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How to get a job in advertising
Art jobs in advertising
(also called visual communications) are
plentiful, but competitive. If
you work well under deadlines, \come up with fast ideas and able to work
long hours, then this may be your profession. The majority of
advertising jobs in the United States are in New York City, Los
Angeles, and Chicago. You can also find many in smaller cities such as
Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and Houston. Although a college degree is not
required for most advertising creative jobs, it can help. Many students
who graduate from art
schools across the nation with associates degrees land successful
careers.
 Recruiters say the
key to
being a
good candidate is to have a great portfolio. This portfolio should
include a variety of layouts, thumbnail ideas, and if appropriate,
storyboards. Most candidates have created their own websites to
advertise themselves. Portfolios are digitized by scanning and/or
pictures with a digital camera. If you have some experience, include
printed samples. The
candidate should also demonstrate a proficiency with the computer.
Currently, the computer of choice for advertising creatives is the
Macintosh with the Wintel platform growing in popularity. Programs you
should be proficient in include Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator
and/or Freehand,
InDesign and/or Pagemaker, Corel Draw, Flash,
and Dreamweaver. A strong knowledge of type faces and
production is also helpful.
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A
company's logo is very important and can give the company personality.
This Hook's Drug Store logo is no longer in use as the stores are now
called CVS.
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Frequently art directors and designers use
stock photography for their campaigns to save money. For example, you
may need photos of the Eiffel Tower and the Egyptian Pyramids. The cost
for a creative team to go to these countries for photo shoots would be
very high. Stock photo companies, like the one above, save thousands.
Artists in advertising agencies design
packages, magazine advertisements, billboards, brochures, newsletters,
television commercials and direct mail. Art and Creative Directors
contact vendors such as photographers, printshops, illustrators, and
many others to assist with a campaign. Campaigns can range from a
simple newspaper advertisement to a major multi-million dollar campaign.
Only the best applicants land their first job
in a well known advertising firm such as Leo Burnett, J. Walter
Thompson, or DDB Needham. Getting some experience in high school and at
an art school or college is one way to get a leg-up on other
applicants. Printed samples of your work speak volumes more than marker
or computer layouts of imaginary products.
Direct Response (Direct Advertising)
This involves the design of direct mail, e-mail, print, and
interactive. Direct marketers create targeted e-mail newsletters, snail
mail, and packaging. Everything is designed to encourage people to open
their mailers and e-mail. A great rate of return for sales is between
3-5%. Because of this, direct marketers create thousands of mailers and
e-mails to get a larger return. Companies will invest in e-mail and
mailing lists to target their audiences. A mailing list can make or
break a campaign.
 Retail
Retail involves newspaper ads, catalogs, and inserts. A designer
will sketch out the layout for the ad, select the fonts for the ad, and
illustrate or insert photographs. Retail advertising centers around
deadlines. The hours are long and the pressure intense. Decades ago,
most retail advertising was markered or watercolored (see image at
left). Today almost 100% of the advertising is done with photography.
Models are utilized for fashion and design.
Web Advertising
This was non-existent 15 years ago. Today you will find banner
advertising on most websites. Some are simple word ads from Google and
others are ads that take you to a companies website. Artists will
design the banners to animate and more recently expand when the mouse
is hovered over the ad. A banner artist will need to know Flash, XML,
Photoshop, Illustrator and other programs. Two of the largest companies
to use banner advertising are Google and Amazon. Google will place the
ads according to key words or advertiser preference. Most browsers
block pop-up advertising, but new scripts overcome these and now ads
are once again popping up or expanding. An ad not only has to be
attractive, but get everyone's attention and encourage them to click on
the ad. Google will pay content providers anywhere from 4¢ to $50
per click. Most are in the 4¢ to 8¢ range. Companies will
also pay Google to place their ads. They also pay per click.
Job Titles in Advertising
(go for this and go for that) (Salary range:
$10,000 - $25,000)
In some agencies, this is an unpaid internship. This person usually does the jobs
that no one else wants to do. The job is entry level and offers opportunities
for advancement and to meet many people. Job duties range from
delivery/pick-up, creating stats, clean-up, ordering supplies, taking
inventory, and rendering if you're lucky. At my former agency, the
gopher later became the creative director. This illustrates the opportunity for
advancement that this job has. Strong computer skills are helpful for
this position.
- Production Coordinator
(Salary range: $31,000 - $70,000)
This
person usually acquires quotes from vendors on jobs. Once a competitive
price is found, they work closely with printers and other vendors to
assure quality in production. They also coordinate the flow of work in
the agency and between vendors. Strong computer skills are needed for
this position.
- Production Assistant
(Salary range: $25,000 - $45,000)
Assists the production coordinator.
Does
the same work but usually delegated work that the coordinator doesn't
have time for. Strong computer skills are needed for this position.
- Freelancer
(Salary range: Hourly fee or quote)
This person is a self-employed
person frequently hired by agencies during a crunch. They do jobs that may
range from illustration, paste-up, design, and art direction.
- Illustrator
(Salary range: $34,000 - $80,000)
This person may be a freelancer. In
large agencies, they hire an illustrator full-time to save money. This person
creates illustrations for ads, TV, brochures, etc., using a variety of
media including the computer.
- Storyboard Artist
(Salary range: $25,000 - $80,000)
This is a deadline-heavy job. The
hours are long and frequently run into the weekend. Storyboards are created
for music videos and commercials for the screen or TV. They range in
resolution from quick renderings to marker layouts and computer comps.
This job has a high turnover rate but offers quick, easy cash and
opportunities for other jobs.
- Layout Artist
(Salary range: $18,000 - $35,000)
Creates ads using a variety of media
from pencil, markers and computers. These ads have already been designed by
an art director.
-
Media Director
(Salary range: $25,000 - $100,000)
This person oversees production in
media. They may attend photo shoots, create PR campaigns, slide shows, video
presentations, etc.
Advertising Art Trade Journals
Advertising Art Jobs Available
Types of Advertising
- Business-to-Business:
Like the name
says,
you're
selling from one business to another business. Also called Trade
Advertising. An example of this would be point-of-sale displays,
package design, medical, etc. Retail: This is really deadline
oriented. It
may
consist of designing newspaper ads, B&W watercolor figure rendering
for clothing ads, inserts in stores, etc. Billboard: If you like working
large,
then
this is
for you. Design billboards you see along the highway.
- Consumer: You are creating ads
for
consumer
products
such as Kelloggs, General Mills, Nabisco, etc. Typically these companies
pay the most for advertising.
Advertising Agencies
There are many
advertising
agencies
on the internet. Following is only a sample of the agencies available.
If you don't see what you're looking for here, then check out Yahoo's Long List of Advertising Agencies, and Search for Agencies all over the world by name and
by country.
There are literally thousands of
advertising
agencies
and we don't have the room to list them here. We suggest using the
links above or visiting major search engines on the internet to find what
you are looking for.
Creative Directories
- Creative
Directory with a list of agencies, design studios, audio visual,
computer, media, production, photography, illustration and post
production.
- The
Art Directors Club
-connecting creative visual communications professionals from around
the world.
Telephone Book Advertising/Design
Graphic Design Studios
Freelance Art
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