Career March 27, 2021

What does a Creative Director do?

By Gilda Furgiuele

The visionary behind the ads that inspire you, move you and make an impact. The creative director is the person with the experience to harness an idea that makes an impact in culture and for their client’s business.

What is a Creative Director?

In advertising, the creative director is part coach, part creative, part business leader. They ensure that the creative team has everything they need to create an ad and execute it efficiently. They develop ideas and lead a team to bring them to life. Evaluating the work, the creative director ensures it aligns with the strategy and the brand message. They leverage their experience in design, language and culture to build a creative campaign and team to support it.

What is a Creative Director responsible for?

Building a team: The creative director mentors, coaches and develops the skills of the team that works with them.
Editing: There is a multitude of ideas, some are not so great others are impactful, and yet, there is one that makes sense for the brief and the client’s needs. The creative director selects and provides feedback on the work of art directors, copywriters, and designers to elevate it and answer the brief.
Selling the idea: Master storytellers, the creative director weaves inspiration, creativity and business acumen together to solve a business problem and attract attention.

3 skills you need to become a Creative Director

Big picture mindset: There are a lot of details and factors to pay attention to as a creative director; maintaining a vision for the bigger picture is at the top of the list. Creative directors have a goal in mind, know how to attain it, and the team around them to help bring that to life. They see cultural and industry trends and use that to fuel their craft. While their team is building the work, creative directors can see all the moving pieces and how they function together to make a memorable ad.
Leadership: To coach different kinds of creative people to create a unified goal takes leadership capabilities. They motivate a team to make a vision come to life. They are proactive, innovative and think ten steps ahead.
Communication: Not only do creative directors tell a story through advertising and have good communication skills in that regard; they should also be able to communicate their vision to a team. They are able to lead a conversation about the work and be a good listener. Keeping open lines of communication with their team will facilitate a good workflow and trust among the team.