Art Director Resume Example

An art director turns a brief into a look and then makes sure every piece in the campaign keeps it. Hiring managers read the resume for that combination: strong visual judgment, hands-on craft and the ability to run a shoot or a production schedule without losing quality.

The Sample resume below belongs to an art director with six years in the role at a branding studio and an in-house team at a consumer goods company. Bullets describe the campaign or system, the channels it ran in, who the art director directed (photographers, designers, illustrators) and what the work achieved for the client. The portfolio link sits in the header.

For agency and studio roles, lead with concepts and range across clients. For in-house roles, lead with brand consistency, volume and partnerships with marketing. If you are aiming for the next step, the creative director example shows the leadership lines to start collecting now. The Canvas template suits a visual role without getting in the way of the words.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Art Director sample resume

Imani Castellano

Art Director, Brand Campaigns and Packaging

Springfield, MOimani.castellano@example.com(417) 555-0119

Summary

Art director with six years of experience leading the visual side of brand campaigns, packaging and product photography for consumer brands. Art-directed the packaging redesign that helped a pantry-goods line win shelf space in two new grocery chains. Works closely with copywriters, directs photographers and illustrators with clear references, and keeps quality steady across hundreds of assets a season.

Experience

Art Director, Ashgrove & Tate Brands

– Present

Springfield, MO

  • Lead the visual direction for three product lines, producing about 300 assets a season across packaging, retail displays, web and paid social.
  • Art-directed the packaging redesign for a line of pantry sauces; two regional grocery chains added the line within a year of launch.
  • Direct four product and lifestyle photo shoots a year, from shot lists and styling references to final retouching notes.
  • Built a shared asset library and layout templates that let the marketing team make simple ads without waiting on design.
Art Director, Wrenfield Design Co.

–

Kansas City, MO

  • Art-directed identity and campaign work for eleven clients in food, outdoor recreation and healthcare.
  • Paired with a senior copywriter on a campaign for a regional hospital network that ran across outdoor, print and social for a full year.
  • Directed freelance illustrators and a motion designer, reviewing work against the brief at each stage.
Graphic Designer, Wrenfield Design Co.

–

Kansas City, MO

  • Designed logos, packaging and print collateral for small and mid-size brands.
  • Prepared print-ready files and attended press checks for packaging runs.

Education

B.F.A. in Graphic Design

Ozark School of Visual Arts, Springfield, MO

Skills

  • Art direction
  • Brand identity
  • Packaging design
  • Photo shoot direction
  • Typography
  • Layout and grid systems
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Figma
  • Print production
  • Presenting concepts

Start yours from this example

Bring your own resume or start blank, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the art director resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same art director resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

Graphic designer stepping into art direction, with three years of studio experience and first projects as visual lead on smaller campaigns.

  • Led the visual direction for a local restaurant group's rebrand, working with the studio's senior art director.
  • Directed a product photo shoot for the first time, from shot list to final selects.
  • Designed a social campaign template the client still uses for monthly posts.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Art director with four years of experience setting the look of campaigns and product launches, directing photographers and designers in-house.

  • Own the visual direction for the company's seasonal campaigns.
  • Direct product and lifestyle shoots twice a year.
  • Review all design work before it goes to print or launches online.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Senior art director with ten years of experience leading campaign design for national brands, mentoring designers and partnering with creative directors on pitches.

  • Led the art direction for a national campaign across broadcast, outdoor and digital.
  • Mentor a team of three designers and review their work each week.
  • Co-present campaign concepts in new-business pitches with the creative director.

Skills to put on the art director resume

Hard skills

Visual concepting
Art directors are hired to turn a brief into a look, and interviewers will ask how you got from the problem to the idea.
Typography and layout
These are the craft skills every reviewer judges first when they open a portfolio.
Photo and video shoot direction
Directing a shoot well saves budget and gives the team images they can use all season.
Brand systems and guidelines
Consistent brands are built on clear rules, and art directors who write them are trusted with more of the brand.
Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma
Postings name these tools, and art directors still open files to fix details themselves.
Print and packaging production
Packaging and print mistakes are expensive, so knowing color, dielines and press checks sets you apart.

Soft skills

Directing other creatives
Photographers, illustrators and designers do their best work with clear references and specific feedback.
Partnering with copywriters
The best campaigns come from art and copy working together from the first sketch.
Presenting and defending work
Ideas survive client review when the art director can explain why each choice serves the brief.

Mistakes that cost art director interviews

  1. Presenting yourself as a senior designer

    If your bullets only describe things you designed, the page reads as a designer's. Show the decisions you made, the people you directed and the shoots and campaigns you led.

  2. No results next to the visuals

    Art directors are paid to help sell things. Mention shelf placements, campaign reach, sign-ups or sales where you know them, alongside the creative description.

  3. A cluttered, over-designed resume

    An elaborate resume layout can make reviewers question your restraint. Use a clean page with good type, and let the portfolio carry the visual work.

  4. Portfolio pieces with no context

    Add a line to each case: the brief, your role and the result. Hiring managers want to know which parts of the work were yours.

  5. Forgetting volume

    In-house art directors often manage hundreds of assets a season. Say so, because keeping quality high at volume is a skill teams need.

Questions about the art director resume

What is the difference between an art director and a creative director?

The art director owns the visual execution of an idea and directs the people making it; the creative director owns the overall idea, the team and the client relationship. Many art directors report to a creative director.

Should an art director resume include images?

Keep images in your portfolio and the resume itself text-based, so it reads correctly in every application system. A clear portfolio link in the header is enough.

How many years does it take to become an art director?

Many designers move into art direction after three to six years, once they have led small projects and directed shoots or other creatives.

What should an art director portfolio include?

Six to ten case studies that show a brief, the idea and the finished work across channels. Lead with the work closest to the job you are applying for.

Do in-house art directors need a different resume?

Emphasize brand consistency, asset volume and partnership with marketing and product teams. Agency resumes lean more on concepts and range across clients.

Related resume examples

All examples

Every application goes out fitting the job.

Paste a posting, get a resume rewritten for it in two minutes.

Tailor your resume — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.