Occupation Summary

Art Directors

O*NET 27-1011.00

Description:

Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.

Annual Wages:
$94,993.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 18.54%.
Education Level:
Bachelor's Degree. According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

  1. Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.
  2. Review and approve art materials, copy materials, and proofs of printed copy developed by staff members.
  3. Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
  4. Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
  5. Present final layouts to clients for approval.
  6. Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
  7. Hire, train, and direct staff members who develop design concepts into art layouts or who prepare layouts for printing.
  8. Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
  9. Review illustrative material to determine if it conforms to standards and specifications.
  10. Attend photo shoots and printing sessions to ensure that the products needed are obtained.
  11. Create custom illustrations or other graphic elements.
  12. Mark up, paste, and complete layouts and write typography instructions to prepare materials for typesetting or printing.
  13. Negotiate with printers and estimators to determine what services will be performed.
  14. Conceptualize and help design interfaces for multimedia games, products, and devices.
  15. Prepare detailed storyboards showing sequence and timing of story development for television production.
  16. Research current trends and new technology, such as printing production techniques, computer software, and design trends.

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National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Art Directors employed Annual Growth Rate
Advertising, public relations, and related services 12.5 1.07
Motion picture and video industries 3.5 0.62
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services 3.1 1.13
Specialized design services 2.9 0.50


Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $45.67
2024 National average hourly wage $61.59
2022 National employment 135,100
2022 Texas employment 8,501
Texas projected employment by 2032 10,077
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 1,025




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
87.00%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
85.00%
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
84.80%
Fine Arts
Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
83.80%
Communications and Media
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
82.40%
Sales and Marketing
Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
73.20%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
66.80%
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
59.40%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
59.00%
Sociology and Anthropology
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
54.80%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
80.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
80.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
75.00%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
75.00%
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
75.00%
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
72.40%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
72.40%
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
72.40%
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
67.60%
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
67.60%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Fluency of Ideas
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
85.00%
Originality
The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
85.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
80.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
80.00%
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
80.00%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
80.00%
Visualization
The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
77.60%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
75.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
75.00%
Visual Color Discrimination
The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
75.00%


  • Thinking Creatively
    -- Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Working with Computers
    -- Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Other Activities


  • Achievement
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Independence
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.



Tools

Charcoal pencils: Sketching pencils;

Desktop computers: Desktop computers;

Digital camcorders or video cameras: Digital video cameras;

Digital cameras: Digital still cameras;

Notebook computers: Laptop computers;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Tablet computers: Tablet computers;


Technology

Analytical or scientific software: Data visualization software;

Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk 3ds Max Design; Computer assisted design software;

Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign; Quark enterprise publishing software; QuarkXPress;

Development environment software: Adobe ActionScript;

Document management software: Adobe Acrobat;

Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook;

Graphical user interface development software: Figma;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Autodesk Maya; Adobe Illustrator; Adobe ImageReady; Adobe Creative Cloud software; Adobe Photoshop;

Internet browser software: Web broswer software;

Mobile operator specific application software: Tablet application software; Mobile application software; Mag+;

Network conferencing software: Atlassian Confluence;

Object or component oriented development software: jQuery;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Apple macOS;

Presentation software: Google Slides; Apple iWork Keynote; Apple Keynote; Microsoft PowerPoint;

Program testing software: User interface design software;

Project management software: Atlassian JIRA;

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel;

Video creation and editing software: WeVideo; YouTube; Apple Final Cut Pro; Adobe Premiere Pro; Adobe Director; Adobe After Effects; Maxon Cinema 4D;

Web page creation and editing software: Facebook; Adobe Dreamweaver; WordPress; Social media software;

Web platform development software: PHP; WoodWing; AJAX; Apache Flex; Hypertext markup language HTML; JavaScript; Cascading style sheets CSS; Drupal; Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML; Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML;

Word processing software: Microsoft Word;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Art Directors include:
  • 27-1024.00 Graphic Designers
  • 15-1299.09 Information Technology Project Managers
  • 27-2012.03 Media Programming Directors
  • 27-2012.05 Media Technical Directors/Managers
  • 27-2012.00 Producers and Directors
  • 13-1082.00 Project Management Specialists
  • 27-3031.00 Public Relations Specialists
  • 27-1027.00 Set and Exhibit Designers
  • 27-1014.00 Special Effects Artists and Animators
  • 27-3043.00 Writers and Authors


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about art directors in film and television, visit: Art Directors Guild
  • Art Directors

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.