Annual Salary
£18,000 to £45,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Performing arts or Games or go back to all job sectors
Art directors design images for ad campaigns, including film, TV, website and printed adverts.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings; occasionally
There will be
2.4% more Advertising art director jobs in 2027.
You could:
You could work in a creative studio, in an office or at a client's business.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
Employers will often expect you to have a foundation degree, higher national diploma, degree or postgraduate qualification in:
With your degree you can apply for graduate training schemes in advertising companies.
You'll usually need:
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, which may help you to get a trainee or assistant role with a company. They include:
These apprenticeships typically take around 2 years to complete and are a mix of learning in the workplace and off-site study.
You can start as a junior creative to develop your skills on the job and work your way up through training and promotion.
You could get some experience before applying for your first job. This will give you a better understanding of advertising and is a good way to make contacts.
You could contact agencies directly to ask about volunteering opportunities. You could also make contacts on social media channels like LinkedIn.
You can get more advice on how to contact advertising agencies from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
Your creativity and ability in art and design are the most important things to many employers.
When looking for jobs, you'll need to show a portfolio of examples of your creative work. Some agencies recruit creative teams rather than just individuals. You could work with a copywriter and create ideas you can pitch together.
You could join the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising to find training opportunities and make industry contacts
You can find out more about careers in advertising from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and Discover Creative Careers.
With experience, you could:become a senior art director; work freelance; set up your own advertising agency; move into directing for TV or film
Your creativity and ability in art and design are the most important things to many employers.
When looking for jobs, you'll need to show a portfolio or 'book' of your work to potential employers, as you'll be employed on the strength of your artwork and ideas.
You can find out more about becoming careers in advertising from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
You'll need: