Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Creative Director
A Creative Director is a senior-level professional who leads the creative vision and design direction for an organization, agency or a team. They direct and oversee all phases of creative work from concept through production and ensure all design output meets the company standards. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Creative Directors.
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Main Responsibilities of Creative Director
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Creative Director:
Allocate
Allocate appropriate personnel for all creative assignments.
Apply
Apply strategic thinking to every concept, design and copy decision.
Articulate
Articulate through visual mediums key vision, purpose, strategic priorities and values.
Assess
Assess creative work to ensure ideas are as powerful in reality as they are in concept.
Assign
Assign creative leads and develop accounts and teams.
Assist in
Assist Content Director in the creation of creative treatments.
Assist in preparing service proposals and presentations.
Attend
Attend client meetings, present work, discuss needs and identify opportunities.
Build
Build a brilliant and diverse creative team through savvy hiring, ongoing mentoring and coaching.
Build and foster a team of brand copywriters, and brand champions internally and externally.
Build and lead a creative team for the business.
Build out and execute a conversion rate optimization system for our sales pages.
Build relationships with multiple video crews and creative agencies to tap into.
Challenge
Challenge and introduce new and innovative methods of creative execution.
Collaborate with
Collaborate with Creative PM to ensure ownership of deadlines and project schedules.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary internal teams and external vendors.
Collaborate with strategists, project owners, designers and technologists.
Collaborate with strategists to ensure briefs and creative direction is clear.
Collaborate with writers to make sure imagery and words work beautifully together.
Combine
Combine Brand Strategy, UX and Design into delivering best-in-class experiences for our partners.
Complete
Complete mastery of design tools such as Sketch, XD, Invision, or Figma.
Concept
Concept and create designs, as well as participate in all aspects of design execution as needed.
Conduct
Conduct self and communicate professionally with clients and colleagues.
Contribute to
Contribute to design system and pattern libraries.
Contribute to new business opportunities.
Create
Create and refine integrated creative campaigns for multiple EA titles.
Create an optimum structure to provide effective, efficient development of creative product.
Create competitor intelligence & research system for best practices.
Create new brands from scratch and optimize current branding.
Create work for high-profile brands from the online trading and crypto industry.
Curate
Curate the seasonal interpretation of our brand vision through the lens of our Product Elements.
Design
Design / creative qualification.
Design original pieces, including illustrations and infographics.
Design the core components of the styles for the line.
Develop
Develop and deliver creative and persuasive copy to accompany visual content.
Develop and direct brand voice / narrative.
Develop and maintain design / brand standards throughout all touch points.
Develop and own the creative strategy for Ontario Teachers'.
Develop and produce creative concepts through execution for a number of brands and / or services.
Develop a strong design language for the brand that is innovative and dog-centric.
Develop creative concepts that are forward-thinking and in-line with current media trends.
Develop sub-brands as needed.
Develop teams with a deep understanding of design principles.
Develop the central idea for creative campaigns.
Develop thought leadership to help market Finn externally.
Develop, understand and answer to the needs of the client and the public.
Develop, understand and maintain the needs of the client and / or partner.
Direct
Direct all phases of creative work from concept through production.
Direct creative strategy and process from concept to completion.
Drive
Drive all re-branding and content refresh efforts when a new company is acquired by Upland.
Empower
Empower the team to accomplish tasks for today, but be able to zoom out and build the future.
Engage
Engage agencies and freelancers as required and manage these partners.
Ensure
Ensure all copywriting is on brand for both clients and agency.
Ensure all design output meets agency standards.
Ensure Brand identity and message consistency across channels.
Ensure consistent, user-friendly messaging across all platforms.
Ensure deadlines are met, both internally and externally.
Ensure quality control within various departments, in regards to the project.
Ensure solutions are realized and delivered to the highest quality of creative standards.
Ensure team alignment throughout the project to ensure consistency in the choices made.
Ensure that design maintains the Adobe brand standards.
Ensure that each style executes on the creative vision.
Ensure that the creative design team owns and drives a cohesive vision for their respective products.
