graphicpush

This is an excellent analysis of good creative direction. Having only served under one, I have no frame of reference like you do, but my experience falls in line with the bullets outlined in the “places where CDs fall short”.

Great post. You are the man.

Just thought I’d come out of long-time lurking to say another great post, thanks Kevin.

Some thoughts I’d add (perhaps obvious) – along with balancing the marketing with the creative, I’d say it doesn’t hurt to develop a good understanding of business in general, essential in developing an empathy for the client and their needs, and indeed the objectives of the company you work for.

Another skill I tend to admire in CD’s (and anyone) is the ability to present and essentially sell your ideas, whether that’s one-on-one with a client or with a group of stakeholders…

And as always, the communication and people skills are always valuable.

Also really enjoying the new direction GP has taken over the past couple of months. Definitely more valuable, so keep up the good work.

One of the worst things a CD can do is continually bash the client in front of his employees. We all know we have a difficult client, but the kind of negativity that comes from the CD is poison to the department. He seems to think we will thrive on it, and that it will bring us together, but in reality it furthers the rift between the design team and the client, and makes it even more difficult for us to relate to them on any level beyond production hacks.

Excellent and well written. I am a Creative Director in London working for a new media agency and have to point out I giggled at the accuracy of your comments. One thing you neglected to point out is that good creative directors have tended to learn from bad ones. Meaning…they thought to themselves, “when I am a CD I will NEVER treat people or clients like that”. I have had a string of bad CD’s in my trek up the ladder and it certainly taught me more of what NOT to do than what to do.

Hello,

Please pardon the intrusion, but I have a question that I hope you can answer:

I currently work as a Graphic Designer, but I am trying to move to a higher level. In your opinion, what education requirements does a Creative Director need? An MBA? A Masters in Communications? I have tried to find this out online, but it’s not as easy to find as I would have hoped.

thanks so much for your time,

Chris Faith

Hi, I’m also a graphic designer and would like to know what sort of education is recommended in order to become a creative director. I’m thinking of taking a marketing course. also want to know what other titles a graphic designer can pursue if he wants to move up the ladder.

Andres Ramirez

Is there schools to become creative director in Los Angeles ?

Guys there are no formal qualifications you can take. To become a Creative director is a simple steady rise up the ladder. Please don’t waste time or money studying for something that will not speed up the process. Uni courses or costly, time-consuming and are no substitute for actually being in the thick of it. You will just end up with loads of debt and no pratical experience. Experience is the key. When you have more than everyone in the room, it’s time to be a CD. A good CD is a people manager. Lots of UK CD’s seem to completely miss this point and will not hire designers who are better than them. Sad really as if you have a good managerial CD and a group of talented designers you will have a great team.

I’m a CD at a direct marketing firm in Boston, MA. I disagree with Will – having an advanced degree makes a huge difference when it comes to working with marketing departments, production, product managers and/or directly with clients. The ability to “sell” your ideas to upper managment, certainly to marketing who are often decision makers – if not key influencers – largely rests on my ability to understand market-specific analytics. Something that would take MUCH longer to learn through meer trial-and-error.

A good CD indeed must be a good people manager (as everyone who manages people should be expected to be). The difference between a good CD and a great one, is their ability to manage beyond their people – client expectations, marketing and brand expectations, product managers, upper management, and of course projects.

Really enjoyed reading this article. Wholeheartedly agree that there is no one specific formula to being a good CD. I’ve followed an unusual professional path which involved high level client management at a private bank to working as a designer in a video game studio and working in branding and communications for a start-up. In the last 1.5 years I’ve worked as a CD, which surprisingly validates all my experiences in the 8 years prior and obliges me to use every single skill I’ve ever picked up. I especially agree with the point about managing all sides of the coin – a lot of what I do involves keeping my teams, bosses AND clients happy. It’s a tough job, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My CD left my company about 6 months ago. i have been eyeballed for the position but nothing formal has come of it yet. I am afraid to take the position if it comes my way. I am a designer, and i have seen to great designers end up as a CD and end up being nothing more than a project manager. There is a certain prestige to being a CD, its the pinacle of a designers career. But is it worth it to lose the “designer” in you and be a PM. I could have the job, but dont want to not be a designer anymore. Is that possible? Is there balance for a designer? Or is it either design and do what you love or leave all that behind to oversee other people do what they love.

I am transferring to FIT (nyc) next fall to get my degree in fashion marketing, eventually I would like to become a creative director, in fact, all of the research I’ve done thus far insures me that my talents are well suited for this career path. I would just like to know how all of the current CD’s came to the point they are at. What degrees you have earned and where you started.Any advice would be highly valued.

Thanks!

Looking for some feedback.

I have had the role of CD in a new company as of summer of last year. Before given the title I have had 7 years of industry experiece with graphic design, web with limited exposure to broadcast. I was apointed CD with less than 10 strong in the company and I have yet to have people assigned to me as there is no need at this time. I report to the VP of marketing. At this size, there’s not a strong sense of command chain. We all seem to be working at the same level with no real problems with ego.

