How To Become An Art Director And Production Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an art director and production manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Cynthia Tovar

Art Director And Production Manager act as executive decision-makers on any art project. They work for newspapers, magazines, advertising companies, websites, or design firms. One of the most important duties of an art director is determining which direction to take a project based on the client's wants, needs, and budget. In conjunction with the client, they have the final say on the entire project's shape and scope.

Art directors and production managers are in charge of the project and act as hands-on leaders. They work closely with artists to define and design the project's initial concept and continue working closely with all involved all the way up through the printing or publishing date. You would need to have a background in art and recognize and create catchy or appealing pieces of art or graphics.

As an art director, you need to be able to work across multiple media, both traditional and digital. If you are successful in building a career in this role, you would probably earn around $92,780.

What general advice would you give to an art director and production manager?

Cynthia Tovar

Board Member, Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Due to the pandemic, it is unfortunate that there are limited job openings for new graduates entering the workforce; however, there are a number of ways that a young professional can continue to network and gain experience, including virtual internships and entering into an official mentorship or training program (such as the ARCS Mentorship Program, The Museum Leadership, Polaris mentorship program, the Broad Diversity Apprenticeship Program, or The Registrar Hour, Intern Hour). Emerging professionals that join ARCS as an individual or student member, will have access to job listings, networking opportunities, funding opportunities for conferences and the mentor program among other benefits.

For those that do enter the workforce, many institutions' staff are still working remotely or operating in a hybrid model. There will be a need for new staff to communicate effectively with their supervisors, while working remotely, over video meetings. They might also be expected to learn new software or technology such as DocuSign to facilitate remote working and or be expected to serve as a virtual courier using video technology and digital condition reporting techniques. Museums can benefit from a fresh viewpoint that advocates for efficiencies and new ways of operating in these challenging times.

ScoreArt Director And Production ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,982

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 7.65%

Black or African American 4.33%

Hispanic or Latino 14.19%

Unknown 5.67%

White 67.47%

Gender

female 43.47%

male 56.53%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an art director and production manager

Explore art director and production manager education requirements

Most common art director and production manager degrees

Bachelor's

69.1 %

Associate

20.9 %

Master's

3.3 %

Start to develop specific art director and production manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Photoshop	13.21%
Creative Concepts	10.33%
Graphic Design	7.39%
Art Direction	5.65%
Adobe Indesign	4.22%

Complete relevant art director and production manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New art director and production managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an art director and production manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real art director and production manager resumes.

Research art director and production manager duties and responsibilities

Manage new and existing assets from initial photography through final delivery.
Dummy paper and supervise typesetting, ad production, and printing.
Conceptualize and successfully develop numerous creative visual concepts for online sites, print materials, and PowerPoint presentations.
Develop multimedia software demonstrations for clients and prospects.

Prepare your art director and production manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your art director and production manager resume.

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