Glossary
Art Director Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential art director terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key art director vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in art director training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Art buyer
- A person who hires photographers and illustrators.
- Asset
- A finished creative piece.
- Brand identity
- A brand’s visual elements.
- Campaign
- A coordinated set of ads.
- Comp
- A comprehensive layout.
- Concept
- The central creative idea.
- Copywriter
- A writer of ad text.
- Creative brief
- A document outlining project goals.
- Creative director
- The senior creative leader.
- Mood board
- A collage of visual inspiration.
- Pitch
- Presenting ideas to win work.
- Production
- Making final assets.
- Proof
- A preview for approval.
- Storyboard
- Sketches for video.
- Style guide
- Rules for visual consistency.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Art Director practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Art Director training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.