This was a huge jump for me in title. However I humble myself knowing that I will have to grow into the position as the company grows. As of right now I am very hands on and functioning as the entire creative department. However as I have read where the company has internal creative, the exec level people, including the president, make final creative decisions. Over my year here, I have produced all blow the line creative and acted as project manager for our online technology initiatives. Personally I do not feel like a CD. I am certainly not paid at a level that is near the national low end (salary.com)for the position but then again I am not exactly doing the work of a CD.

I ask ALL Creative Directors for their opinions on my situation and possibly grant me advice on how to aline myself to the role and move to a pay scale that’s fits the situation without shooting too high too quickly. When should I chime in when it seems like I am not being given ownership of things a CD should have?

Thank in advance.

R

Ryan, there are differing opinions on here with regards to the role and the conclusion is, they all work. No one person can say this works better or that works better. However, you do seem to have a hollow title, as a CD without a team is just a designer with a title. After all, what does the director part mean if not directing. Yet in your situation you have the opportunity to grow a great team beneath you which is a fantastic thing to place on any CV/resume. You can shape and build this as time goes on and watch it grow into a powerful company asset.

If you are acting as the entire creative department then you have sole control of the creative output. If this is not the case then you need to carefully ask why you are called a creative director without throwing around accusations. A simple questions requires a simple answer.

One bit of advice though. Relish this time. Enjoy it. When the team grows and the work increases you will wish you were back doing things on your own. LOL

I am glad to have read this article and all of the comments. I currently work for one of the BIG 4 Fashion Retailers in NYC. I work in interactive and our CD has NO interactive experience. She can only read email and surf the web on a computer, nothing else. No software skills, no design skills, nada. How does a stylist become CD of a hundred million plus interactive department? The worst part is there is no brainstorming, no front-end to back end Information architecture done.

What do you do in this situation? Leave or what? I am fed up with the unprofessional way things are done. I think its time to head back to the agencies for work.

Thanks.

Thank you so much for this post. I am a senior at Indiana University and this past semester I was in a class that had the responsibility to create a student-run advertising agency that would take on paying clients in the community and all over Indiana. The agency, named Agency 7, is now underway. I was elected creative director by my classmates and found your post to be very helpful. I’m obviously a newbie, still in college with no professional experience. Reading about your experiences and what NOT to do is really going to help me as I begin to work with my creative team. Thank you!

AWESOME BLOG!

I am a Sr. Art Director looking to make the jump to Creative Director in the advertising industry. I have been in the industry 12 years. (Freelancing the last 2). Education is always best, specially if climbing the corporate bureaucracy world, but not necessary. Your thoughts and ideas will always speak best. Always amplify your thoughts when presenting and always make someone laugh. Oh yeah, always proof your work! (Of course, I didn’t do that here.)

I believe is easier to move up to Creative Director from within an organization than to jump from an AD to CD from another company. If you hold the title of Creative Director is easier to find employment as CD somewhere else.

This industry is very emotional and subjective. Always listen, and respect ideas because you never who is going to burn you.

Very well said. I am a designer and I have worked under two different CDs who are great designers with big egos, and are not great managers. It’s unfortunate. I DO think that creatives need to be managed differently than accountants … and if they don’t, then I would err on the side of treating the accountant with more respect rather than leading the creative under a dictatorship. It is actually damaging to creatives, year after year, to make them feel as none of them are as good as ONE CD. In the creative field we should all know that ALL ideas are useful, even the “bad” ones.

I suppose I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth based on my experience. Before these two CDs, I worked on teams with superiors who respected us. I have also been an Art Director without a CD above me, and I never once felt like or acted as if I was the only one who could be right.

So, maybe that would be a good trait, the ability to know that much in this field is interpretive, and much is personal taste. Disagreeing with something does not make you right and them wrong, most of the time anyhow.

As a former Creative Director, I live my life by these words below:

If you want something to return to the source,
you must first allow it to spread out.
If you want something to weaken,
you must first allow it to become strong.
If you want something to be removed,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to possess something,
you must first give it away.
This is called the subtle understanding
of how things are meant to be.
The soft and pliable overcomes the hard and inflexible.
Just as fish remain hidden in deep waters,
it is best to keep weapons out of sight. – Lao T.

To succeed in this industry, YOU MUST GIVE YOURSELF (ego) away. Meaning, to drive your team toward success, you need to mentor and guide them. Teach the all that you know, yet keep your confidence in the process. Directing is all about the id. Treat people how you expect to be treated. All will fall into place.

Was there ever any specific advice on what higher education is recommended? Great post.

I was particularly interested in this post because today, I (somehow) landed the position of Creative Director of a small branding company. Congratulations are definitely not necessary because I am so completely underqualified for this job that the company may go up in flames in a few weeks. (Note: I am only 22 years old and this is my first job out of college.) What is the industry coming to?!

this is a great and helpful post besides being entertaining as i was laughing to numerous great tip-offs.

is it strange to still wonder if i apply for creative director role after 10 years? my years of experience (advertising, design house, in-house design, multimedia, freelancing, etc) calls me to reach for creative director but i wonder if i do have what it takes – the heart factor… do i want to give up what i’m doing as a freelancer for creative director’s specific job scope?

anyone to share a thought?

