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Showing results for art director. Search instead for film director.

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.


art director British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of art director

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chris Roberts worked as an art director on the first season, but says he was initially offered a lower rate for season two.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Anna Macdonald, an art director there, said engagement with "exciting visuals and incredible storylines" gave children "a break" from the everyday.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

“There’s a lot of anxiety around technology and the way we engage with it,” said Joseph Alessio, a designer and art director in Oakland, Calif.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 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

As art director, I’ve been keeping count in a notebook.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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