What are the pros and cons of being an art director?

The pros and cons of being an art director relate to creativity, leadership, and long working hours. Here are the top pros and cons of being an art director:

Pros:

• Creativity and freedom

Art directors are creative leaders that have the opportunity to work on a wide range of different projects. Most projects require the professional's creative input, guidance, and direction. This can be an extremely rewarding career for those that want to express themselves creatively. Art directors often have a lot of freedom with their creations as well.

• Leadership

Many art directors head up large creative teams and work as one the key people in charge of projects, practices, and processes. Giving direction and even mentoring some lower-level designers is a big component of the job. This helps art directors not only to be satisfied with their creations but also with the assistance they can give their colleagues.

• It's a secure job

Art directors are indispensable to many different types of creative projects. This means that there is always a demand for these professionals and their expertise. While there might be strong competition in this field, many who can gain the title go on to have long, fulfilling, and financially successful careers in the field. The job demand for this role continues to rise.

• Solid compensation

The median salary for an art director in the United States is around $94,000 per year. However, many art directors who develop strong reputations can earn salaries over $100,000 per year, and sometimes much higher. Art directors see the highest salaries in the advertising, marketing, and film industries.

Cons:

• Long working hours

Many art directors have to work long hours, especially when trying to meet a tight deadline for a project. This means an art director can often work for more hours than the traditional work week of 40 hours. While this can be tiring for some, others enjoy and get so much fulfilment from the projects that they work on that it makes it not too big of a con.

• High stress and pressure

Art directors are expected to deliver high-quality and unique work on time. Sometimes with very fast turnaround times and tight deadlines. This can cause many in the field to get stressed out and overworked, which can ultimately lead to art director burnout. This holds true specifically in the film and advertising industries, where deadlines can be very tight.

Art directors sometimes have to work with challenging clients that either have unrealistic expectations for a particular project, or are just difficult to satisfy with end results. Art directors might also work with some clients that don't value their creative vision, and essentially want to direct the art of a project themselves. Difficult clients in this field can be frustrating.

• Ever-changing industries

Art directors work in industries that are constantly evolving. This can make it difficult to stay current with appropriate trends and methods.