Mastered - Accelerators - Art Direction

A 10-month career accelerator for art directors and graphic designers who want to build their fashion portfolio and sharpen the skills needed to take control of the image.

Online and in-person 
Transformational experience

Industry leaders
Learn from the best

From £500 / month
Payable over 12 months

3500 alumni network
95 different countries

This 10-month accelerator has been built for design professionals who want to set their art direction career up for success within fashion.

You want to learn from the best. You are looking for focus and direction. You are hungry for industry feedback. You need opportunities and exposure, and a team of collaborators to create work with.

Mastered accelerators are a completely new model for talent development. The 10-month experience takes place online and in-person. You'll get access to world-class experts, valuable feedback, personal coaching, industry opportunities, and the network you need to breakthrough.

See how it works

Photographer:: Grazyna Gudejko

Hair: Christina Kolovos

Makeup: Fajer Fadjel

Makeup: Elisabeth Peclard

Styling: Tania Dioespirro

Art director: Nancy Herrmann

Grazyna Gudejko, Photography: Mastered, shot at Mastered Live Croatia

Online and in-person experience

The accelerator materials are available online, so you can access them anytime, anywhere, on your mobile. The experience is designed to come to you and fit around your professional career.

But this is more than just an online course. You will also be invited to local meetups and to Mastered Live, a weekend of learning and creativity, hosted at a stunning global location, such as Iceland, Croatia or Canada.

Insight from industry leaders

Throughout the 10 months, you'll get high-quality video content featuring insights and advice from established experts, creative directors and art directors who are succeeding in the industry today, and the people you need to impress.

Combined with regular online Q&A sessions, their knowledge and insight will help you complete practical projects that you need in order to work towards your professional development.

One-to-one feedback and personal coaching

The backbone of the accelerator is regular feedback from industry insiders, to give you the direction you need to achieve your personal goals, develop your portfolio and attract the right kind of work.

In addition, you will get access to a personal development coach who will help you act on this feedback, and hone the winning mentality you need to unlock your potential.

A network of opportunity

No one succeeds alone. Which is why you will join a global pool of brands, photographers, stylists, and beauty professionals to network and collaborate with. Creative briefs set by industry legends will give you the stimulus to discover and work with local and international peers.

Then it's time to put it all into action. We leverage our industry connections to provide opportunities for work and recognition from creative directors, agents, commercial brands and more.

Fashion photographer Rob explains how taking Photography: Mastered in 2015 helped him to strengthen his creative identity and build a cohesive body of images. Since completing Photography: Mastered, Rob was retained by Nick Knight as his second assistant following his work being spotted in our classroom.

You’ll get tailored program materials and feedback from industry experts who understand your challenges as an art director. Here’s a selection of lead experts from our previous accelerators.

Fabien Baron

Creative director

Inez & Vinoodh

Celebrated photography duo

Tony King

CEO and creative director, King & Partners

Jaime Perlman

Creative director, Vogue UK

Graham Fink

Chief creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather, China

Becky Smith

Creative director, Twin Magazine

Jacob Wildschiøtz

Creative director, NR2154

Lydia Pang

Creative director, Refinery29

We’ve developed this accelerator to help you become this new breed of creative and claim your place in the industry of the future. Take a look at what the next 10 months could hold.

Your place in the industry

As you commence your accelerator journey, discover more about the industry you’ve committed to thrive in, get to know some of your experts and find out all you need to know about what lies ahead over the next 10-months and beyond.

Set goals

To succeed as an art director in fashion, you need to identify what you want for your career, and have a plan to achieve it. Our career development coaches and talent team will help you define your goals and develop a framework to help you reach them.

Creative process

We’ll explore how to get inspired and turn ideas into finished work. You will focus on your creative process and develop new ways to research and develop ideas that fit with your goals and aesthetic.

Mindset

Your relationship with success and failure massively impacts your progression towards your goals. Learn to develop a ‘new breed’ mindset which you need to be a stronger art director and reframe past failures as opportunities to learn.

Building a team

As an art director, your most important creative tool is your team. Learn how to bring the right creatives into a project, from copywriters to beauty professionals, and learn how to communicate your vision and get everyone else on board.

Editorial, branding and campaign work

Explore all avenues for your work, the nuances of each - and how they fit together for your wider career objectives. You will get a clear view on how to apply your personal aesthetic to each, and to what extent.

Digital, experiential, and what's next

Never has there been a more exciting time to be an art director. From the proliferation of digital media and the creative solutions it requires, to in-real-life experiences and the potential that emerging technologies such as virtual reality offer, this module will open your mind to all of it.

Brand, money and career planning

As an art director, you are your own brand. Learn the steps to communicate yourself as such, and in turn making brands and collaborators aware of you, so you have the confidence to get paid for the work you do, to the level you deserve.

Showcase

The end of the accelerator is your chance to show your best work to an international lineup of industry experts, critics and potential commissioners, who will be looking to see your progress and identify future industry stars.

Download the syllabus

“A pleasure to be a part of such an inspired platform. Thank you for creating an environment that supports us as artists, and let us work together to thrive in the industry.”

Yossi Fisher

Art Direction: Mastered current professional

“This program has taught me about myself and my style and hence developed my focus and made me more determined to succeed.”

Tina Eisen

Photography: Mastered alumni

“I believe the program gave me the confidence to have my own voice and not try to fit in with everyone else. I also think it gave me the ability to explore image making as an artist and not just a photographer.”

Vania Elise

Photography: Mastered alumni

“I'm honoured that this opportunity came by and to be part of this amazing talented group of people. So ready to challenge myself and make the things I always wanted.”

Daphne Westland

Art Direction: Mastered current professional

Secure your place while early bird pricing is still available.

                    10-month 
Starts early 2018
                  

                    Limited places
Enrolling now
                  

                    From £500 / month
Payable over 12 months
                  

Ready to transform your career?

Position yourself as an art director in fashion

You're an art director or designer working for a studio, magazine or ad agency. Your portfolio is strong, but there's still a gap between the work you do and your passions.

How it works

Online and in-person experience

Insight from industry leaders

One-to-one feedback and personal coaching

A network of opportunity

Case study: Rob Rusling

Meet the experts

Your year ahead

The adidas brief - Gary Aspden's selection

What some of our 3,500 alumni say

Apply now