We surveyed 2,607 art directors to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical art director. Here are the results.
How much intelligence is required as an art director?
Low
High
Working as an art director typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.
Can I learn to become an art director?
Intrinsic Talent
Acquired Talent
A career as an art director typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.
Is it easy to get a job as an art director?
Easy
Hard
It’s typically quite difficult to find a job as an art director. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for art directors.
Do art directors work full-time or part-time?
80% of art directors work in full-time roles while 20% work part-time.
Is being an art director stressful?
Low
High
Stress is not uncommon amongst art directors, with daily work sometimes being quite demanding.
Is being organized important as an art director?
Low
High
Some level of organization is generally required to be an art director.
How competitive is the workplace for art directors?
Low
High
Art directors tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.
Does being an art director require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?
Low
High
Art directors will see frequent time pressure on the job, likely contributing to an occasionally stressful work environment.
Are art directors allowed to express themselves creatively?
Low
High
Creativity is intrinsic to being an art director, and a highly valuable part of the career.
Do art directors have control over the direction of their work?
Low
High
Art directors have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.
Is being an art director physically demanding?
Low
High
Work as an art directors is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.
Are art directors exposed to a wide variety of work?
Low
High
The workload of an art director changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.
Does being an art director require attention to detail?
Low
High
Attention to detail is a vital skill for art directors, as small mistakes can make or break one's ability to succeed in the career.
Does being a good art director require compassion and empathy?
Low
High
Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as art directors.