Copywriters & Art Directors
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Copywriters and art directors are mostly to be found in an advertising agency.
1 They work in a team, and together they make new campaigns or single advertisement in a running advertising campaign.
Advertising starts with the concept. The process of conceptualizing is fairly simple. Beer or wine and a few packs of cigarettes are the main ingredients. Some blank sheets of paper and a few pencils and markers do the rest. The copywriter and the art director are thinking of non-brilliant ideas, explain them to each other, and tell the other his or her ideas suck. This goes on for a while, until they have consumed enough alcohol. After that, the ideas get even more lame. The copywriter writes a few headlines and pay offs disgracing the product, while the art director is making sketches of naked women.
The following day, both come back to the office, start drinking lots of cups of strong coffee, and review the ideas and sketches of the previous day. Ashamed with their lack of creativity they start all over again, until one ore more good ideas surface.2
After that, they hand their sketches over to the account manager, who takes it to the client. The client then reacts in one of two ways: 1. “The logo isn’t big enough” (printed advertising), or 2. “The pack shot isn’t long enough” (commercials). The account manager promises the problem will be solved, and heads back to the office.
Here is where the copywriter and art director go two different ways. In case of a printed advertisement, the copywriter writes, well, copy. Which the art director says is too short/long, no matter how many words it is. After argueing over a few beers, they usually settle, though: the copywriter adds or removes a few words, and the art director uses a larger or smaller font.
After that, the art director goes to supervise the photo or commercial shooting, and travels to a small, far-away and sunny island in the Pacific. (Mysteriously, art directors always want photo’s or commercials shot on small, far-away and sunny islands in the Pacific. '"The light is better over there.”)3
When all the text and images are ready, the art director starts with the lay out of a printed advertisement, or supervises the editing of the commercial. During all this, the copywriter has to keep his brains up-to-date, and goes shopping, reading magazines, newspapers and books, and have a drink with friends. Until a next assignment comes around.
1Except before 11:00 am, during the three hour lunch and after 4:00 pm.
2Usually, this involves even more alcohol and cigarettes.
3Come to that, the male art directors also are the once that think that sex sells, and that a commercial or photo should involve lots of naked women.
