Art Direction
- Intermediate to Advanced
Most designers know how to execute. Few know how to define direction.
This course teaches you how to turn ideas into clear visual systems, guide creative work across disciplines, and step into a more strategic, direction-setting role.
About This Course
What art direction is and why you should take a course in art direction as a designer or creative.
From Executing to Directing
Most designers are taught how to execute—but not how to define direction. This course focuses on helping you think like an art director: translating ideas into clear visual direction, building cohesive systems, and guiding creative work with intention instead of guesswork.
Built Around Real-World Practice
You’ll work through a series of structured projects that reflect how art direction actually works—from moodboards and brand systems to campaign critiques and a full rebrand. By the end, you won’t just have stronger visuals—you’ll understand how to show your ability to think, lead, and direct creatively.
Enrollment Options
Most Popular
Art Direction with Instructor Sessions
This means you can schedule 5 instructional sessions with your instructor to go over your assignments, ask questions about course content and receive career coaching.
5
instructor sessions included
Saver
Art Direction Self Study w/o Instructor Sessions
This means you don’t have automatic access to instructor sessions due to the lower price but you may purchase sessions as you need for an additional $80 per one-hour session.
0
instructor session included + option to purchase sessions separately
Best Value
Art Direction + Portfolio School
Course Bundle
Career Track
Want to study art direction and properly upgrade your portfolio to get ready for a new career in art direction or a promotion? Enroll in the course bundle to save $100 and kickstart your new career under the expert guidance of our instructors.
Who This Course Is For
1
Working Designers Wanting to Become Art Directors or Leadership
2
Design Students Wanting To Specialize In Art Direction
3
Professionals Who Want To Work Better With Designers
4
Freelance Creatives Who Want to Direct Campaigns
What You Will Learn
Think Like an Art Director (Not Just a Designer)
Turn Ideas Into Strong Visual Systems
Build Brands That Feel Distinct and Intentional
Direct Creative Work Across Disciplines
Lead Projects, Teams, and Clients Effectively
Create One Art Direction Project
Unit Breakdown
7
Units
31
Lessons
5
Projects
Unit 1
The Role of An Art Director
Have you ever wondered what an art director does? In a creative team environment, an art director wears multiple hats. In this unit, we will introduce the multifaceted nature of the job of an art director and how it works together with designers.
Unit 2
The Art Direction Process
This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the entire art direction process, from client meeting, to finalizing the creative brief, to communicating with designers, defining key visuals, storytelling and more.
Unit 3
Branding and Messaging
A good art director is an expert at branding and messaging. Unlike designers who are in charge of the look and feel and user experience of the product, art directors will need to help clients define the messaging of the campaign, product and brand. This unit provides a great overview for aspiring art directors to learn more about the branding process.
Unit 4
Art Direction for Different Creative Disciplines
The creative industry has many disciplines. Almost all of them need some form of art direction. This unit introduces 3 disciplines that often work closely with art directors and designers. Students will gain prospective on how to provide art direction for different creative disciplines.
[ 3 more units are hidden ]
Receive the Complete Syllabus via Email
Work With Our World-Class Instructors
Our team of instructors are great at what they do and teach well, too
Stephanie Sell
Product Designer
- Washington, D.C. USA
Jenni Renas
Visual Designer
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
Arnold Kotra
Brand & Visual Designer
- France
Ashley May
Senior Product Designer
- Michigan, USA
Nina Shahriaree
UI/UX & Visual Designer
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
Silvia Script
Senior UI/UX Designer
- Washington D.C. USA
Our Students Work At Top Companies Around the World
What Students Say
Our course has helped designers get to the next level of their career
Eric Abraham Johnson
Senior Designer Turned Art Director at Nike
I work at a small agency as a marketer and wear many hats as a marketer. Our agency had just landed a huge contract with a federal agency, and my boss needed someone to hop on the project as a creative director ASAP. She asked me if I could do it. I thought I’d better!Â
I literally found this course in a panic and I’m so glad I did because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to transition into this role.
Yael Shapiro
From Marketer to Creative Director at Agency
Kim Cahill
Design Student at University of GeorgiaÂ
Have Questions About this Course?
FAQs
How in depth do you go into each topic?
We design each individual course with multiple levels in mind. We start each course with introducing the foundation, which provides a much-needed refresher for even the seasoned designers if they have been away from theory for a while.
We then go into intermediate to advanced topics for deep dives, where multiple levels of designers might find them helpful.
Our goal is to make the course as approachable as possible while still getting into advanced topics for students who are ready to take the leap.
I already have some knowledge in this area but want to improve. Will this course be right for me?
It depends on how much knowledge you already have in each topic. We recommend filling out our email form above to obtain the full syllabus and schedule a call with us if you want to get the full picture of the entire course. We make every effort to recommend the right level of courses to each student so that they get the most out of the learning experience.
What is the different between buying a book on Amazon from taking this course?
Books are great! We will never say don’t buy a book. However, design is a highly practical field. Reading books will give you the surface level understanding. You need more examples, interactive demonstrations, exercises and personalized feedback from expert designers to achieve the level that you need for your career. These other components can only be obtained from a well-designed educational program. Books are great supplements for your courses.
Can I learn the same thing from YouTube videos?
YouTube is a great platform. We say go watch as many YouTube videos as you’d like, but we have yet to find a complete series of courses that go in to so much details and depth as our course on YouTube. While YouTube can provide a surface level foundation for you, it isn’t likely to help you get to the level you need for your career. We recommend scheduling a call with us if you are interested and ask questions to make your informed decisions.
Do we get to apply the knowledge into practical projects?
Absolutely! We believe in learning by doing. That’s why we designed exercises for each unit with intention. Students are expected to complete every exercise and quizzes in order to complete the course. This is not a passive learning experience – it’s active. We also wrap up each course with a portfolio-level project, so you can be sure to take away with you a polished piece from every course you finish. If you enroll in our School of Design certificate program you will have 3 portfolio projects that stand out from the crowd at the time you graduate and a tailored career strategy that’s effective and unique to you.
Do I get a discount on your courses if I purchase multiple?
Yes, we provide discounts for certain courses if they care purchased together. They are usually courses that are related to each other, each time you enroll in a course, you will see which other courses you can enroll in for a discount in the checkout page.
If you want to receive a bulk discount for purchasing 3 or more courses, please contact us in the contact page. We can provide a custom discount for you.
Should I take a standalone course or enroll in your career program?
It depends on your needs. If you are already working as a designer and would like to uplevel your skillsets, we recommend taking individual courses as you need.
If you are a new designer looking to break into the field and get your first job or client as a designer, we recommend our School of Design career program or combine an upskilling course with Portfolio School if you want to build your portfolio with the knowledge you learned at the course – you do not want to show any knowledge gap in your interview and portfolio.
Stop Just Executing. Start Directing.
If you’re ready to move beyond making things look good and start defining creative direction—this is your next step.