Fantastic article. Have been looking around for the ‘ingredients’ that make a creative director. You are right, no classes to attend. No ground rules. It’s a difficult transition from being a creative to just managing creative (well, for some anyway). I lust for the affirmations just so that I don’t drown in my self-induced ‘fraudulence’ mindset. Thanks.

looking for advice.

Found this article interesting.

At the moment i am planning to do a foundation course in art at a uni in surrey but am not sure where my future lies after that. Im very dyslexic and i have ADHD but am a effective worker and received three A’s in my A levels doing Photography, Art and Music but i am not sure what path i want to stroll down

For those asking about education, I have some thoughts which, again, are anecdotal. From my experience, companies that do not know any better put way too much stock in education. A good creative director position, almost more than any other position I can think of, is earned. It takes years of in the trenches experience, watching campaigns succeed and fail, dealing with brutal client demands, and understanding the greater scope and strategy of the executive team.

That being said, an education in design is probably necessary, because as retarded as it is, that still commands respect with people that don’t understand what creative directors do. Two years probably is not enough; four years is the minimum. A degree in visual arts is good, a minor in business or management is also good.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

That last post makes me sweat! I was just promoted to CD after 1 1/2 years with my current agency (2 1/2 years exp. total). Your posts have been great and I feel very fortunate to have such a great opportunity. Thank you all for all of your advice.

I have really enjoyed reading these posts and especially am glad to hear there are others that worry about being frauds. I was just promoted to CD at an agency I have been at for only 4 months. While I am excited and hope I am up to the challenge – it feels like it is coming a little early for me. However, I love client interaction, mentoring and the strategic side of design & copywriting, so I know that it is a position I want. However – I feel the need to brush up on skills to make up for areas that I feel might be blind spots. Can anyone suggest a book that deals well with the subject? I have been in the industry and dealt with clients for about 10 years, but this is my first agency job.

Hugh: I don’t know about any one book that is the panacea for design management education, but I would recommend several different things.

1. Pick a few books on management that look interesting and just read them — chances are you’ll pick up a lot of strategic and tactical tips that will help in a CD position.
2. Visit David C. Baker’s website recourses — there are a lot of articles, books, seminars and more geared specifically to this topic.
3. Read both of David Ogilvy’s books, Ogilvy on Advertising and Confessions of an Advertising Man. Both practical and witty books on design leadership.

Other than that, it really comes down to just doing the job and learning as you go.

Hi, these books veered my creative perspective in life

Leadership and the new science
by Margaret Wheatley

Standing on the shoulders of giants
by Hermann Vaske

Hi there – thank you for an excellent post. I’ve been a self-made designer for a few years now. I’ve also held a marketing manager position for about 3 years – but the difference was that i really wasn’t managing anyone under me – it was more of a hands on creative decision maker and implementor kinda of a role.

I’ve been told that the only path to progress in my career towards being a CD is through education and unfortunately, as mentioned before, I haven’t had any educational qualification in ‘design’.

I see myself more as a ‘jack of all, master of none’ – and despite the positives to that quote, it’s working out quite negatively in my career right now.

I’m really confused as to where to head from here and I’d appreciate it if you could point to some good resources or a loosely based advise on direction?

Thanks:)

I have really enjoyed this posting along with all the comments because I see some of myself echoed in a few.

I started working in design as an intern about 8 years ago at a university and quickly was moved into the title creative direction and then eventually senior creative director.

If you have worked in academia, you know two things. You are surrounded by opportunities to educate yourself and experiment creatively, but the title is not valued equally to commercial industry salary standards.

I wonder how I can, not only bridge the place I am to where I want to be, but I wonder what my next steps are to get a true placement in salary and title based on my real experience and education.

I wondered if any experienced CD’s can share their thoughts on this. Should I start at the bottom or use the management experience I have to try to shoot for a more advanced position? (Assume both instances would be in a commercial industry close to what I am doing now.)

Great posts. I’ve been a CD with two large companies & here’s my advice:

Leadership comes from knowing where you’re going.

Books and management techniques are great, but without a clear plan and milestones in getting there, people will not follow you. As the author says, maturity and experience are key.

If you’re looking to make the leap to a valid CD from AD, there’s two ways:

1. Change companies and pitch yourself as a CD. Tough to get buy-in once you get there.

2. Take big risks. I had to put in lunch hours and late nights at home developing campaigns that launched me to CD. Be prepared to take the heat if it fails and take no credit if it is a huge success. Your supervisors are looking for talent to rise. Don’t complain, be proactive and positive about the work. Don’t fall into the misery clan, there’s no growth there. If there are legitimate complaints, address them to your boss or quit. There’s plenty of bad CDs and VPs out there, its not worth your time staying in a company that won’t grow your talent.

The last component is timing; knowing when to read a situation or opportunity and being prepared to step up and present well thought out solutions.

People will naturally follow you if you bring answers to the table. Once you make CD, get humble and really develop your team, you’ll be nothing without them.