With a slightly misleading title, the work of an art buyer in advertising is to suggest, source, secure and commission still imagery for commercial usage. This will then be used for print (magazines), OOH (billboard) and beyond. They will collaborate with the creative team within an advertising agency to find just the right artist, illustrator or photographer to create the best visual. Liaising with talent, agents, creatives and sometimes directly with clients, they will share their time between creative development, pre-production, production, and post-production work. Once talent has been commissioned, an art buyer will often be responsible for producing a brief, securing proper rights and clearances, controlling budgets and managing relevant processes – requiring organisation and negotiation skills. With their eyes wide open for great new talent and a wide-ranging knowledge of visual culture, their efforts will help perfectly capture the intended look, feel and message of a campaign.

Please Note: The world of creative careers is broad and ever-evolving. While our descriptions aim to capture the essence of a role, we appreciate that no two jobs will be the same. We’re always looking to grow, expand and add to these roles, so if you feel we are missing something please let us know!