What does an associate art director do?
Associate art directors are professionals who assist art directors in performing creative-driven tasks such as producing graphic design for brands, layouts, and advertisements. These associate art directors are required to stay updated on the latest techniques using computer-aided design software such as PhotoShop, AutoCAD, and After Effects. They must organize photoshoots and work with PR managers and agents to coordinate the schedules of their models. Associate art directors must also establish a graphic design studio team and provide training for their designers and interns.
Associate art director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate art director resumes:
- Design ads, uploading print PDFs to vendor s printing website, manage print approval process and create HTML email blasts.
- Assist in html with Dreamweaver.
- Design and develop animation for RFPs.
- Produce and maintain new-product marketing templates to establish a solid foundation for brand email campaigns using inline CSS.
- Design Powerpoint decks for presentations.
- Coordinate and direct fashion photography shoots for on-figure and tabletop merchandise.
- Perform equipment maintenance, operation, embroidery production and provide superb customer service.
- Research, obtain and assign illustration and photography within budget including selection and direction of freelancers.
- Conceptualize and successfully develop numerous creative visual concepts for online sites, print materials, and PowerPoint presentations.
- Participate in brainstorm sessions and develop creative options for internal projects.
Associate art director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Associate Art Directors are proficient in Graphic Design, Photography, and Adobe Creative Suite. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Creativity, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Associate Art Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Graphic Design, 12%
Provided art direction, responsive web and mobile design, publication design, graphic design, illustration, and multimedia management.
- Photography, 10%
Worked closely with photographers, stylists and Art Directors in implementing conceptual photography for specialized programs and campaigns.
- Adobe Creative Suite, 10%
Utilized Adobe Creative Suite family, notably InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Adobe Photoshop, 7%
Earned Award of Excellence in Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator Forklift Certificate, AAA Forklift, Riverside, CA Sept 2010
- Sketch, 7%
Developed strategic project plans managing and maintaining multiple projects from sketch to print, facilitating high-impact presentations to senior leadership.
- Art Direction, 6%
Commissioned illustrators, assigned photographers and assisted with art direction for photo shoots.
"graphic design," "photography," and "adobe creative suite" are among the most common skills that associate art directors use at work. You can find even more associate art director responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an associate art director to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role 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 associate art director resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "recruited to take ownership of 1,200-page web site and transition it from it to communications & marketing department. "
Creativity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling associate 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 associate art director resume, here's how associate art directors can utilize creativity in their job responsibilities: "contribute creative design direction for corporate communications. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for associate art directors to perform their duties. For an example of how associate art director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "art directors must be able to organize, direct, and motivate other artists." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an associate art director: "worked with marketing leadership to develop custom promotional materials. ".
Time-management skills. For certain associate art director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of an associate 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 associate art directors do: "created consistently polished ad and editorial content under strict monthly deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most associate art directors are:
- Ernst & Young9 associate art directors jobs
- Wpp Us Holdings Inc3 associate art directors jobs
- Bath & Body Works2 associate art directors jobs
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Compare different associate art directors
Associate 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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between associate art directors and graphic design manager. For instance, associate art director responsibilities require skills such as "photography," "sketch," "animation," and "web design." Whereas a graphic design manager is skilled in "project management," "customer service," "brochures," and "print collateral." This is part of what separates the two careers.
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, associate art directors are paid more in the media industry with an average salary of $102,115.The education levels that graphic design managers earn slightly differ from associate art directors. In particular, graphic design managers are 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an associate art director. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Associate art director vs. Lead graphic designer
A lead graphic designer is responsible for creating, designing, and updating the company's visual aspects. The lead graphic designer works closely with the branding department alongside the advertising and marketing team. It is essential for the lead graphic designer must be creative, willing to think outside the box, and brave to dare novel ideas. The lead graphic designer is also responsible for leading the creative department in accomplishing assigned tasks from management.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real associate art director resumes. While associate art director responsibilities can utilize skills like "photography," "animation," "web design," and "gpa," lead graphic designers use skills like "design concepts," "adobe illustrator," "project management," and "motion graphics."
Lead graphic designers may earn a lower salary than associate art directors, but lead graphic designers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $85,443. On the other hand, associate art directors receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $102,115.lead graphic designers earn similar levels of education than associate art directors in general. They're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for associate art directors in the next 3-5 years?
Scott Foster
Associate Professor of Studio Art, Chair of Creative Arts Department, Siena College
Associate art director vs. Art consultant
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an associate art director is likely to be skilled in "photography," "adobe creative suite," "sketch," and "art direction," while a typical art consultant is skilled in "art gallery," "contemporary art," "art collections," and "art shows."
Art consultants make a very good living in the internet industry with an average annual salary of $68,646. On the other hand, associate art directors are paid the highest salary in the media industry, with average annual pay of $102,115.When it comes to education, art consultants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to associate art directors. In fact, they're 7.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Associate art director vs. Creative director/owner
Updated January 8, 2025
