The Copywriter vs. the Art Director
Scamp’s recent blog post, “Help Settle an Argument”, debates the differing personalities of Art Directors and Copywriters.
Copywriters tend to be the talkers, and the strategists, whereas Art Directors prefer to say less and do more (even if what they call ‘doing’ I call sitting in a photographer’s studio reading the newspaper).
Scowling A.D. complains that “Art Directors aren’t always strong silent types – just as likely to be stereotypically louder, more energetic, more colourful, harder-partying, more passionate than Copywriters.”
Who is right? If you meet a team in the pub, can you always tell which is which? Or is there no real difference between the two breeds?
In my admittedly limited experience, I cannot say I have noticed many character traits that flow unfailingly through one discipline and not the other. I have met energetic, colourful, hard-partying, passionate Art Directors. I’ve met equally energetic, colourful, hard-partying, passionate Copywriters. Maybe we shouldn’t even try to analyse role vs. personality. Perhaps our definitive difference is in our approach to a brief.
“Writer” is actually a misnomer.
The job is actually more of a strategic thinker.
While an art director’s job is more of a tactical thinker.
Think of it as a military airplane.
The writer is the navigator, the art director is the pilot.
The navigator is in charge of the mission.
The pilot is in charge of the plane.
For simplicity, split it into right and left brain.
Right brain is emotion and feeling.
Left brain is reason and logic.
Right brain is the senses: pictures and sounds.
Left brain is thought: words and numbers.
Right brain can tell you what’s good, but not why.
Left brain can tell you if it works, but not if anyone will like it.
Right brain is brand, left brain is product.
Right brain is sizzle, left brain is sausage.
Right brain stops you, makes you read the ad.
Left brain makes the ad work, makes you want to buy.
I tend to think of our creativity on a scale – like this:
We are all somewhere on this scale, irrelevant of personality. I would imagine the more symmetrical a team is on this scale, the better they will be for each other. For example, a particularly visual Art Director may benefit from a Copywriter with a strong strategic mind – to balance each other out. Creatives who work solo are most likely to be successful when they are near the middle of the scale and are able to balance themselves.
Campaigns can be one-sided, but I don’t think creative teams should. Because like Dave says, “in any team you need both”.
