Art Director Resume Example & Guide (+ Job Description)
Art Director Resume Example & Guide (+ Job Description)
You are responsible for the image, the message, and the approach behind your client’s sales. Now it's time to write an art director resume good enough to sell yourself.
Dave Rygielski
Career Expert
To make a world-class art director, you must have a vision. Not only for your clients, but also for your career. The right mix of professional and creative.
How do you show that on your art director resume? Let's find out together!
In this guide:
An art director resume example that deserves job interviews.
Proven methods to structure your art director job description in a resume.
Expert advice to improve your resume for an art director.
A list of the key skills for a creative art director resume.
Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder for free. Start by choosing a resume template.
I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.” Patrick
I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan
My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George
Forward-looking art director with 17+ years of experience in the clothing industry. For the past 7+ years, solely responsible for the art profile of LookSharp, a menswear brand with 1100+ products in total. During this time, created 100+ original designs used across the product range. Maintained a database of 400+ photographers, stylists and editors, as well as a library of 55,000 art files. Implemented a hiring policy that saved $75k last year. Silver ADDY Award 2011 laureate, Best Video Campaign in 2018 Award (Drum Digital Advertising Awards US). Enthusiastic about applying creative and business experience at Bobby Productions.
Experience
Art Director
LookSharp
2013–2020
Responsible for the style of external communications and advertising of LookSharp, a menswear brand.
Supervising the art direction of new menswear products, now 1100+ products total.
Created 100+ original designs and patterns used across the menswear casual and formal ranges.
Created 9 product category catalogs for wholesale clients, totaling 750 pages, 2000+ photos. Their introduction saw a 8% wholesale turnover boost in the subsequent year.
Directed 150+ photo shoots for the brand, maintaining a database of 400+ photographers, stylists, and editors internationally.
Managing and organizing the library of 55,000 art files, including photos, video, copy, drafts, mock-ups and concepts.
Implemented remote hiring policy based on maximum freedom (100% (9) remote hires in 2019), saving $75k on equipment, employee perk and office costs.
Assistant Art Director
Creativ1s
2011–2013
Promoted due to outstanding results of prepared campaigns, and receiving the Silver ADDY award from American Advertising Awards.
Assigned to clothing industry advertising projects for clients like ASOS and Nordstrom. Developed online, print, video and email campaigns. Campaigns exceeded sales projections by 2 to 18%.
Successfully rolled out over 350 single advertisements in 12 campaigns. Scheduled, supervised, and picked photography for all materials.
Saved $250k on unneeded stock photography by hiring prolific stock artists directly.
Senior Graphic Designer
Creativ1s
2005–2011
Graphic Designer
Creativ1s
2003–2005
Key Skills
Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Bridge, After Effects
Art Directors Toolkit 5i, Art Files 3 (Code Line)
Client Relationship Management
Networking
Active Listening
Creativity
Graphic Design
Project Management
Education
BS in Fine Art
Columbia University
Graduated: 2003
Awards
2018 — Best Video Campaign (LookSharp) — The Drum Digital Advertising Awards US
2011 — Silver ADDY Award — American Advertising Awards
Certifications
Project Management Professional (Project Management Institute)
I know you can’t wait to do it your own way.
1. Set Your Art Director Resume Format
While you are the authority on what gets through to the audiences and what doesn’t, I’m here to tell you what rules are usually observed while writing a resume for art director jobs.
Limit the length of your resume to one page. Cut down on descriptions of your education. A two-page resume is also allowed, given that you have enough stellar achievements under your belt.
Send your resume as a PDF, unless requested to do otherwise.
Now that you’re on your way to a perfect resume for art director positions, let’s start preparing the hard copy.
Expert Hint: If you are applying for these positions, your story might be as long as the one of the art itself. Focus on the most recent and most quantifiable achievements. If you held different positions with different responsibilities, the art director resume is one of the ones where a two-page resume is acceptable.
2. Nail Your Art Director Resume Summary or Objective
The intro paragraph of your art director resume may be the only thing that gets read. That being said, here’s some motivation for you—art directors’ median annual wage is one of the highest of all occupations, so says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So don’t play games, and state right away the absolute top achievements you have in your field, backed up by client names, numbers, and awards. In other words, write a targeted resume by picking the most relevant experience to include in your resume summary.
Scan the job ad for specific skills and experience. These will be your resume keywords, and should be found throughout your art director resume. Not only will they work like subliminal cuts, but will save your job application from oblivion by helping you create an ATS-friendly resume.
Very good. The good example, that is. Next, move on to writing a shining work experience section for your art director resume.
3. Stand Out with a Clio-Award-Level Job Description for an Art Director Resume
Has enough paper been printed in the world to fit all the experience you have? Probably not. So, here's how to approach this task:
Study your new employer closely, and determine their profile and what they will expect of you.
Base the job description for your art director resume on facts that prove you can handle it.
Use strong resume words and back your claims up with professional achievements. Let your portfolio speak for you—don’t describe the work, let them see it. Describe the impact it made, the profits, the awards. That’s how to capture this audience.
Were you not working for an extended period of time and not sure if or how to account for it on your resume? It’s always best not to be lying on a resume, and explain employment gapsthe smart way.
Art Director Resume Job Description
Once you have expanded on some points, you may end up with a long list of things you haven’t had space to talk about in your art director resume. You may have some technologies, mediums, and skills that you want to include, but don’t have space to discuss. You can list those in a resume skills section.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.
4. Streamline Your Education in an Art Director Resume
Those days of plein-air painting and rebelling against the norms while studying art are now a pleasant memory. You now have so much experience it would crop up as a possible megalomania red flag if your art director resume boasted about your GPA from 2001.
For you, it's enough to list your major, school name, and graduation date.
Art Director Resume Sample—Education
Expert Hint: Some art director positions may require more than a bachelor’s degree. List your master’s degree first, keeping the reverse-chronological order, and read more about listing education on your resume.
5. Round Out Your Art Director Resume with Added Sections
After a career like this, you have some talking pieces. A few awards, a cupboard of very useful diplomas and certifications, and perhaps a language. If you feel it is relevant to your new position, space these out in separate bonus resume sections on your resume for art director jobs.
Skills—if you haven’t included them as part of your other sections
Compare these two art director resume examples:
Art Director Resume—Extra Sections
As you well know, negative space is better than redundant information, so exercise caution.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to write a cover letter for your art director job resume. Since nearly half of hiring teams expect one, you don’t want to make the mistake of omitting it. Also, it’s a great way of highlighting your qualifications and of showing genuine interest in the position.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Key Points
Remember the following and add your own flair:
Start with a professional art director resume format—margins, fonts, 1 page, reverse chronological.
Use our art director resume example to inspire yourself while writing your application.
Quantify the impact and achievements, instead of just describing work. Think about projects completed, budgets, schedule, improvements.
Limit the length of the education section to make space for experience.
Write a fine art director cover letter.
Did you find our art director resume examples helpful? Are you writing a junior or senior art director resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.
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Written byDave Rygielski
Dave is a career expert delivering a wide range of well-researched advice regarding the job hunting and application process. At ResumeLab, his data-driven resume and cover letter guides help readers capitalize on their potential.