Occupation Profile

Art Directors

(SOC Code : 27-1011)

in California

Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches, and direct workers engaged in art work, layout design, and copy writing for visual communications media, such as magazines, books, newspapers, and packaging.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Work experience, plus bachelor's or higher degree .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$52.81	$33.23	$46.31	$64.03

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	14,400	16,100	1,700	11.8	510

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Advertising and Related Services

11,500

9.8%

Motion Picture and Video Industries

6,338

6.7%

Newspaper, Book, & Directory Publishers

5,427

4.5%

Specialized Design Services

11,375

4.1%

Computer Systems Design and Rel Services

9,933

1.8%

Software Publishers

256

1.4%

Independent Artists/Writers/Performers

5,306

1.1%

Management of Companies and Enterprises

914

1.1%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Digital Arts

Graphic Design.

Intermedia/Multimedia

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About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.

Review and approve art materials, copy materials, and proofs of printed copy developed by staff members.

Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.

Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.

Present final layouts to clients for approval.

Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.

Hire, train, and direct staff members who develop design concepts into art layouts or who prepare layouts for printing.

Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.

Review illustrative material to determine if it conforms to standards and specifications.

Attend photo shoots and printing sessions to ensure that the products needed are obtained.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Time Management - Managing one`s own time and the time of others.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

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