Career Profile of a Creative Director
Job Descriptions December 11, 2012Advertising agencies select department managers whose job responsibilities include guiding and overseeing the responsibilities of members of the creative team such as artists and copywriters among others who work to develop advertisements. These department managers are known as creative directors. Marketing ideas get directed from conference rooms to drawing boards to finished advertisements, thanks to creative directors who contribute to human resource functions and management.
Job Profile of a Creative Director
Staff members who are assigned the task of creating the written and visual aspects of advertisements are led in their efforts by creative directors. Freelance staff members, copywriters, photographers, graphic designers and artists are assigned and delegated tasks by creative directors. The clients rely on these individuals to create a consistent brand and marketing identity for their products and services.
Creative directors develop concepts in pitch meetings with clients and account managers; they are responsible for taking such concepts through to fruition in the form of the final advertisement. In the development of such product delivery, creative directors monitor schedules, budgets and workflows.
Apart from possessing a complete perception of the principles of copy, layout and art; creative directors need to have a thorough understanding of different design software programs. They have gleaned such knowledge via training on the job, formal education, or during their career tenure as members of an advertising firm’s art or creative department.
Ad agencies that specialize in advertising on the internet generally try to employ staff with knowledge of internet-oriented marketing techniques like search engine optimization and programming languages (source: CareerBuilder.com’s job postings in September 2011).
Job Responsibilities of a Creative Director
Apart from management and supervisory functions such as evaluating, hiring and training of creative staff; creative directors engage in interaction with other departments of the agency to maintain clients’ satisfaction and communication. Building brand awareness meetings are attended by creative directors and presentations are made by them to clients and agency staff, while working to develop the creative and strategic direction of an ad campaign. A client’s vision is interpreted by creative directors through employment of their creative expertise in making it a deliverable and tangible product. Creative directors join hands with account executives in planning and implementing budgets aimed at ensuring efficiency as well as quality and establishing of schedules relating to long and short-term projects.
Wage Potential of a Creative Director
In October 2011, creative directors who held a bachelor degree and had at least seven years of work experience in the industry earned an average annual salary of $97,159 (source: Salary.com). The average annual salary for web-based creative directors who held a bachelor degree and had at least five years of experience in the industry were $128,071.
