Advertising Art Director: Every Time You Like at an Ad, You See Me

Introduction
Create work that stands out. Also, experiment with different styles. Show people that you can do different things.
Listen carefully to clients and problem solve in a creative fashion. Sometimes small adjustments make all the difference.

Like many industries, advertising is a small universe. Keep good relations with the people you work with and for.

Job Function
What I like most is creating something I'm proud of, something that delivers a message without being heavy-handed. Subtle advertising and subtle art require skill, clarity of vision, and talent. Integrating these three elements is an exciting process that reflects a lot of work, brain-storming and communication to yield a product everyone believes in.

What I dislike is the amount of rejection involved. Someone will say, "Can you make that logo bigger?" after I've already increased the size twice. Or they'll say that what we've come up with doesn't match what they thought they had expressed they wanted. That's why it's so important to communicate well with clients and staff. Advertisement
Lifestyle
Hours can be demanding, but I'm very competitive, so I like to put in the extra time to get a client and keep a client. There are many advertising firms and they come in a variety of sizes. You probably are going to have to be in a big city though. I doubt you'll find much flashy work in Suwanee, Georgia, for example.

You have to be creative and flexible, willing to see a project from a variety of perspectives, and be decisive.

A cool perk is that clients will sometimes give you products. This is great if you're doing advertising for liquor companies. A friend of mine wrote copy for a French wine company. You better believe I was at their company parties.

Additional Information
Be passionate about what you do, even the smallest or least interesting project. Every moment of your life that you are disengaged from the experience is wasted. And work with people who you jibe with. For example, if you are in art advertising and are looking for a copywriter, find someone who's a good fit, someone you are able to create good work with and fight the least amount possible.