Day in the Life of an Art Director

tirsogamboa

4 years ago

“What do you even do all day?” Being a designer is so foreign to family that they think I do nothing all day. Most of my friends In NYC are creatives, so they get it. My coworkers know how much “hard work” goes into our projects. I put “hard work” in quotations because I love my job and truthfully, I don’t consider it work at all. That’s not a novel position for most designers.

Our job is a lifestyle. We’re designers all day, every day. When 6pm hits, we’re done with work, but we don’t stop being designers. To explain aspects of the job at hand, I think it’s best to simple go through what my typical day is like. I know it’s COVID times, but it’s not that different from my regular. Here we go.

Morning Routine

Working out in the morning is a nice start to the day. I hate working out, but I absolutely LOVE tennis! You’ll often find me at the Central Park courts almost every morning in the summer. I’ve been playing for so long that it really doesn’t feel like a workout at all, it’s just fun.

On my way back to my apartment (around 8 AM), I check my work email. I just want to mentally prepare for the day and start marinating on ideas. The thinking begins before I even get to the office!

Dressing for Work

Contrary to what I used to wear earlier in my career, I’ve simplified my wardrobe to Lacoste polos. They’re essentially a t-shirt with a collar and a button. Lacoste because I love tennis and they also don’t fade, unlike their Ralph Lauren counterpart.

I’m not always monochromatic, but I did it one day and someone asked if I can maintain it through the week. This is something I learned from reading routines of CEOs and such. It’s just a decision that I don’t have to spend time on. Every polo matches every pant and sweater.

Espresso, Not Depesso

When I arrive at the office, I’m infamous for the immediate run to Starbucks. Without espresso, I’m depresso. No one wants to work with a grumpy designer. Get ready for the workday however you need to.

This rule may not apply to every job depending on your boss. My stance is that they should only care that you get the work done and not how you get there. Don’t @ me.

Ok, Finally Some Work

This is the bulk of what I want to share. There isn’t a set schedule for a typical day. There’s meetings, chit chat (work-related, obviously) and then designing a my desk with reckless abandon.

There’s no set daily schedule, ever. I’m always juggling multiple projects at a time. Those projects typically consist of websites, print layouts, and photo shoots.

When I have a meeting, it’s typically with coworkers from other teams: brand strategy, marketing, sales, etc. Meetings can be exhausting, but it’s all about collaboration. During brainstorms especially, ideas come from everyone.

There are also weekly check-ins for current campaigns, status meetings, and then client meetings themselves. I’ve lost count on how many meetings I attend, but that’s every job.

Before designing anything, we have to do some research. I pull moodboards and compare. Below was from a beauty shoot I was planning. We always have to go back to the clients needs, so that needs to be taken into consideration every step of the way.

Lunch

This always come quicker than I expect it to. Most people wait until 1/1:30 PM. I’m starving by 11:30. I hear from colleagues and other friends in creative that often don’t have time for lunch. I’ve learned that taking a break from thinking helps be me more productive later in the day.

In the morning, I plan some ideas for when I get into the office. During lunch, I plan ideas and course of action for the afternoon. One can argue that you need more time to do work. The reality is, we get everything done in the amount of time we have to complete it. If you give me a whole day to do a project, you’ll get it at the end of the day. If I can’t get started until 3pm, you’ll still get it at the end of the day.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot here. When it comes to working, some ideas need the time in order to be executed. Plan accordingly, which is why I have two parts of my day of just thinking and planning.

Conversations with Other Designers

In between meetings, I catch up with other art directors and we often bounce ideas off of each other. Sometimes you need advice on an execution and want a second opinion. It’s all about collaboration and that’s how we achieve the best results.

When giving direction to other designers, I need to be extremely clear. We need to work as efficiently as possible and can’t afford miscommunication along the way. I want them to know exactly what they’re doing.

Actually Designing Something

At some point, we’ll have a deliverable due to the client of design(s). It really depends. If they buy the campaign directly from our pitch, I have an idea of what they’re looking for in Round 1 of deliverables. I also do this if I have a long history with the client and know the things they do and don’t like. For new clients or a different buy, I’ll often provide no more than three options in Round 1 for them to choose. I’ll use their feedback to determine a clearer direction for Round 2 of deliverables.

Photography below by John Huba. He’s the best!

When I’m coming up with designs, I have to consider two things. The first is the brand guidelines of the client. The second is the brand aesthetic of the magazine they’re aligning with. This is different for every client, but it’s about finding balance.

I’ve been designing for over 10 years. I can whip out layouts so fast. For my design process, it’s important for me to be prolific at first. It allows me to see what is and isn’t workday early on. Again, it’s about working efficiently. I’ve seen designers go all-in on a design and end up needing to start over much later. That sucks…

Off to the Freakin Weekend!

Done for the day! Not quite. Work doesn’t always end at 6 PM. Design is so subjective and ideas can later in the day. I tend to stay later if I’m passionate about something, but I’m thankful that I don’t have a boss that has an iron hammer forcing me to work. On other occasions, I leave a little earlier. After all, it’s about finding balance.

Before I leave for the day, I update my list of things to do. One thing I always highlight is what deadlines are coming up so that I prioritize those for the morning.

After Work

In a normal world, I try to set up a few dinners throughout the week. Typical New Yorker, so busy that you have to set up meetings (aka dinner) to catch up with people. I started a tradition with one of my friends in 2012 where we have dinner one day every week. We move the day if a conflict comes up, but we’ve maintained it since then.

Going out to dinner with friends is a nice decompression for the the day. There’s so much good food in the city. I’m extremely familiar with a lot of the chef’s restaurants in the city. Part of eating at their restaurants is one way I show appreciation for other disciplines.

This is important for designers to find inspiration outside of graphic design. If you go out to see a movie or go to a museum exhibit, the exposure starts to influence your designs. These are the things that you can bring to the table during your next brainstorm. For example, I look at the typography of the menu, the choice of plates and utensils used, as well as the plating itself. These are all helpful for a food a photoshoot.

Additionally, who couldn’t use an Instagram food pic here and there. Even for a simple food pic, as designers we must art direct the shot. This is great practice for working on your cropping of images. It will all come natural eventually.

Before Bed

So it’s a long day, but I need some decompression before bed. I often play the piano for at least 30 minutes. Music reminds me of people, moments, and other things. I never asked for piano lessons when I was younger. My parents made me do it. Note to self: the parents are always right!

Conclusion

Rest, repeat 5 days a week. It sounds exhausting now that I put my daily into words.

For anyone that thinks design is done sitting at your desk, you’re surely mistaken. We’re paid for our vision, not our labor. The process of getting to that vision is the bulk of the job. The things I do outside of my job indirectly influence my design work. That’s how collaboration happens in the workplace. We leave to explore and then go back to the table with new ideas.

Keep on creating!