How to become an art director or creative director?

How do you become a Concept Artist and Art Director for video games?

• like the people who do the character, environment, etc designs?

• Answer:

  The first few steps to becoming a concept artist and/or art director for a video game are education, meticulous practice, patience, and experience, though already having a passion for the whole development idea of video games is a plus. If you're still in high school and have a few years ahead of you, I suggest taking art courses that deal with traditional and CG art. If you're in college, get a major in art and graphic design, if possible. You'll need these courses in order to gain a deeper understanding about how CG art, animation, and the whole concept of the developing stages of a video game's art, like its theme and setting. Although the basic requirement for becoming a concept artist or art director is to have at least a Bachelor's degree, but moving on to a masters will give you a huge advantage when looking for work. And since the video game industry is focusing heavily on 3D worlds and themes, you'll also want to look into animation. On the side, experiment with different computer medians, like Photoshop CS, SAI, MS Paint, or other digital editing programs. Keep practicing your art skills, critique your own work, and set a goal for yourself. What kind of style are you looking for? How will you use colors to enhance the art and develop a mood? What can you do to make it even better? But don't just limit yourself to computer graphics. Experiment with traditional forms of art, too, and use it to determine how you might enhance it with digital effects. Finally, after you finish your education, look around for jobs where you can utilize the skills you developed in school. A couple of ideas are web design and UI design, though there are a lot more out there. You'll want to build up your resume so that when the time comes you'll have a decent list of experience to provide when interviewing for a job as a concept artist or art director. Be very aware that this career is very competitive, requiring a lot of practice, effort, and creativity. Work ethic is key to staying organized and meeting deadlines, so be prepared to spend lots of time developing even a simple concept. You may not necessarily become an Art Director right off the bat, so expect to be working as a minor concept artist for a while until you build up a reputation for yourself.