Monday Poll #33: Designers vs. Art Directors

An art director steers the design in the right direction according to his or her vision. The designer makes that vision a reality. A very basic view, but that’s always been my experience. I’ve worked with ADs who had no idea how to use Photoshop and couldn’t draw for shit, but they had a unique vision of what they wanted.

The art director’s role is conceptual art while the designer’s role is applied art.

On some projects there is not much distance between the two. But on others, such as collateral systems, packaging or websites, the difference between the two becomes clear. They are complementary roles best played by complementary people.

As designers ourselves, we champion the role of the craftsperson who, with creativity and skill, collaborates with another to bring an idea to life.

AD = strategic thinker who can visually bring a campaign or idea to life. Generally, they are the cool and trendy half of the creative team.

Designer = detail oriented perfectionist capable of producing kick ass logos, packaging, etc. Often work alone and are the only members of the agency who’s cynicism rivals that of the copywriter’s.

Some people are both. When needs be.

something that’s throwing me-
if design is problem solving, doesn’t that give strategic responsibility to designers?

maybe it’s a semantics problem

seems like their role is limited in advertising, as executors, same as a photographer’s would be; their usual strategic role landing in the lap of ADs

More and more, the two are interchangeable. Especially at smaller agencies/studios where you may be taking part in concepting and strategic brainstorms and also doing design/production work.

There’s only a handful of big agencies in town with staff to support art directors and designers, so I imagine a lot of people are wearing two hats.

Here’s my assessment from the writer’s point of view.

The Art Director works with the Copywriter to develop a conceptual vision.

The Designer takes that concept and brings it to life.

Both are indispensable roles, but trying to define both as separate entities is very limiting. Work is supposed to be collaborative. I expect my AD’s to be able to come up with a good copy line and they expect me to be able to come with visual solutions. And we both expect the designer to bring their own ideas to the table once we get them involved.

If that collaboration is lacking then you end up second-rate or half-realized creative. Which, by the way, is something most agencies across the country produce in abundance.

Artistic Mercenary – I read your last line “…you end up second-rate or half-realized creative” as “half-realized Creature ….produced in abundance across many agencies” and found it to be more truthful.

I suppose I’m a hybrid. I’ve never been strategy and concepting without also designing. It’s just not divisible for me that way. To my end it doesn’t matter aside from the view point that Art Director is higher in perceived pecking order than Graphic Designer.

Its dependent on the context and shop. Pay rate is a huge determining factor. Its more common nowadays to have someone handle both, and less common for a copywriter to have any of the creative control. Copywriters are still super crucial but they do not serve the same function as they used to.

You could also argue that an AD is really the person the account people and PMs bitch at when a designer messes up. Hahahah

AD gets paid more

Designers can explain everything with “Because it looks cool.”

I guess you could call me an art director, but working at a small agency – I do A LOT of the design a production work. I’m sure I’m not the only “hybrid” out there.

Art Directors can’t spell. Designers can’t do expense reports.

speaking as a planner, art directors tend to be more strategic in that they think on a conceptual level about the messaging, in its entirety. good designers are strategic as well, but apply that to the intricate details versus the overarching idea. one of the biggest frustrations is when you work at a place that treats designers and art directors as interchangeable terms/employees. designers are typically not good at developing conceptual ideas in regards to messaging and don’t seem to work well as a team with copywriters (maybe due to education?), which presents a big problem when that’s all you’ve got to work with. and i can’t imagine trying to get a AD to nail packaging design like a designer can. my experience is that only mid-sized/smaller ad markets have a problem distinguishing between the two disciplines.

Jessica, you are exactly right. Recently I’ve come to think that “Designer vs. Art Director” is a small market question. Denver might suck less if we could put this one behind us.

The difference between the two job roles matters when projects are large enough in scope so that multiple designers are needed. The art director manages the overall vision and strategy through the design collaboration of different designers and disciplines.

ADs should be a better designer than designers ultimately. then ADs should help cultivate and “manage” designers.

now whether they actually are depends on where you work.

I never heard of this title problem until I moved to Denver….and I think it was the 2nd question someone asked me. Are you and ad or a gd? I was completely taken aback. Working in teams and being a conceptual, strategic thinker had been my design/advertising experience.

I expect my guys to have both skills. And an art director that can’t draw is a waste of time in my world and shows now real craftsmanship or respect for their profession.

I agree with Jeff Mason. I like the idea of “championing the role of the craftsperson who, with creativity and skill, collaborates with another to bring an idea to life.”

As for this being a small market issue…I moved here from Memphis and never did I hear this as a topic of discussion. Maybe it’s just a Denver issue.

What’s with the writer slam, Anthro? Geez, did a team of copywriters give you a beat down at the roller rink when you were an adolescent?
I, sir, am a writer. And I happen to be the hip and trendy side of any creative team I’m on – ALWAYS. My trendy-ness is real.
And, I’m not cynical, except for the fact that everyone in the whole entire world sucks, except me.

Why’d you have to go and drudge up that memory TVN? I was just starting to repress it. They came out of nowhere, surrounded me and then insulted me with words I didn’t know the meanings of. To this day I won’t go near a book or a pair of roller skates.

I do rollerblade though. Sans wristguards. ‘Cause I’m AWESOME!

In the world of television, it looks like this:

Designer: “Check out my cool design. I like it.”

Art Director: “That is cool. Now change it. So viewers will like it.”

From Wikipedia: “The art director is in charge of overall visual appearance… how it communicates… and appeals to a target audience.”

I used to work as an Art Director at a 20-ish person firm and now I work as a Senior Designer at a 20-ish person firm and I do exactly the same thing. My previous company put emphasis on titles, to use as stepping stones for promotions. My company now could care less about titles. If there is a Jr. Designer or lesser experienced person in the office, I would help art direct their projects at either firm. Also, same with the Creative Director in the other direction.

These words from Hartmut Esslinger, my new hero, describe both functions as a continuous process.

““Design” isn’t a clear-cut talent profession, but one of coordination and catalyst between human needs, science and technology, business and economy, as well as sociology and ecology. The artistic talent required is more of an enabler at the end of rational and emotional analysis as well as strategic conceptualization.Therefore, it is vital to learn and study as much as possible especially about business, technology and human nature. In the end, there are flavors in design which are more esthetic—see New York Times “Style Magazine”—but design is only relevant when it improves human lives by appealing both to the mind and the heart. Finally, a young person with the right talents needs to have infinite desire and never give up. I apply a simple test with young students: smash a teapot into pieces and then hand out the glue. Those who rebuild the teapot won’t make it, those who create phantasy animals and spaceships will.”

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/the-inside-sc...

AD’s are big idea conceptual thinkers and creative executioners.

D’s are technical perfectionists and creative tacticians.

Designer = hands.

Art Director = brains.

I’m both.

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