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Art Director

Art Director profiles score highest on Creating and Exploring. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$114,850per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Bachelor's degreetypical for the occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 27-1011.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.

Skills rated most important

Active Listening75
Speaking75
Critical Thinking69
Judgment and Decision Making69
Reading Comprehension69

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams100
Spend Time Sitting94
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled90
Contact With Others89
Spend Time Standing21
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled16
Spend Time Walking or Running15
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body6
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling1
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles0
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance0

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Art Director profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Creating98
Exploring75
Influencing70
Persevering59
Harmonizing54
Organizing43
Law-Abiding37
Operating34
Helping32
Analyzing29
Safety-Seeking24

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • High Influencing. Measures your drive to lead, persuade, and shape outcomes. High scorers are confident communicators who naturally take charge and direct others.
  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.

Friction points

  • Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • Low Influencing. Measures your drive to lead, persuade, and shape outcomes. High scorers are confident communicators who naturally take charge and direct others.
  • Low Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Bachelor's degree.

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Art Director?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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