Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
How to become a creative director
Create award winning advertising and marketing initiatives.
What is a creative director?
Creative directors lead teams of creative professionals in the design and delivery of large-scale marketing campaigns, spanning media such as websites, TV and radio a, social media and email.
They have end-to-end responsibility for entire projects – not just the aesthetic elements. This may include developing brand guidelines, creative philosophies and marketing plans, as well as recruiting and managing teams and handling large budgets.
What qualifications do you need to be a creative director?
Although there are no hard and fast rules, creative directors usually come from marketing backgrounds where they’ll have a proven track record (typically 5-10 years) in one or more or the key elements of marketing campaigns e.g. brand development, art design, copywriting, app design or digital media.
There are no prescribed minimum qualifications but a bachelor’s or master’s degree in relevant subjects is considered desirable.
- Undergraduate degrees – bachelor’s degrees in subjects such as art, graphic design, marketing, communications, journalism, app design or project management might all be seen as relevant/valuable in such a wide-ranging role.
- Postgraduate studies – a master’s degree in marketing, media management, media design or business might be expected for the most senior creative director roles.
What does a creative director do?
Creative directors require leadership, creative, commercial, communication and organisational skills of the highest calibre.
As a creative director, you’ll manage the entire creative design and delivery process from initial concept/brief to completion, including monitoring the campaign’s feedback and success criteria. You’ll have significant autonomy in your role and will be held accountable for the success of the campaigns that you deliver.
Your team will include graphic designers, copywriters, artists, app and web designers, IT professionals, brand managers and art directors. On smaller projects you might take on the combined role of art director and creative director yourself.
Alongside your creative skills, you’ll need to be a motivational leader, a great communicator, an accomplished project manager and commercially astute. You’ll need knowledge of best practice in the technical elements of graphic design, copywriting, web development and the use of key software applications.
The role of creative director is wide ranging so there’s no single role description, but typical activities would include:
- Developing concepts for campaigns and presenting to clients
- Delivering and managing end-to-end marketing plans and taking accountability
- Managing the commercial aspects of campaign development and delivery
- Reviewing content, providing feedback and monitoring revisions
- Managing, motivating and developing team members
- Evaluating marketing trends and keeping up to date with emerging tools and techniques
Becoming a creative director could be for you if…
-
Creativity is your middle name
Obviously creativity is key to any great marketing campaign, so you’ll need to be able to generate innovative new ideas.
-
You’re a born leader
You’ll need to be able to lead, motivate and manage a large team with many disparate roles across multiple locations.
-
You get stuff done
As a creative director, you’ll require organisational and project management skills to ensure that your campaigns deliver on time to the right quality and on budget.
-
You’re business minded
You’ll need to be able to understand and articulate the commercial requirements within a campaign, including delivery budgets, advertising costs and expected return on investment.
-
You’re a natural communicator
Communication is key in any leadership role, so you’ll need to be able to produce and deliver communications across multiple media/formats to audiences at all levels.
What are the typical working hours for a creative director?
In theory, most creative director roles are based on typical office hours, but high pressure, time-critical projects will require significant commitment in time and effort – so expect long and unsociable hours, when necessary.
- Creative directors, who manage small teams, might expect to earn between £40,000 and £60,000.
- Experienced creative directors can earn higher salaries of £80,000+, depending on the size of the agency.