Ensure the property owns the spirit of local relevancy and adherence of brand consistency.
Ensure your team is delivering on business goals efficiently.
Ensure your team is fully involved in productions, while also balancing pre-sale pitch needs.
Establish
Establish Art direction for each video.
Establish yourself as a thought leader and team player within the organization.
Evaluate
Evaluate creative team performance and guiding improvement.
Evaluate direct reports annually for annual review.
Evaluate technology to be used to increase efficiency or provide better visual output.
Focus on
Focus on best practice and continuous improvement in all business and management activities.
Focus on consistency and self-directed in problem-solving.
Generate
Generate ideas with a partner and with junior teams.
Guide
Guide early prototyping as you push innovation.
Help
Help create a culture of critique and feedback that is healthy, supportive, and open.
Help define the "what, where, when, why and how” of a proposed project.
Help direct and review the work of junior designers to ensure high quality.
Help in pitching new business.
Help lead collaboration and "translation” between account teams and creative teams as needed.
Help pitch new business opportunities along with other senior team members.
Help to invent a modern and elegant visual language for the BirdEye brand.
Help us tell our story, build our brand, and make some of our business experiences sing.
Identify
Identify, develop and maintain business relationships with current and potential clients.
Identify external marketplace trends across all relevant Product Elements.
Identify new visual creators whose work should be featured in The Kit.
Identify opportunities to inform strategic planning, project timelines and team resourcing.
Identify the right metrics and KPIs to determine the success of art programs.
Identify tools and resources to improve efficiency.
Implement
Implement organizational changes in line with changing business & market needs.
Implement overarching creative direction and vision for the account teams.
Influence
Influence creative templates / best practice materials and initiate update and / or refreshes.
Inspire
Inspire, enable, and help cultivate a culture of innovation, curiosity, and creativity.
Integrate
Integrate multi-media and immersive technologies into the experience.
Integrate your thoughts into the rest of the team to ensure smooth perfect end results.
Interpret
Interpret and advocate the vision of the "Success From Anywhere” enterprise.
Keep abreast of
Keep abreast of design, cultural and fashion trends.
Lead
Lead and build a team to develop engaging creative visual content across all channels.
Lead a small, cross-functional team of graphic designers, copywriters and videographers.
Lead creative ideas for new business presentations.
Lead culture of real-time feedback to support people's development.
Lead Development of conceptual designs to meet business needs.
Lead presentations, meetings and relationships with brand teams.
Lead, mentor and inspire creative team for brand(s).
Lead the Creative team, be a part of developing concepts.
Lead the Studio team, working with teams across the country to deliver exceptional work.
Lead with passion, guide & coach the team on career direction, development, growth and performance.
Listen
Listen and value the opinions of others.
Maintain
Maintain and encourage a positive creative culture focused on growth.
Maintain documentation as needed throughout the lifecycle of the project.
Manage
Manage a fast-paced, high-volume workload, while ensuring the team thrives in a fun environment.
Manage and cultivate the career development of all creative team members.
Manage budgets for all entertainment teams including payroll, costuming and choreography.
Manage multiple work streams across businesses, and deliver as per agreed scope, timing, and quality.
Manage relationship with vendors , including budgeted hours, timeline and creative direction.
Manage staff and freelance creative teams.
Manage the studio commercially.
Manage your creative team and work with other teams to plan, execute and report.
Mentor
Mentor and grow junior to senior level copywriters and creatives.
Monitor
Monitor results of team efforts and propose actions for the future.
Motivate
Motivate and inspire creative team members.
Motivate clients to embrace and pursue work which is impactful beyond initial request / goals.
Negotiate
Negotiate new agency and vendor partners as needed on project basis.
Negotiate Touring creative costs and manage overall Live Nation rates.
Onboard
Onboard new agencies, resources and expand creative team.
Optimize
Optimize and improve creative processes.
Oversee
Oversee and manage all creative output and production from team.
Oversee design, art direction and animation teams on one of our largest, top-secret accounts.
Oversee design projects, from conception to delivery.
Oversee, lead and mentor team of talented graphic designers, photographers and copywriters.
