What do art directors want?

Wish list Art directors at leading studios reveal to Tom May what they’re looking for in new recruits

- Tom May

If you want to get hired as an artist, you need to know what art directors are looking for. In this article, we chat to five leading art directors to see how you can get onto their radar.

The first thing, unsurprisingly, is software skills. However, which software you need depends on the studio and the specific role. For example, at British games studio Creative Assembly, “a concept artist may use Photoshop, while asset production artists would use software such as 3ds Max, ZBrush and Substance,” says project art director Baj Singh.

In contrast, Jonathan Opgenhaffen, art director at Framestore’s London office, requires his artists to have 2D and 3D skills. “Photoshop is a must, but we also need our concept artists to be 3D savvy to a strong degree,” Jonathan says.

Conversely for Yohann Schepacz, art director at Tokyo’s Oxan Studio, the specific software doesn’t matter. “Only the result is important,” he says. “I’m happy to adapt to every artist’s workflow as long as the thought process is easy to follow and communicated, and as long as it produces the desired final asset.”

Also note that, even when art directors ask for specific software, there can be some room for manoeuvre. “ I’d emphasise that software knowledge takes a back seat when compared to pure artistic ability,” says Baj. “Most art software is fairly easy to use with enough practice, so it’s those core art and technical mindsets that we seek first.”