I’m a designer and want to work my way up to an art director. Current Art Directors, what career moves did you make to get to your current position?

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Depends on the agency and whether you're in traditional or digital. Some places AD is a mid-low role and others it's a mid-high role. In my experience ADs can lead the day to day creative on a project with occasional support from a CD. So show you can be a leader and be client facing and also very importantly be organized.

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You don't need to work your way up. Try to start concepting ideas and even work with a copywriter or team. Talk to the creative director and see if you can sit in on briefs. Show that you can concept and bring the ideas to life then hopefully when a position opens you can make the transition.

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Went from designer to jr. Art director. They're practically the same gig... Learn on the job, pick up some more responsibilities, yadda yadda.

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Go to ad school and get a job somewhere else

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Disagree. I was a designer and proved myself to be a good art director and the same agency moved me into an art director role. You have the skills and abilities. You just need to learn the ropes of concepting and producing. It looks even better if an art director can design and vice versa.

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As an art director I design all my own stuff with few exceptions. It will come in very handy. Ask to sit in on new business pitches & kickoffs for projects. Art directors are just conceptual designers, so get familiar with concepting and big ideas. I would also shadow an art director. Also, you def don't need to go back to school.

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I took all the garbage work they would give me. Print, DRTV, re-edits and cut downs. Just started finding little things here or there to prove myself and move up to better work. Then I would hop in and concept on anything I could find. But honestly man the fastest thing to do is make spec and find a new job as an AD somewhere else.

It's a similar job except you're gonna miss not being able to craft your work as much. You'll just be making rough comps galore most of the time and throwing keynote decks together with write ups. I started as a designer, went to AdSchool for art direction, did AD for 2 years and decided to go back to being a designer so I could be more hands-on.

Just start asking to do boards and decks and comps. Sadly this is the big difference between you and a Jr AD

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