Skip to main content
Short course

Art Direction For Fashion Short Course

Create compelling visuals for brands, tell stories and make emotional connections. This is a practical, fast-paced course led by industry experts. Available both on campus and online.

Next start months
July 2025
August 2025
August 2025
Tutor(s)
Schelay McCarter
Price
From £590.00

Course description

Course overview

Art Direction for Fashion is a practical, fast-paced course that introduces you to the world of fashion art direction, led by an experienced industry professional. Choose your learning style for this course, as it's conveniently available to take either on campus or online.

Learn to plan and execute impactful fashion projects, understanding visual literacy and the evolution of fashion photography. Explore essential industry skills, including interpreting briefs, casting, location scouting, social media integration, and collaborating with creatives. Develop your own fashion narrative project with personalised guidance and feedback. Final projects receive reviews from your tutor and, where possible, a guest industry professional.

You'll receive handouts to create an art director's handbook, and personal feedback to help you progress your career. Online students can also request an outcomes review of their final project.

Who this course is for

This course is ideal for anyone wanting to move into art or creative direction as a profession and those interested in fashion communication; both beginners and experienced creatives are welcome.It's ideal for fashion designers, brand managers, photographers, stylists, influencers, marketing and social media professionals.

Whether you're looking to enhance your career or explore commercial image creation, this course offers valuable networking and collaboration opportunities.

Key information

Topics covered

  • Visual literacy and personal USP development
  • Catwalk trend brainstorming
  • The business of fashion
  • Basic layout design for publication
  • Psychology of image creation
  • Job search strategies
  • Technological trend analysis
  • Weekly research assignments
  • The three stages of a fashion shoot plan
  • Group critiques and discussions
  • Production management and budgeting
  • Reviews and feedback sessions
  • Presentation skills for selling ideas

Learning outcomes

  • Developed a good understanding of the role of an Art Director in the Fashion industry
  • Learn how to market yourself as a successful Art Director
  • Knowledge of how to plan and deliver successful images that will inspire audiences and sell products
  • Understand the practical, legal and fiscal elements required in the management of a fashion shoot production
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials
On campus

  • An A4 folder for hand out materials and notes
  • Pen
  • Paper
  • USB
  • Laptop

Online

If you are taking this course online, please see our Guide to taking online short courses.

Tutor

Schelay McCarter

Schelay McCarter is an Associate Lecturer at the University of the Arts London and has a commercial fashion branding background and career. This includes fashion forecasting, journalism, fashion branding for ecommerce and fashion image realisation project management.

Clients: Burberry, Kering Group, Inditex, British Fashion Council, LVMH, Farfetch, Marks and Spencer, Nike, Jack Wills, H&M Group, All Saints, Arcadia Group,  Amazon and YOOX Net-a-Porter Group

Magazines: Soma, Plastik, B magazine, Status magazine

Photographers worked with: Tim Brett Day, Kim Knott, Sean Knott, Tiffany Mumford, Emma Summerton, James Meakin, Kim Watson, Jean Pierre Mascalet and Nick Knight 

Please check out Schelay's website and fashiontent for more information.

Book a course

Loading