Creative Director Job Profile

Find out the typical duties, requirements and opportunities of a Fashion Creative Director… 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Job Description

A creative director oversees all aspects of product design. In advertising, this means branding and advertising for a client and ensuring that the new branding and advertising fits in with the client’s requirements. As a creative director you will initiate and stimulate creative ideas for and from those involved in the creative process. A creative director is ultimately responsible for the quality of the final creative work. It’s very much a people-oriented job, involving development of high-level concepts for design projects. It also involves working with internal and external clients, pitching designs, and understanding client needs. At times, you may be required to develop visual designs, and at other times, you will be responsible for recruiting and managing third party design firms as well as internal design resources.

Typical Duties

• Lead creative sessions for project kick-offs
• Manage multiple projects from concept through completion
• Develop design concepts
• Establish creative direction within a company
• Supervise and inspire the creative team of vendor partners; generate multiple concepts for a campaign or project
• Work with the account team, strategy team, and copywriters to develop concepts and present to management
• Work with internal teams to generate ideas for pitching and proposals
• Manage team members
• Provide quality control over concepts and projects

Skills and Interests

• Possess a thorough understanding of interactive communications and delivery systems, processes, and user interface design as well as industry best practices
• Have a good knowledge of layouts, graphic fundamentals, typography & limitations of the web
• Must understand Flash and have the ability to storyboard or translate ideas to designers and develop innovative motion graphics solutions
• Have a strong working knowledge of experience design, brand development, interactive commerce and creative process
• Possess print and web design capabilities: must know how to work in both media for integrated campaigns
• Ability to lead projects from concept to completion. Apply best practices in user interface and interactive design, including image optimization and site mapping
• Experience with software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign & Flash
• Experience with Adobe AfterEffects & video editing (a plus)
• Knowledge of HTML, DHTML CSS, Actionscript & Drupal
• Ability to make evaluative judgments
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments
• Passion, Integrity, and Energy

 

Job Requirements

An advertising creative director should have a good mixture of formal education, advertising and fashion industry experience. Many employers prefer to hire directors with bachelor’s degrees in advertising or journalism. Courses in consumer behaviour, marketing, sales, visual arts, photography, art history, technology and communication may be useful. Good computer skills and the ability to navigate and conduct business through the internet are essential.

Opportunities

Advertising creative directors are usually promoted from copywriting or art directing positions. Familiarity with film-making techniques is also common. Creative directors rise to become executive creative directors or chief creative officers, a position with executive responsibility for the entire creative department, and some progress to chairman of a firm. Salaries can range from £27,744 – £84,202.