How to Become an Art/Design Director
As a senior/Lead designer, you’ve likely spent years perfecting your craft—Leading design execution, mastering the tools of the trade, and producing world-class work. But if you’re ready to move to the next level of leadership, such as Art/Design Director, here’s how.
The creative leadership level is less about your technical skills and more about your ability to lead, inspire, and organize. You have to shift your mindset from just doing the work to also potentially managing a team. For many, this can be an intimidating transition you may find yourself ill-prepared to face. Here are some quick practical tips to get you started.
Start by recognizing that leadership is a skill you can learn by focusing on these first steps:
Develop Essential Leadership Soft Skills: Confidence, conceptual thinking, empathy, efficiency, collaboration skills, effective communication, attention to detail, and a strategic mindset are your new power tools. They’re essential for managing teams, mentoring talent, and working with stakeholders.
Understand the Business Side of Design: As an art/design director (AD/DD), you have to be just as cognizant of project goals, timelines, and management as you are of the latest software, trends, and methodologies.
Show Interest and Initiative: The best way to elevate to an AD/DD is to prepare ahead of time and demonstrate your ability to do the job. Volunteer to take the lead on smaller projects, present to stakeholders, or proactively mentor more junior designers. Exemplifying your ability to inspire, lead, and manage now will set you apart later.
It’s important to note that management isn’t for everyone. Understand your motivations for pursuing creative leadership and know that remaining a senior/lead designer or becoming a director as an individual contributor is also an option. You should be eager to lead, not forced to.
Learn More About How to Become an Art Director
The Art of Direction by Vincent Wanga dives deeper into what it takes to become and succeed as an art/design director, offering unique actionable insights from a seasoned industry leader.