Art director
Also known as
Work environment
- Usually work regular business hours but may work extra hours
- Usually work in offices and studios, and may travel locally and nationally
- Need to be creative, communicate well and work well under pressure
Salary information
Typical tasks
- Design and create visual media
- Direct people to create media
- Manage operations of art departments and organisations
- Guide visual direction of projects
- Work with others to develop designs
- Determine budgets and project needs
- Present work to clients
- Review art and design projects
- Give creative feedback and make final decisions
Outlook
Art direction is changing as advertising, design, film, gaming and digital content become more visual, fast-moving and platform-based. In New Zealand and globally, brands need creative work for social media, video, websites, campaigns and immersive experiences. Artificial intelligence and digital tools are speeding up concept development, but original ideas, strong visual judgement and cultural awareness remain central to creating work that connects with audiences.
What employers and industry want in graduates
- Strong visual creativity and design judgement
- Ability to develop clear creative concepts
- Confidence with digital design and production tools
- Communication skills for guiding creative teams and clients
- Understanding of audiences, brands and cultural context
- Ability to manage feedback, deadlines and changing briefs
AUT programmes
- Advertising and Brand Creativity Major - Bachelor of Communication Studies
- Communication Design Major - Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa
- Screen Production Major - Bachelor of Communication Studies
The above is a suggestion only and a starting point. You may need to meet other criteria or take additional steps to work in this career.
Further study options
Content is reviewed by our experts, but information can change over time. Some content is created with AI support.
This data is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahtu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Some of the information has been modified by AUT. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this data.