Art Direction or what does the art director do? The role of the Art Director is take the components of the graphic material and put it together to create the full visual impact of the still picture or commercial or video. The Art Director has to manage the team of graphic designers, artists, photographers, cameramen and create the visual magic.
Strangely very little is clearly defined about the Art Director's role. This is probably due the grey area between direction and design. This is not a role taught in many schools. The Art Director is responsible for the look or feel of the film. He conceptualizes what the viewer will see and feel and then it is up to his team to execute this vision. Some Art Directors leave the execution to their team, others oversee each aspect of execution to ensure compliance with the original vision.
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Some Art Directors argue that Art Direction can not be learned in a classroom, it is a gift or at least a hands on learning process as one participates in more and more films. The entry point generally appears to be graphic design. The essence of Art Direction is the idea or the vision. The Art Director is the visual counterpart of the Orchestra Conductor. A conductor is not taught, he evolves. This takes us back to the age old argument that asks if creativity can be taught.
As Art Direction matures in advertising and film making, more and more the industry is focused on the lack of art direction on the web. Too often web sites are focused on traffic, content and eyeballs.
