU ARE PROVING YOUR CREATIVE POTENTIAL

You’ve got the ambition, but how do you make it count? Stop feeling like a junior and start truly contributing — learn from creative strategies used by top agencies like Highdive Advertising, BBDO, and DDB. Learn how to get your ideas heard, build a portfolio that demands attention, and market yourself for the role you deserve.
YOU ARE A FIRST-TIME CREATIVE LEAD

You’ve nailed developing your own ideas, but leading a creative team? That’s a whole new challenge. How do you speak their language and guide the process? We’ll break it down. You will work in teams to create professional materials, sharpen your presentation skills, and practice delivering impactful, constructive feedback.

You heard "inspiration" is the secret to successful campaigns?

That’s fake news. Real success comes from doing the work behind the scenes: crafting briefs that inspire action, collaborating with fellow creatives, uncovering insight-driven ideas, and executing them across various platforms. We’ll teach you that.

Most online courses leave you hanging. This one doesn’t.

With live sessions led by an acclaimed art director, you’ll get practical inside tips on thriving in the creative world. Your coursework will be reviewed by a professional and you’ll build real connections in the industry.

GO VIRAL

Learn how to develop a portfolio-worthy campaign filled with fresh creative assets, design mood boards, style guides, and PR hooks that grab headlines and bring your vision to life.

TELL A STORY

Structure your ideation process. Build presentation skills and navigate feedback. Learn how to mentor and communicate with creative teams, streamlining production to the max.

GET HIRED

Refine your portfolio, learn how to market yourself, and ace job interviews. Maintain consistency in your personal brand and seek out agencies that best fit your style of work.

ELAINE KALVELAGE

LINKEDIN PROFILE

Creative Director at Highdive, EMMY-nominated and #1 Ad Age Small Agency of 2020
Brings 10+ years of experience working on iconic brands across industries at top agencies like BBDO, DDB, and Golin
Crafted purpose-driven campaigns for Extra Gum, Alka Seltzer, Kerrygold and Home Instead that have earned accolades from Ad Age, Creativity, Adweek, Variety, The Drum, and more
Garnered industry recognition with awards from One Show, Clios, Epica, Radio Mercury, and more
Judged major advertising competitions, including AAF (2021) and CreativePool (2020)

THU (3/27), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

What is Art Direction?

Discover what a ‘day in the life’ of an art director looks like at an ad agency, and explore the skills you will need to step into this role.

Designer vs. Art Director vs. Creative Director
Advertising vs. other industries
Core AD tasks & skillset
Common tools
Inspiration sources

Assignment #1: Find 1-2 sources of inspiration and add them to the shared Google Doc.

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TUE (4/1), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Creative Process in Advertising

Advertising campaigns are their own art form. Learn the step-by-step process of creating an ad campaign from the Art Director’s perspective, and dive into some of the best ads in the world.

What is an ad campaign?
Media channel types
Case studies: The best ads in the world
Creative process overview

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THU (4/3), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

The Brief

Get hands-on experience in the first stage of the creative process: ‘The Brief’. You will also explore brand strategy and how to apply that to the creative process.

Brand strategy & human insights
Selling propositions
Target audience, brand-defining ideas
Human truth vs. insight vs. observation
Inspiration sources
Cliches vs. trends

Workshop Prep: Review the provided brief so you can work on it in the next class.

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TUE (4/8), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Concepting for the First Time

Every great ad started as a great idea. Learn how to tell the difference between a cultural insight and an idea, and gain some industry tips and tricks to brainstorm ideas quickly.

Good ideas vs. great ideas
First-round white paper
Cultural insight vs. an idea
Proof of executions
Case studies: Classic concepting techniques.
The Deck of Brilliance
Workshop: In groups, brainstorm on the brief provided last time: free flow, write as many ideas as possible in 5 minutes.

Assignment #2: Based on the course project brief, generate 3-5 ideas and write them up in white paper (or in a keynote slide).

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THU (4/10), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Concepting 2.0

Delve deeper into how to create story-driven ideas as an art director. Learn key concepting techniques from real-world case studies, how to get out of a rut, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Getting out of a rut
Elements of storytelling
Telling a story in seconds
Case studies: Classic concepting techniques.
Advertising inspiration sources

Assignment #3: For your campaign, create 1 lead idea and mock up 1-2 print executions you feel strongest about.

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TUE (4/15), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Feedback & Mentorship

Develop your practical skills in giving, receiving, and handling critiques and feedback. You will also gain an understanding of how this fits into the creative process.

Quality feedback vs. critique
Efficient feedback methods
Providing feedback to your team
Mentoring other creatives
Receiving client feedback
Workshop: In groups of 3-4, pitch lead ideas and give feedback on ideas as a group.

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THU (4/17), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Making Ideas Presentation-Ready

Now for translating your ideas into design. Learn the fundamentals of creating a good presentation to sell to clients, including establishing your brand identity.

Elements of a good deck
Translating your ideas into design
Building brand identities
Creating a VBI
Case studies: Examples of VBIs

Assignment #4: Using a provided template, build a 3-5 slide presentation that includes a mood board and style guide for the look and feel of your campaign.

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TUE (4/22), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Pitching Your Ideas

Advertising is all about effectively communicating your ideas. Gain practical techniques for successfully pitching not only to clients but also to internal leadership.

Selling your ideas
Selling to client vs. selling to your boss
Presentation framework
Signature presentational style
Workshop: In groups of 3-4 people, practice your pitch. Be prepared to share your deck with others.

Assignment #5:Course Project: 360° Advertising Campaign
Continue to craft and shape your lead idea to be portfolio-ready by Class 11 by revising any mock-ups, refining copy, and pushing the executions to be more creatively engaging.

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THU (4/24), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Craft and Production

Discover how to bring your creative ideas to life in front of a consumer. You will also examine the campaigns crafted by the best of the best in the profession.

The importance of craft
Case studies: Some of the best-crafted campaigns
Production process
Creating a PR hook

Assignment #6: Create a PR headline for your campaign based on the example discussed in class.

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TUE (4/29), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Collaborating with Other Creatives

Creativity takes teamwork! Learn practical ways to interact with other creative professionals within the agency world, as well as how to inspire and lead professionals outside of this world.

Creative leader: role & functions
Working with other artists
Pairing with a copywriter
Working at an ad agency

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THU (5/1), 6 PM PST/9 PM EST

Building Your Portfolio

Explore what a good portfolio looks like for an art director in advertising and learn the processes and skills needed to build your own. You will also receive a portfolio review to help you polish it off.

Good portfolio examples
The Cannes Board format
Building a digital portfolio
Approaching a portfolio review
Common portfolio traps
Finding your style

Assignment #7: Review your portfolio and identify areas of improvement. Submit your portfolio for review & write a comment on what’s been improved or should be improved.

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