art director

American  

[ahrt di-rek-ter, dahy-] / ˈɑrt dɪˌrɛk tər, daɪ- /

noun

1. Movies, Television. the person who determines the staging requirements for a production and often designs the sets or supervises their building and dressing.

2. Also called art editor.  a person who is responsible for the selection, execution, production, etc., of graphic art for a publication, advertising agency, or the like.

3. artistic director.

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art director British  

noun

1. a person responsible for the sets and costumes in a film

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Etymology

Origin of art director

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Previously, she held art director positions at the New York Times, Quartz and Penguin Random House, among others.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

We’d met the summer before on his first feature film, Dementia 13, where I had assisted the art director.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Before breaking into the entertainment industry in 1964 with the short film “A Texas Romance, 1909,” Benton moved to New York and was an art director for Esquire magazine.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

“We actually didn’t think we had a chance,” Doug Chiang, the film’s visual effects art director, said on a video call, of the Oscar win he shared with three collaborators.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2024

In every TV Guide and Parade ad, he had his art director put a little gold box in the corner of the order coupon.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell