A Peek Into My Art Direction Notebooks: Brainstorm Tips, Project Walkthroughs, and Random Scribbles

[@Ledatru]

This was a great video, Kevin. I was shocked at how organized/neat your notes are. You take a lot of pride in your notes. But it makes sense, it seems like everything you do has a sound process behind it. This is very inspiring, as my notes are literally just random, all over the place.

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Hahaha thank you. But there’s no right or wrong way to brainstorm. It’s finding what’s right for you. It’s funny to see other’s notebooks and how they form their own process.

[@auj5901]

I’m glad you’re back!

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Glad you’re here!

[@anushkab8851]

Just discovered your channel! As a creative conceptualizer & marketer and an aspiring Art Director, I'm so thrilled to have found your videos. Thank you for providing such insightful information in every video!

[@OpenDoorCreative]

No problem! Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you have any questions!

[@femiolotu6482]

Just discovered your channel. keep at it. it will grow fast!

[@alijah9367]

this humbled me, especially since all I can do is cook ideas, I cannot draw (any arts) and I do not have anyone to bring the ideas to life. So annoying.

[@jordantreimer7010]

Loved this. I know in a previous video you said that it's not a deal breaker to be able to draw, but I'm curious as to if you would recommend learning some foundational principles about drawing 3D perspective (specifically) that would actually help visualize my ideas better? I feel that it could make a huge impact and I'm wondering if you have a recommendation for where one could begin. Thanks for sharing your process with us!

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Appreciate the comment Jordan! It’s totally up to you. Your drawings and sketches are mostly for you (will never be client facing) so it’s really up to you to learn to help sell ideas in internally to your creative director. I typically roughly sketch something out and then use illustrator or photoshop to make a rough mock to get my ideas across. With that being said, the skill of drawing is a nice one to have and can definitely benefit you throughout your career. I would start old school with some drawings books or hit up some drawing KZbin videos. There are plenty!

[@gauravrayakwar1993]

Insightful...as always.

[@OpenDoorCreative]

So glad. Was hoping someone could get something out of em!

[@gauravrayakwar1993]

Starting my new job as an AD tomorrow. Always be learning.

[@OpenDoorCreative]

@@gauravrayakwar1993 hell yea! Congrats!! Let me know how it goes. That’s an exciting time.

[@insertnamehere8504]

@@gauravrayakwar1993 I’m dying to hear how it went!

[@gauravrayakwar1993]

@@insertnamehere8504 i I was a graphic designer already in this agency so the environment was not new. The added responsibilities do feel overwhelming but I was doing most of the tasks of an AD already so I have to remind myself that fact constantly. I am quite excited tbh because my interests are quite varied and this position is perfect for me. "If it doesn't scare you, you are not going fast enough" 😅😅

[@tanyadhamija6763]

Hello, I recently discovered your content and it has inspired me to get my hands dirty in advertising. However, as a newcomer/beginner, could you please recommend some briefs to get us started? As newcomers, we may not have a good understanding of how advertising briefs are structured, so how can we create one for ourselves?

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Great question! This is something I was seeing a lot so I wrote a book called Breaking into Art Direction which has an assignment library of. Creative briefs and design challenges. You can find it on Amazon for 19.99. If you’d rather skip the book, I do have more bite sized content on the channel with some design challenges and a video called Become an Art Director in a Year.

[@tanyadhamija6763]

@@OpenDoorCreative thaank you so much for your response. Ordering the book right away :) also looking forward to more of your amazing, transparent inspiring content. Thank youu

[@OpenDoorCreative]

@@tanyadhamija6763 awesome. Thanks so much! Hope it serves you well. Let me know what you think/any questions you may have along the way.

[@enzu4221]

Hi! I've discovered ur channel a couple weeks ago while searching what a graphic designer, art director, soemone working in advertising do. And I would like to work in the industry (im now almost 18 and discovered I like to edit things, write text for ads (copywriting), make memes etc. Anyways, a week ago I found out about an AI called DALLE that makes art and images based on what words or phrases u introduce. (Say "a polar bear playing bass"). And prints more variations of the same concept. Do you think this AI will replace the work of graphic designers and people working in advertising?

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Great great question. AI is definitely making it easier to create a larger output of graphical assets but most of this is due to design rules. Part of being an art director is breaking those rules, being more conceptual, and ideating to solve business challenges. There might be some parts that can be replicated or “taken over” but with an industry whose design trends and innovation is constantly evolving, I feel that we’re safe for some time.

[@OpenDoorCreative]

Also, welcome!!!

[@enzu4221]

@@OpenDoorCreative Thanks a lot. I kinda feel better now knowing from someone in the industry that it is still safe to proceed trying to get in advertising, graphic design and edits. =))

[@OpenDoorCreative]

@@enzu4221 totally. Part of an art directors job is to look forward to what’s next since the industry is always changing. No problem if AI takes over banner. We’re too busy looking forward to AR, VR, XR, and other emerging platforms.

[@enzu4221]

@@OpenDoorCreative Ohh so there is so much more to it than I thought. Thanks for taking ur time to reply. U rly made me wanna dive into this industry more.