Job description template

Art Director Job Description Template

A copy-ready art director job description with responsibilities, qualifications, skills and pay guidance: customize it for your company in minutes.

Updated By the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team
How to use this template

Copy the template below, replace the bracketed fields and tailor duties to your workplace. For pay, national BLS data shows art directors earn a median of $114,850 ($55.22/hour); the middle 50% earn $82,480–$162,640.

Job title

Art Director

Job summary

[Company name] is seeking a dependable art director to join our team in [city, state]. In this role, you will develop visual concepts, lead creative teams and support our team’s commitment to safety, quality and service.

Responsibilities

  • Develop visual concepts
  • Lead creative teams
  • Review and approve designs
  • Present ideas to clients
  • Manage budgets and schedules
  • Ensure brand consistency
  • Collaborate with copywriters and marketers
  • Follow company policies, safety procedures and applicable regulations

Required qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree
  • Working knowledge of visual concept development and design direction
  • Leadership and presentation
  • [Add role-specific requirements, such as driver’s license or ability to pass a background check, if job-related]

Preferred qualifications

  • Portfolio
  • Adobe Certified Professional
  • Creative leadership training
  • Experience with adobe Creative Cloud

Skills

  • Typography and layout
  • Photo and video direction
  • Brand strategy
  • Project management
  • Creativity
  • Collaboration

Work environment and schedule

Art directors work in agencies, studios and offices, plus photo shoots and production sets. Most work full-time with long hours near deadlines.

Pay and benefits

$[min]–$[max] per [hour/year], depending on experience. [List benefits: health insurance, paid time off, retirement plan, training and certification support.]

Equal opportunity

[Company name] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law, and we provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Tips for a art director job posting that attracts applicants

  • Use the title candidates search for. “Art Director” is the clearest; alternates include Creative Director, Design Director, Visual Director.
  • Show the pay range. Postings with pay get more qualified applicants, and a growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in job postings.
  • Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves. Long requirement lists discourage qualified candidates, especially career changers.
  • Describe a real day. Borrow from our day in the life of an art director so applicants self-select accurately.
  • Mention training. Highlighting structured onboarding: such as Art Director training: widens your applicant pool.

Next steps

Screen and interview with our Art Director hiring guide, then onboard with the 30-60-90 day plan.

Team pricing