{photo: Julie Ashkenazi via Instagram}
They might not be as glamorous as their A-List colleagues, but art directors are the unsung heroes of the awards season. And although I’m not, as they say in LA, “in the industry,” the contributions and efforts of art directors in our industry warrant a little acknowledgement of their own.
By its very definition, art direction is somewhat vague, so it's no wonder most people don't understand it. Often confused with designers, art directors are responsible for creating concepts and unifying the overall visual — the look and feel of a brand — including the color palette, type treatment and photography. One of the biggest differences between an art director and a graphic designer is that, in addition to creating compelling designs, an art director must also make the product or brand engaging in order to generate consumer interest.
It’s obvious there’s a strong art director behind every successful print campaign, but spend five minutes online and it’s clear that many brands overlook the importance of art direction on the web. Granted, there are design limitations on the web that don’t exist in print, but it’s important to maintain a digital presence that’s visually consistent with your overall brand experience. And it’s equally important to integrate eMarketing best practices into your online presentation to ensure your website is both branded and easy to shop from.
Online Art Direction Basics:
- Whether you are working with commissioned or stock photography, all images should be consistent in terms of lighting, mood, and overall presentation.
- All photography needs to support the brand positioning and copy.
- Be consistent with the lighting, angles, and reflections of product photography.
- Select a color palette that works for all of your online needs and don’t deviate from it.
- Identify type specs, establish hierarchy rules, and apply them to copy accordingly.
- Establish a smart balance of text and graphic text in order to create a presentation that’s both branded and SEO-friendly.
- Don’t overuse your brand identity typeface.
- Don’t overuse branding and/or graphic elements.
Similar to print advertising, it’s important to keep your communication goals and objectives in mind at all times and to use it as the foundation for your visual approach. And most importantly, never forget to put yourself in the position of your audience—after all, they’re the customer.
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Julie Ashkenazi is the co-founder of Medium— a strategic eCommerce and online marketing studio dedicated building unique, compelling and successful brands with cohesive design aesthetics and analytics. Connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn.
