BECOME AN
ART DIRECTOR

Start your journey with an inside view into a day in the life of an art director at an ad agency and the key skills required for the role.

• Art director vs other creative roles
• Art direction in advertising vs other industries
• Essential skills and standard tools
• Creative sources of inspiration

Assignment #1: Find 1-2 sources of inspiration, such as other artists or art blogs, and add them to the shared creative inspiration sheet. Try to think outside the box and avoid Instagram, Pinterest, and Behance.

Learn about each step of the creative process to develop an advertising campaign, from an art director’s perspective, and the types of insights that inspire great campaigns.

• What is an ad campaign?
• Types of media channels
• The creative process from start to finish
• Case studies: Top ads in different categories

Gain hands-on experience in the first stage of the creative process: the brief. You’ll learn about the importance of a good brand strategy and unique insights, and how to apply these to the creative process.

• Unique selling propositions, target audiences, and brand-defining ideas
• Asking the right questions
• Sources of inspiration
• Cliché vs trend: tropes to avoid

Learn how to identify the difference between a cultural insight and an idea and practice how to concept creative ideas quickly.

• Good ideas vs great ideas
• Proof of execution: print, social, TV, film, OOH, activations
• How to use the concepting techniques
• Case study: Classic techniques and best-in-class work
• Workshop: Brainstorm responses to the brief

Assignment #2: Review a new brief for an ad campaign and generate 3-5 ideas. Write these up in a white paper or keynote slide.

Use your new concepting skills as an art director to create story-driven ideas. Discover more concepting techniques and common pitfalls when coming up with unique creative ideas.

• Getting out of a rut
• Crafting a compelling story
• Award-winning campaigns
• Case studies: Classic techniques and best-in-class work (continued)

Assignment #3: Continue to revise ideas and craft executions in your campaign. Come up with 1 lead idea and mock up 1-2 print executions you feel strongly about (either on paper or through digital software).

Feedback is an important part of the creative process. Learn how to give, receive, and handle feedback and critiques from different sources.

• Efficient feedback methods
• Providing feedback to your team
• Mentoring other creatives
• Receiving feedback from your clients
• Workshop: Break out into groups of 3-4 to pitch lead ideas and give feedback as a group.

Put your skills into practice by creating presentations designed to sell creative work.

• Elements of a good deck
• Translating your ideas into design
• Building brand identities
• Case studies: examples of VBIs

Assignment #4: Use the feedback gained in last week’s workshop to improve your assets. Build a 3-5 slide presentation, including a mood board and style guide, to sell your creative idea to your coursemates.

Learn how to pitch ideas to leadership and sell good creative work to clients.

• Making good ideas great
• Selling to a client vs selling to your boss
• Presentation framework
• Finding your signature presentation style
• Workshop: Break out into groups to practice your pitch. Be prepared to share your deck with others.

Assignment #5: Course Project: 360°Ad Campaign
Continue to craft and shape your lead idea by revising mock-ups, refining copy, and pushing executions to be more creatively engaging. Submit a slide deck with a 360° campaign, including human insights, the idea name and write-up, 1-2 print ads, at least 1 additional execution, a mood board, and a style guide.
Extra option: feel free to build out the campaign for your own case or brief.

Take a look at how creative ideas come to life in front of a consumer and examine campaigns crafted by some of the best in the profession.

• The importance of craft
• An art director’s role in the production process
• Creating a PR hook
• Case studies: Great PR campaigns

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

Learn how to work with other creative professionals, both inside and outside of the agency world.

• The role and function of a creative leader
• Working with other artists
• Pairing with a copywriter
• Departments in an ad agency

Find your own style and start building your personal portfolio as an art director in advertising.

• The Cannes Board format and examples
• Building a digital portfolio
• Approaching a portfolio review
• Common traps that recruiters see through

Assignment #7: Review your portfolio and identify areas for improvement. Add your course project to your portfolio if it’s ready.

Submit your portfolio for review and comment on what has been or should be improved (extra credit).

In this final class, you’ll gain practical tips on how to network with industry professionals and practice tried and true interviewing techniques.

• Career path options
• Interview tips
• Networking
• Creating a bio for yourself