How to Become a Creative Director

Tools of a Creative Director — Source: Kobu Agency via Unsplash

What Is a Creative Director?

A creative director is an executive in a creative field who works to help brands engage in consumer conversations. The creative director is in charge of everything from brand storytelling to all the creative aspects of a brand, including campaigns, art direction, photography, animation, motion graphics, corporate branding, and advertising.

It is not a single position. The job description varies widely depending on the company and industry. The best Creative Directors serve as brand owners, working with other members of the creative team to create and execute campaigns.

The position of creative director is usually assigned to a person with a Bachelor’s degree in art or art history, or related field such as graphic design, animation, motion graphics, advertising, or creative marketing.

What Do You Need to Become a Creative Director?

The most important piece of advice to aspiring creative directors is this: Become a great artist. You’ll need the visual language skills and creativity to become a creative director.

Since creative directors usually work with a client—or client’s design team—as well as a team of designers, other art directors, and writers, they need to have many different artistic skills.

You might be interested in: Creative Director vs. Art Director – What’s the Difference Anyway?

Because you’ll need to work with others, you may need to study painting and graphic design in college. You’ll also need to have knowledge of digital and print design software.

Since you’ll also likely have to create marketing campaigns for a company or agency, you should be adept at understanding marketing principles and digital or print marketing campaigns. You’ll also need to be good at writing marketing copy.

Education and Experience

While having experience as a creative director is often required for entry level creative positions, most companies have a formal process for aspiring creative directors to learn the ropes.

You’ll want to complete an art and design program. This program should help you sharpen your skills and hone your eye. While most art and design programs require students to gain a degree in visual art, other programs allow students to study visual arts but then earn degrees in design. Some programs also require you to study web design or other aspects of computer-based design.

At the college level, you’ll want to choose a school where you can learn to draw, work in the computer lab, take drawing and color theory, learn typography, and study photography.

You will likely need at least a Bachelor of Arts degree along with relevant experience, and may require a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA).

Typical Skills of Highly Effective Creative Directors

At its core, a creative director or art director role is about creativity. While art directors focus on aesthetics, or the visual and creative elements of design, the creative director focuses on the creative process itself. This includes working with artists, writers, and marketing teams to create well-conceived, professionally executed work.

On the whole, a creative director does not have any superpowers that allow her her to create work in a snap. Instead, they draw on broad experience and a range of perspectives to make sure their creative teams always produce good work, regardless of the circumstances.

You’ll have the privilege of working directly with the most creative people in your company to execute their ideas. With your creativity and willingness to learn new skills and techniques, you’ll probably become an excellent art director and art director.

Creative Job Boards to Pursue Your Career

There are many different job boards that focus specifically on the artistic and creative endeavors. Check our full article on the 13 Creative Job Boards for Artists and Designers for a full breakdown.

Conclusion

Pursuing your dreams of a being a creative director is entirely possible and worthwhile, especially in today’s business environment where creatives are more and more valuable. Using the above recommendations you should be able to make significant progress on your path. Good luck!