Every Place You Can Work as an Art Director

A complete guide to the industries and workplaces where art directors build their careers, from agencies to brands and beyond.

Hi everyone, it’s just one week left of working before the holidays and I can’t wait to take a proper break and spend a lot of time cuddling with my dog. I am now on my way back from London and had the absolute best time, short but sweet.

Today’s post is a bit different from usual! I often get asked where to apply for art direction roles, and I’ve noticed that many students expect to work directly at a brand. While landing your dream brand is exciting, there are so many other opportunities out there for art directors.

I’ve done some research and created a three-part series to help navigate this:

1. This post: A complete guide to over 20 places you can work as an art director. It includes what you’d do in each role, the skills required, and the interests that align with each industry. Think of it as your go-to glossary for everything art direction.

2. Coming soon: A breakdown of the different types of art direction, like social content, out-of-home campaigns, and global branding. I’ll share 20 different ‘types’, with insights into the visuals you’d create for each and the skills needed.

3. In progress: A resource of brands and agencies to apply to, sorted by city. This one requires a bit more research as I’m most familiar with the European market, but am gathering information globally at the moment to finalise this guide.

This guide is available for paid subscribers, but you can use a free trial to access it or unlock the post through Buy Me a Coffee if you’d prefer not to commit to a subscription.

As a paid subscriber, you’ll also get access to exclusive perks this month, including personalised feedback and guidance. Whether you’re a student looking for project critiques, a small business needing ideas for your next launch, or a creative seeking portfolio or career advice, I’m here to help. Submissions are open until December 19th.

Starting in January, paid subscribers will get monthly briefs, templates, and hands-on guidance to build their own art direction projects and practice skills. You’ll also gain access to visual playbooks and concept labs, featuring inspiration, reference libraries, and concept breakdowns to spark your next big idea. I’m also working on a 30 day ‘Craft Your Art Direction DNA’ challenge.

I hope this guide helps you explore the many exciting paths art direction has to offer!

Thom Browne

Also know that you are not restricted to working at just one type of place. I’m a freelancer who have worked in both digital- and traditional places before as well as brand side. At the moment I focus on campaigns and social content, but my passion projects are more editorial- and film focused. It’s great to try out the different types, but this guide is also important if you are considering of making a career change to art direction and want to see which type of company is closest to your current skillset, you can always transition to another type of agency, but some are easier to get a foot in the door and have a title as art director or something similar before.