How to “Copy” an Art Director

My name is Caroline Welch, and I am a senior Advertising major at Temple. My concentration is in Copywriting, and for most of my college career this was my primary specialty. This past semester I have had the privilege of interning at the Law Office of Tai Y. Wong.

In addition to working primarily on tasks for the law office, my employer is also funding his own startup, so my duties have extended to create print ads and work on the website for both businesses. One of my greatest takeaways from this internship was being able to hone in my art direction skills. It was challenging at first, because as a copywriter I was not very familiar with the creative cloud and design programs. But, in order to create truly dynamic advertisements and website designs I had to learn these programs quickly. This demand for a proficient art director also motivated me to take the Intermediate Design Tools course. It is very rewarding to be able to apply what I have learned at university to my place of work and vice versa. Some accomplishments I am particularly proud of are creating icons for the startup’s website and editing my employer’s business card to make it more visually appealing and readable. While in the future I intend to explore more positions in the role of a copywriter, I do eventually hope to be the creative director at an agency or in house. Although I am still not an expert art director, this position has given me a sharper eye for the art elements in advertisements. This skill is essential for a creative director and will help me down the line as I continue to pursue my career path in advertising.