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Senior designer/art director skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Elizabeth Sutton,

Elizabeth Sutton

Senior designer/art director example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior designer/art director skills. We ranked the top skills for senior designer/art directors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 7.5% of senior designer/art director resumes contained creative concepts as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior designer/art director needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior designer/art director skills for your resume and career

1. Creative Concepts

A creative concept is a big idea that helps in capturing the audience's interest, attracting customers, influencing decisions, and help them to take action. A creative concept can be applied to all communication channels like messages, call to action, emails, etc. Generally, a headline or a tagline is the place where creative concepts play a vital role in successfully attracting the target audience.

Here's how senior designer/art directors use creative concepts:

Direct and produce creative concepts across multiple channels and platforms for web and social media.
Skilled in creating 3-D mock-ups of creative concepts for new client pitches and demonstrations.

2. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how senior designer/art directors use graphic design:

Collaborated with project managers, instructional designers, motion graphic designers, technical writers and developers.
Specialized in creating graphic design and marketing solutions with the Communications/Public Relations department.

3. Web Banners

A web banner is used on websites as a form of advertisement to showcase products and services via images situated at strategic positions on the web page. They are mostly rectangular and can be situated at the bottom, top, right, middle or left part of any given web page or online content. A web banner is a popular form of online advertising and doesn't obstruct the viewing process of web visitors like pop-up ads.

Here's how senior designer/art directors use web banners:

Produced web banners and jump pages, direct mail, FSIs and brochures for a variety of clients.
Enhance companies' brand by designing web banners and social media post that are relevant to the brand.

4. Photography

Here's how senior designer/art directors use photography:

Based on strategic marketing input, package branding is developed using compelling illustration, photography and copy.
Authored one original photography book and 2012 calendar for publication and distribution.

5. Art Direction

Art direction is an essential job in the activities related to theatre, advertising, fashion, publishing as well the film industry. All of these fields have a direct or indirect connection with art and therefore require direction and supervision regarding this very aspect of the job. The art director is responsible for how a product turns out visually..

Here's how senior designer/art directors use art direction:

Provided Art Direction and design specifications to assist with project management for various Marketing and Brand initiatives.
Handpicked to utilize vast expertise in art direction and marketing conceptualization to implement innovative designs.

6. Sketch

Here's how senior designer/art directors use sketch:

Developed strategic project plans managing and maintaining multiple projects from sketch to print, facilitating high-impact presentations to senior leadership.
Created pattern tile designs and home decor with overseas vendors from sketch to final product.

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7. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how senior designer/art directors use adobe photoshop:

Updated web design & information for all digital inventory utilizing Adobe Photoshop.
Used advanced Adobe Photoshop technique to address organization, exceptional and image editing process.

8. Digital Marketing

Here's how senior designer/art directors use digital marketing:

Designed and developed print and digital marketing and sales tools, promoting revenue growth and brand awareness.
Provide support for special projects that impact digital marketing, advertising, e-commerce and retail customer experience.

9. Visual Design

Visual design is an art where the artist uses visuals and graphics to communicate to the user. A visual design aims to increase a product's aesthetic appeal. A visual design consists of lines, use of colors, white spaces, layout, and typography. Each element is executed to attract the customer towards it. Different styles and textures are also normally seen in visual designs.

Here's how senior designer/art directors use visual design:

Nest Labs, Senior Visual designer for the Nest Developer Program launch, interactive design and visual solution designer.
Initiated concept development and implemented all phases of branding development, creative and visual design.

10. Marketing Campaigns

Here's how senior designer/art directors use marketing campaigns:

Conceptualized integrated marketing campaigns for clients that included website, banner advertising, e-mail, print, and interactive kiosk components.
Collaborated with web design and development team to maintain brand consistency on all marketing campaigns.

11. Photo Shoots

A photoshoot is a series of photographs that a photographer takes of someone, usually of a model or a famous person, to be used in a newspaper or a magazine. The goal of a photoshoot is to achieve a predetermined visual objective. Later, these images can be used for editing or post-production..

Here's how senior designer/art directors use photo shoots:

Directed photo shoots with models and merchandise and negotiated prime usage opportunity.
Coordinated and art directed photo shoots, designed cohesive campaign pieces including posters, brochures, direct mailers and magazine ads.

12. Adobe Creative Suite

Here's how senior designer/art directors use adobe creative suite:

Produce quality print and digital work using the Adobe Creative Suite.
Exhibit proficiency daily utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite programs.

13. Website Design

Here's how senior designer/art directors use website design:

Freelance Senior Interactive Designer / Art Director, - Created high-end website designs for a wide spectrum companies and organizations.
Provided concept-to-completion brand development, design and production website design projects, delivering every project on time and within budget.

14. Animation

Here's how senior designer/art directors use animation:

Designed interaction and animation, advanced effects, and high-level, theme-based widgets, working with programmers using JQuery.
Storyboarded rich experiences that include HTML5 animation to rich media advertising.

15. Motion Graphics

Here's how senior designer/art directors use motion graphics:

Assisted in production of on-demand flash based video system, while learning motion graphics.
Designed web sites, cd-roms, motion graphics and flash based media for a variety of clients.

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What skills help Senior Designer/Art Directors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What soft skills should all senior designer/art directors possess?

Elizabeth Sutton

Department Head, Professor of Art History, University of Northern Iowa

There are many--the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively is absolutely necessary. The ability to ask for feedback and be able to take that feedback and incorporate it into a process is very important. Of course, meeting deadlines is also very important.

What skills stand out on senior designer/art director resumes?

Elizabeth Sutton

Department Head, Professor of Art History, University of Northern Iowa

What really stands out is the quality of the student's portfolios and that they have client-based real-world experience.

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior designer/art directors?

Elizabeth Sutton

Department Head, Professor of Art History, University of Northern Iowa

We train our students in Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator.

What senior designer/art director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Scott Foster

Associate Professor of Studio Art, Chair of Creative Arts Department, Siena College

Working on a team. The exact project might not matter much, although it's better if it dovetails with your interests or career goals. This could be as simple as volunteering at a non-profit to revamp a website or build an app to measure outcomes.

What type of skills will young senior designer/art directors need?

Brian Pirman

Associate Professor, St. Norbert College

For someone who is contemplating a career in graphic design, I recommend several things. One would be to develop a portfolio that shows a diverse skill-set. This may include expertise in design and layout, photography, illustration, typography as well as animation and video. If you have a more varied skill set, you are more likely to either gain employment or able to do freelance work. The other thing is internships, internships, internships. Having a portfolio of applied work (versus school projects), as long as it's good, will separate you from the competition.

Do you want to know more?

List of senior designer/art director skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior designer/art director resume and required skills for a senior designer/art director to have include:

Creative Concepts
Graphic Design
Web Banners
Photography
Art Direction
Sketch
Adobe Photoshop
Digital Marketing
Visual Design
Marketing Campaigns
Photo Shoots
Adobe Creative Suite
Website Design
Animation
Motion Graphics
Design Solutions

Creative Direction
Brochures
Creative Solutions
Print Production
Corporate Identity
HTML
Design Projects
Design Concepts
Rebranding
CSS
Print Collateral
Creative Projects
Creative Process
Brand Design
User Interface
Brand Development

User Experience
Concept Development
Copywriting
PowerPoint
Mac
Press Checks
Promotional Materials
Package Design
Logo Design
Conceptual Development
Web Site
Print Design
Style Guides
Brand Marketing

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Senior Designer/Art Director Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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