The programme
The art director is both a visionary and a strategist.Their main role is to define the creative direction and visual world of a project. This means understanding a brand's DNA or the aim of a campaign: it is not simply about making something look good, but about making it right and effective for the target audience and the objectives. Conceptualising and imagining: they turn a marketing brief or an intention into a strong visual concept. They put forward original ideas that bring the message to life. They define the aesthetic: they choose the typefaces, colour palettes, photographic or illustrative styles, moods, formats and media. Every visual element is designed to serve the message and the identity.
An art director does not work alone. They often head up a team of creatives: graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, layout artists, craftspeople, set designers and more. Theirs is a role of managing and bringing together the brand image.
Where can you study this programme?
Why choose this Master's?
Programme
Discover the full content of the programme
➜ Courses are built around concrete graphic design projects; a grounding in semiology, marketing concepts, management culture, financial management, copyright law and entrepreneurial management is crucial
➜ The final-year project, tutored through the research methodology and project methodology courses, is essential to your thinking.
➜ Design projects, with courses covering 360° communications projects, storytelling and anti-design, along with courses on innovation and experimentation around prompting and AI, also including Luxury & Design masterclasses
A range of options is offered so that students can tailor their own course (see the study pathway diagram).
Practical classes and lectures, project supervision, and alongside these the professional environment, taking part in open days to present work, support in finding a placement, creative workshops and more. An optional international seminar is also offered.
*The programme is not exhaustive; there may be variations in courses or changes in terminology from one year to the next.
Teaching Strengths
The graphic art director is a creative project leader and a manager of talent. They are the guardian of the brand image, turning ideas into striking, aesthetically coherent visual messages while managing teams and the demands of the market.
98%
pass rate for candidates on the Mastère Design de Communication Graphique et Digitale, 2025 cohort.
100%
of students reported to be in employment six months after gaining the professional certification, 2024 cohort.
After the Master's
On completion of the qualification, the Master's leads straight into working life.Careers targeted by the qualification
Once you have graduated, you will be able to work in one of these sectors and take up these roles linked to the qualification.
➜ Art director
➜ 360 communications director
➜ Graphic designer
➜ Brand designer
➜ Creative lead
➜ Illustrator
➜ Packaging designer
➜ 2D/3D motion designer
➜ Studio manager
➜ UX/UI designer
➜ Web designer
They chose ESDAC
“ A former ESDAC student in interior architecture, I now run my own interior architecture practice between Megève and Geneva.
My success is also, in part, theirs and that of the whole teaching team. I have had the chance to compare this course with many other schools through the work-study students I have met from all over France. ESDAC is clearly one of the most complete programmes available: you are given every key you need to succeed in the professional world, and it is then up to each person to make serious use of them. The lecturers are committed and highly skilled, the programmes are in step with what the market expects, and the skills you gain open the door to a real career, including internationally, for anyone with the motivation.
I would recommend this school without hesitation, as much for its human scale as for its professional quality.”
“Product Design is a discipline I teach at ESDAC, where we set out to design everyday objects methodically, across every possible sector (sport, medical, luxury, craft, industrial production runs, and so on). What we want to pass on to students is a genuine passion and curiosity for making things, and to get them to think before putting an idea forward and then to build it on solid foundations. In this course we try to find the designer each student wants to become.”
“What is great about ESDAC is that the lecturers are there to guide us in what we want to do. We steer our projects with our tutors, but the ideas come from us. It is a collective effort with our tutors and that is what is wonderful about this school. Nicolas Robineau was my technical tutor and he always gave me the keys so that I was never stuck with my ideas. As students we sometimes do too little and sometimes take on too much, but while we are still studying we can let go, open up everything a building makes possible and improve our knowledge, our technique and that drive to put a workable project in front of the panel. It is genuinely hands-on experience and I would wish it on every interior architecture or spatial design student.”
“My aim is to give students a practical understanding of what the profession expects. Professionals know exactly what they are looking for, and it is essential that students have that lightbulb moment: understanding how to develop a project accurately and methodically.
I place great importance on dialogue, offering different approaches to broaden their range of skills and open up as many opportunities as possible. The strength of our teaching also lies in the fact that most of our lecturers are working professionals: we know in concrete terms where to guide them so that they become the designers they want to be.”
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