Art Direction — A New Avenue For Designers
Graphic design has come a long way with new titles and practices, such as, ‘Art Direction’, which has given the creative fields of design a new dimension. An Art Director is an individual who organises, collaborates and over-sees every step of the creative process of a design project. Often, when a design template is made, a team of illustrators, designers, copy writers, artists and photographers work collectively with the Art Director to produce eye-catching designs that suits the client’s needs. However, in many cases, a graphic designer can be all of the above, wearing multiple hats — the decision maker, creator and designer as well as the business owner.
An Art Director typically distributes design tasks amongst the creative team — for each member to, in some way, shape or form, collaboratively build a professional yet attractive design. Any piece of work, be it a website, logo, brochure, newsletter, magazine, poster or wedding card, in all cases art direction in design is vital ingredient.
Art direction is not just limited to web design, as it has plays a vital role with any graphic designer, in the area of print media as well. Imagine a scenario whereby you are writing a blog for a magazine. What would happen if you wrote in a similar manner every time incorporating the exact same page layout and style? Won’t your readers start to feel bored? Well, this is where art direction blends with graphic design to not only make the page look impressive, but to enhance the story graphically, symbolically and of course at the same time, improving readability and visual interest.
When a creative team unites ideas and collaborates their talents, to come up with a final design, this is where the Art Director, or designer must be a great visual decision maker, to help in recommending the final verdict and design concept to the client, as well as the rest of the team. It is essential for the Art Director to be confident in their decision on the design proposal in the most appropriate manner. This is why, Art direction is an added benefit and important aspect for all creative design teams, to help in making key decisions throughout the design process — resulting in a top design that both the client and design team are satisfied with, as well as to attract more potential customers.
