Why the Art Director Is So Important

By looking at some of the job descriptions provided in this weeks links its clear to see that the role of an art director is extremely demanding and requires years of experience and a lot of hard work. The art director is responsible for all the art that goes into a game. Their job is to ensure that all art within the game matches the artistic style and quality standard that they have set, this will usually involve creating an art style guide.

An art director has many responsibilities not just on the project but throughout the rest of the company. The art director will need to provide input on the hiring of new artists as well as communicating with executive staff, licensors and 3rd parties. Their main responsibility however is to lead the rest of the art team working on the game. They will be required to mentor less experienced artists on the project and also ensure that the rest of the team are working to the desired quality an time constraints. It is also their job to provide feedback on the artists and recommend raises or bonuses they are also responsible for managing the schedule and the budget for the project.

The job of an art director requires a LOT of experience, for example to even be considered for the role of art director at bioware you would need at least 3 years of experience in art management, a years experience in the game or TV industry, and at least one shipped as an art lead as well as a BFA from an accredited art/design school. However the most important skill necessary for the job is probably the ability to communicate well. It is important to be able to communicate your ideas and visions for a game to a team of artists. Other assets necessary for the job are good organizational skills, good time keeping and of course a passion for video games.