What does an assistant art director do?
Assistant art director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant art director resumes:
- Manage translation and localization for Facebook game into Spanish and Portuguese.
- Direct and manage all photography including composition, talent acquisition and photo manipulation.
- Conceptualize and successfully develop numerous creative visual concepts for online sites, print materials, and PowerPoint presentations.
- Update, revise and create web pages using HTML.
- Participate in brainstorm sessions and develop creative options for internal projects.
Assistant art director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Assistant Art Directors are proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Graphic Design, and Photo Shoots. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Creativity, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Art Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Adobe Photoshop, 13%
Worked in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Quark Designed sheet music and music books Created manual illustrations
- Graphic Design, 8%
Produced brochures and packaging for the veterinary industry, initially as mechanical paste-up then transitioned to PC-based graphic design software.
- Photo Shoots, 8%
Directed photo shoots and commissioned original artwork.
- Art Direction, 7%
Provided art direction and styling to photography studio for accurate product representation.
- Concept Development, 6%
Engage with the Creative Director on concept development and storyboard for TVC shooting.
- Adobe Illustrator, 5%
Maintain continued education to be proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Quark Express systems.
Common skills that an assistant art director uses to do their job include "adobe photoshop," "graphic design," and "photo shoots." You can find details on the most important assistant art director responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an assistant art director to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what assistant art directors do because "art directors must be able to listen to and speak with staff and clients to ensure that they understand employees’ ideas and clients’ desires for advertisements, publications, or movie sets." Additionally, an assistant art director resume shows how assistant art directors use communication skills: "maintain communication between art production team, sales executives, and editorial sta . "
Creativity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant art director duties is creativity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "art directors must be able to come up with interesting and innovative ideas to develop advertising campaigns, set designs, or layout options." According to an assistant art director resume, here's how assistant art directors can utilize creativity in their job responsibilities: "commissioned and created original illustrations as well as provided creative direction for photo shoots, food photography and fashions shoots. "
Leadership skills. assistant art directors are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to assistant art director responsibilities, because "art directors must be able to organize, direct, and motivate other artists." An assistant art director resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "provided creative leadership for design projects. "
Time-management skills. For certain assistant art director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of an assistant art director rely on this skill, as "balancing competing priorities and multiple projects while meeting strict deadlines is critical for art directors." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistant art directors do: "manage and maintain tight deadlines for press runs and airport transportation. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant art directors are:
- Tufts University3 assistant art directors jobs
- New York University3 assistant art directors jobs
- JCPenney2 assistant art directors jobs
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Compare different assistant art directors
Assistant art director vs. Graphic design manager
A graphic design manager is primarily in charge of leading and overseeing the efforts of a graphic design team, ensuring adherence to goals and deadlines. It is their duty to learn and analyze the purpose of design, coordinate staff, liaise with internal and external parties, set goals and objectives, manage schedules, and conceptualize plans. Furthermore, as a graphic design manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, assistant art director responsibilities require skills like "concept development," "editorial layouts," "adobe indesign," and "event planning." Meanwhile a typical graphic design manager has skills in areas such as "project management," "customer service," "brochures," and "print collateral." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Graphic design managers earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $82,776. On the other hand, assistant art directors are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $102,665.On average, graphic design managers reach similar levels of education than assistant art directors. Graphic design managers are 1.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Assistant art director vs. Art consultant
A Creative Services Director is responsible for managing digital content and campaign publications for project management efforts. They oversee the daily account operations and ensure that the processes adhere to high-quality standards and client specifications. They also conduct data and statistical analysis to measure media presence's effectiveness and adjust plans as necessary to meet goals and objectives.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that assistant art director responsibilities requires skills like "photo shoots," "art direction," "concept development," and "adobe illustrator." But an art consultant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "art gallery," "contemporary art," "art collections," and "art shows."
Art consultants earn a lower average salary than assistant art directors. But art consultants earn the highest pay in the internet industry, with an average salary of $68,646. Additionally, assistant art directors earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $102,665 annually.In general, art consultants achieve higher levels of education than assistant art directors. They're 8.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for assistant art directors in the next 3-5 years?
Scott Foster
Associate Professor of Studio Art, Chair of Creative Arts Department, Siena College
Assistant art director vs. Creative services director
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from assistant art director resumes include skills like "adobe photoshop," "concept development," "adobe illustrator," and "editorial layouts," whereas a creative services director is more likely to list skills in "video production," "creative direction," "social media marketing," and "digital marketing. "
Creative services directors earn the highest salary when working in the media industry, where they receive an average salary of $114,140. Comparatively, assistant art directors have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $102,665.Most creative services directors achieve a similar degree level compared to assistant art directors. For example, they're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant art director vs. Creative director/owner
Types of assistant art director
Updated January 8, 2025
