Users in this career have rated it a 2.4 in terms of their own personal satisfaction with the career. This figure represents an average taken from the responses of 250 MyPlan.com users during registration.
Users were asked to rate their happiness in their current occupation as being either "Very Happy" (4), "Happy" (3), "Mixed / Neutral" (2), "Not Happy" (1), or "Miserable" (0).
Users in this Career Group
There are 2966 users in this career group. They represent 43 different countries. You can see the list of users in this career group by clicking on one of the links below. You can also join this career group simply by selecting your current status and clicking "Add Me."
There
are 4 reviews of this career. The most recent 3 reviews are listed below. You can see more reviews by clicking on "Read all reviews..." at the bottom of this page.
There is a place for many levels of talent in this career choice. I actually after many years became a Creative Director, overseeing the work of as many as 30 Art Directors and graphic designers below me. In that work I saw many new to the career path as well as those very seasoned artists. If you have a talent, as that is what is essential in this field, you can find a place for your talent. From illustration to typography to graphic design to art directing. You must be able to take constructive criticism and develop and use it to further your career. Very rewarding both monetary and in self confidence.
Obviously this is my personal experience and opinion. I would never discourage anyone from doing the work they enjoy.
I have worked for large and small corporations as an Art Director. I would recommend smaller companies in general.
My recent experience working at a large corporation was negative. Everyone thinks they can be an AD. Management and coworkers are quick to make suggestions or demands when they have no idea what is actually involved. Also the art department is usually the last department to have a project before it’s due. I have found that without fail, in all companies, other departments will take advantage of the deadlines and the art department will have to make up the difference in time, even when other departments are responsible for the project being late. Also, I have found it difficult to get the respect and gravitas I feel my position has deserved. I think this is in part because people do not understand that everyone cannot be an art director. Some people just do not have the eye or talent for it and that's a difficult thing to explain. Art is subjective which is the basis, I believe, for all the difficulties in artistic positions.
My advice is to make sure you have specific job responsibilities, understand your deadlines and make sure others you work with respect your deadlines. Do not allow others to push the deadlines or to infringe on your areas of expertise. Make sure you have some guidelines established as to job expectations etc going into a new position.
I am not working in the public art field and am much happier.
This career is great for creative, visually aware people who have a knack for diplomatic persuasion. If you are working at the corporate level you may find the position can be be very stressful. This is not a job for people who lack negotiating skills and flexibility. A keen sense of current design and media styles is absolutely essential. I would recommend this career for those who have a desire to work with visual imagery and ideas. A general sense of comfort with technology would be a great advantage since so much of production is based on computers and cameras etc.
