Art Directors create and curate the visual expression of a brand.
Often working alongside copywriters, they come up with concepts and ideas to solve creative challenges and then bring their vision to life through their eye for design and visual storytelling. They create everything from brand identities to brand communications and multimedia content and have a strong foundation in design principles, typography, color, photography, and production.
If you want to be an Art Director—or maybe someday a Creative Director—at ad agencies, in-house creative studios for brands, content studios, or tech startups, the Art Direction concentration is for you.
You might be an Art Director:
If this sounds like you:
You prefer to communicate visually—through art and design
You totally nerd out over different fonts; see fonts as different voices, accents, and personalities; recognize the power in choosing a font
You are the go-to friend for all-things design, aesthetics, and decor
You care more than most people about how something looks and feels
You have a burning desire to create things and bring something to the world that wasn’t there before
If a day in the life of an art director sounds fun:
Curating and creating the look and feel of the creative work
Creating media for all mediums—TV spots, streaming ads, print ads, out-of-home ads, social media content, and more
Creating logos, brand identities, and branding guidelines
Conceiving great PR ideas and stunts that win attention for brands
Sydney Toller (Art Direction, 2021)
Master’s in Art Direction at the Brandcenter
Studying Art Direction prepares you to hit the ground running as an Art Director at ad agencies, in-house creative studios for brands, content studios, or tech startups.
Alumni Job Placement & Careers
Art Direction alumni work at top agencies, consultancies, brands and more.
Average Art Direction alumni salaries
Our Alumni Salary Survey, fielded every two years, captures our graduates’ average starting salaries, career trajectories, and more. Read the full survey.
Junior – $67,300
Mid – $87,250
Senior – $147,700
Director – $ 211,600
Art Direction careers & positions
While titles can differ at individual agencies and companies, we’ve gathered the top job titles for Art Direction alum to give an idea of potential career trajectory. Read the full Alumni Salary Survey.
Junior – Junior Art Director, Junior Designer, Junior Graphic Designer
Mid – Art Director, Designer, Associate Creative Director
Senior – Senior Creative, Senior Art Director, Creative Director, Group Creative Director
Director – Executive Creative Director, VP of Creative
Executive – Chief Creative Officer
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Graduate Program Curriculum
You will not only perfect your craft in Art Direction, but you will also work collaboratively with your classmates across concentrations.
Here’s what you’ll do on all-concentration team projects as an Art Director, as well as what your teammates will do:
What each concentration does on all-concentration team projects
ART DIRECTORS + COPYWRITERS
Using business insights from creative brand managers and consumer/cultural insights from strategists, develop creative ideas to solve business challenges, engage consumers, and bring brands to life
While copywriters generally focus on writing and art directors generally focus on visual design, most CW/AD teams collaborate on all creative aspects
CREATIVE BRAND MANAGERS
Focus on a client’s business, category, and competitors
Lead internal, cross-functional teams
Ensure creative work meets business objectives; evaluate ROI when possible
EXPERIENCE DESIGNERS
Develop and design digital products and/or physical experiences where brands and people interact
Focus on the user experience for the product or experience they’re designing
Provide guidance and ideas regarding new/emerging technologies
STRATEGISTS
Focus on consumers + culture
Lead research efforts (develop a research plan, conduct field research, and analyze results)
Turn research data into insights; develop strategic direction and work with creative partners to create concepts/work inspired by strategic direction
Here’s what your sixty weeks will look like:
Semester 1 (Fall) / Weeks 1-15
The Business of Branding (All concentrations)
Creative Thinking (All concentrations)
Visual Storytelling (Art Directors + Copywriters)
Problem Solving for Art Directors
Semester 2 (Spring) / Weeks 16-30
Concept Development (Art Directors + Copywriters)
Craft for Art Directors
User Participation Platforms (Art Directors + Experience Designers)
Summer Between Your First and Second Years / Internship
A summer internship is not required, but we’ll give you the tools to help you land a great one at agencies and companies doing some of the industry’s best work. See Placement for more about internships.
Semester 3 (Fall) / Weeks 31-45
Brand Experiences (All concentrations)
Creative Fusion (Art Directors, Copywriters, and Strategists)
Portfolio Development (Art Directors + Copywriters)
Experimentation (Art Directors, Copywriters, and Experience Designers)
Semester 4 (Spring) / Weeks 46-60
Innovation (All concentrations)
Persuasion (Art Directors, Copywriters, and Experience Designers)
Advanced Portfolio for Art Directors
Madeline Honig (Art Direction, 2022) & Kat Worrall (Copywriting, 2022)
Art Direction Prerequisites
All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree.
Art Direction applicants must have graphic design ability and working knowledge of one or more of the following Adobe applications: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and/or After Effects. Programs such as Canva and Adobe Express are not sufficient.
Essential skills for Art Directors
Thinking creatively and critically
Thinking visually
Understanding visual hierarchy
Knowledge of layout, design, and typography
Personal history of creative outputs (illustration, graphic design, photography, fine art, film, animation, etc.)
Understanding what brands stand for
Appreciation for the details and craftsmanship that make something great
Ability to work within a larger team and embrace collaboration
Tuition and fees for the 2025-26 school year (one year of the two-year program):
In-State: $26,960
Out-of-State: $27,650
Tuition and fees are subject to change. We’ll update tuition and fees for the upcoming year when it’s available. Visit VCU Student Financial Services for tuition and fee details.
Parking, room and board, and meal plans are not included in tuition.
Early Applicant Awards
who are admitted within this first round, willreceive:
a guaranteed one-time $2,500 award upon admission
and will automatically be considered for:
a $10,000 award
a full-tuition award for the 2026-27 academic year
No additional paperwork or application materials are required.
Early Applicant Awards are one-time payments that will be allocated towards tuition for the 2026-27 academic year. Early Applicant Award recipients remain eligible to apply for Brandcenter Annual Scholarships.
Applicants who apply by the regular deadline of March 17, 2025 are eligible to apply for Brandcenter Annual Scholarships.
Business-, people-, and leadership-savvy, Creative Brand Managers lead client and agency teams to accomplish business objectives through creative solutions.
Experience Designers use the principles of human-centered design to develop digital products and physical experiences for brands. Please note, we are no longer accepting applications for XD.
