Creative Directors — Where Creativity and Organization Meet
If you’ve ever asked ''where’s the beef?'' laughed at a talking gecko selling insurance, or wondered why Bill Gates is hanging out with Jerry Seinfeld chances are, you’ve encountered the work of a skilled creative director. Whether they’re working in advertising agencies, creative service firms or promotions companies, creative directors are responsible for coordinating the activities of copywriters, artists, and other highly creative people, bringing these talents together to create a vivid impression that will lodge in the minds of prospective customers. The final product may be a commercial, print advertising, a promotional campaign, even a viral marketing project, but in all cases, the initial vision and its implementation start with the creative director.
The CD’s Role
The creative director’s job interprets what a client wants to achieve with a product, service, or media property, and then translate that into ways that reach a target audience. Creative directors also work to inspire the creative professionals under their direction to explore the most innovative and effective way to use their talents. As such, creative directors need to know a lot about the jobs of each member of the creative team, managing their abilities and making sure that the entire team comes together with the desired result. They also need to be organized, making sure that all work is produced on schedule, and that it is coordinated with planned release dates, promotions, or special events.
Where to Find Creative Directors
Creative director jobs can be found in many types of businesses. While most work in advertising or promotional firms, creative directors can also be found in public relations and corporate communications. The creative director job can also be found as part of video game development, organizing the development strategies not only of a single title, but often several titles in a game development company’s lineup. In this role, the creative director’s job not only involves working with writers and artists, but may also require a working knowledge of computer programming and game design.
What’s the Job Like?
Like other advertising or creative workers, you’ll work in a clean, well-lit office, using computers and other office equipment. You’ll also need to be familiar with presentation tools such as whiteboards and video projectors. Hours are normally 9-5, Mondays through Fridays, but rush deadlines and important campaigns often require late nights and weekend work. Travel may be required to coordinate teams or meet with clients.
The creative director job can be very rewarding, but it’s also very stressful. Since the creative director is the one most responsible for the creative team’s work, they are often acclaimed as the ''brains'' behind a particularly successful project, especially if that campaign wins awards or is otherwise very popular. The flip side is that they also take the blame when a project fails to meet its goals, the work is substandard, or the client just doesn’t like the idea.
Qualifications
Creative director positions typically require a bachelor’s degree plus at least five or more years of related experience (this may be as high as ten years for organizations in large media markets handling national accounts). There is no ''entry level position for a creative director; CDs are usually promoted into a slot after years of working as art directors, copywriters, lead game designers, or account executives. Because creative director jobs require knowledge of the task each team member must accomplish, knowledge and experience with the tools of the trade (HTML, PHP and web design experience, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, QuarkXpress, PowerPoint or other graphical programs) is a must. Strong leadership is the most important part of being a creative director, who must be able to get the best from groups of often temperamental creative workers over the length of a project. The ability to work with clients and to manage client expectations is also a key part of all creative director jobs.
Salaries
While salaries for CDs vary depending upon company size, location, and experience, typical salaries for CDs with a minimum five years’ experience range at around $62,798 to $115,526 per year. Well-known creative directors who have managed successful campaigns may rake in as high as $200,000 a year.
How to Find Jobs
The best way to aim for a creative director job is to start by interning within a computer game, advertising or creative management company, or entering one of these firms as a starting artist, copywriter, graphic designer, game designer, advertising account manager, or game programmer. Expect to spend several years working at this level before being considered for a position (most companies promote from within). However, though job projections for artists, writers, designers and account managers show a decided expansion higher than the national average over the next decade, creative director jobs will probably expand at a slightly slower rate due to experience requirements and high competition for these coveted positions.
Potential for Advancement
While the creative director job is often seen as the culmination of a long career as an art director, lead designer or other mid range position, there are occasions where creative directors are promoted to manage several teams or an entire creative department (especially in very large companies or corporate communications groups). These Executive Creative Directors (aka Chief Creative Officers) are sometimes promoted to eventually head entire advertising companies, although many break off to start their own companies by this time.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a great career that offers the chance to manage creative teams and establish ground breaking media, don’t mind high stress and long hours, and already have a strong background as an artist, copywriter, graphic designer, game designer, advertising account manager or game programmer, a creative director job may be just the challenge you’re looking for!
