That’s a question I have been asked for many years.
A Creative Director wears many hats.
A creative director wears many hats and the skills needed for this position include expertise in marketing strategy, project management, creative briefs, directing, technical writing, programming, designing, creative copywriting, budgeting, presenting, guiding and inspiring.
In a corporation, a creative director is the liaison between upper management and the company’s creative team. They need to be able to communicate the vision and strategy of the company so that the team understands and can convey the message in a conceptual way. They need to be able to drive the company’s brand identity through online channels. Project management is essential for a concept to come to fruition. Budgeting, prioritizing work and tracking the progress of assignments is important to make sure that projects are on target. The creative director is also responsible for providing creative briefs that determine the objectives and goals of each project while providing quality assurance.
In a smaller company, the creative director wears even more hats. In addition to developing concepts and project management, they can be responsible for writing the copy for online and print promotion and press releases for public relations. Whether the company is large or small, there is one essential element to both: understanding the target market and their behavior. Research is helpful in knowing your market and brainstorming is helpful in creating fresh, new ideas. I like to invite writers, art directors, designers and assistants to brainstorming meetings because you never know who will come up with the next brilliant concept. I find that creating emotionally-based messages in a story-telling format, using multiple touch points, is a successful strategy.
Linda Danaher 