Oversee, manage and review new creative concepts to both new and existing clients.
Own
Own agency and vendor relationships with design and production agencies.
Own creative repository of marketing materials and initiate regular update s and / or refresh es.
Participate in
Participate in and lead team brainstorms and internal critiques.
Participate in the recruitment of talent.
Power
Power creative marketing campaigns to bolster brand awareness and engagement through storytelling.
Present
Present approved work to client representatives.
Present to clients, sell creative concepts, and engender trust.
Present to company and key accounts where appropriate; and lead team in superior execution.
Present work both internally and externally to clients.
Propose
Propose and implement any workflow changes identified in your review of our current practices.
Prospect
Prospect and identify key decision-makers to develop sales opportunities.
Provide
Provide advice to internal partners and ensure all brand standards are followed.
Provide creative editorial support for strategic corporate priorities.
Provide creative leadership and standards for the assigned brand(s) / product(s).
Provide effective counsel to the team at all times.
Provide exceptional creative leadership to team.
Provide feedback and creative direction to junior & senior designers.
Provide high-level vision and guidance, iterative reviews, and promote the project and team.
Provide leadership and direction to the wider creative.
Provide leadership and ensures quality on creative projects from initial concept through execution.
Provide strategic project definition and creative direction for range of projects and initiatives.
Provide vision and support for the CXD team within projects.
Push
Push boundaries when it comes to adjectives.
Push the envelope in making the work engaging, unique and award-worthy.
Put
Put together mood boards to present different visual directions to clients.
Report
Report to Creative & Strategic Planning Director or Chief Creative Officer.
Report to the CMO and the brand manager.
Respond to
Respond quickly and effectively to inbound sales inquiries via phone calls and emails.
Review
Review all work and manage production processes.
Set
Set an inspiring, positive, and empowering leadership tone for the design team.
Stay up to date with
Stay at the forefront of the latest industry trends and technology.
Stay up to date with new innovations and industry trends.
Study
Study performance of creative and provide data / feedback to team leads.
Supervise
Supervise the selection of creative suppliers.
Support
Support, guide and be part of the professional growth and success of the Producer.
Support the Creative Director with the development of concepts, strategies, and presentations.
Take
Take part in establishing the scope, specifications and requirements for each job when required.
Taste
Taste and up to speed with relevant trends within and outside the industry.
Track
Track pulse and trends across branding, tech, commerce, content, design.
Translate
Translate client and project objectives into strategic creative concepts.
Understand
Understand, direct, and execute our photo-styling and design standards.
Understand the company's strategic goals and incorporate them into decision making.
Uphold
Uphold the quality, values and characteristics of The Kit brand.
Use
Use an omni-channel, multi-tool approach to drive awareness of the programs.
Validate
Validate designs through usability tests.
Validate potential projects' creative and strategic feasibility.
Vet
Vet, partner, and lead vendors and contractors in executing and scaling creative work.
Work
Work closely with Digital Media, Marketing Operations, Tour marketing teams.
Work closely with our Production team to create meaningful and engaging video content.
Work collaboratively with our internal team across community, creative and innovation departments.
Work flexibly, proactively, and collaboratively with team members from multiple disciplines.
Work to improve team's knowledge of design and general industry trends.
Work with Account Lead to set vision and direction for clients.
Work with CMAs and traffic managers to appropriately assign projects.
Work with full team to develop and implement effective processes and metrics.
Work with the games and marketing teams in the brand development process for new games.
Write
Write and design unique and well-crafted copy that meet clients' needs as well as our own.
Write treatments and creative responses that inspire the best ideas and execution.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Creative Director:
Design
Advertising
Agency
Copywriting
Creative Director
Social Media
Brand
UX
Typography
UI
Print
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Creative Director:
Written and oral communication skills
Leadership
Creative
Presentation
Attention to detail
Interpersonal skills
Organizational capacity
Collaborative
Team player
Enthusiastic
Proactive
Positive attitude
Time-management
Confident
Diplomacy
Driven
Problem-solving attitude
Self-starter
Entrepreneurial mindset
Organized
