Creative Director Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Creative Director, or Director of Creative Services, is responsible for overseeing the design layout and visual impact of marketing materials, products or publications. Their duties include leading a team of creative professionals, meeting with company executives to determine visual needs for packaging or advertisements and coordinating with freelance professionals and manufacturers to complete projects.

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Creative Director duties and responsibilities

Creative Directors are responsible for high-level decisions, and they need to be able to lead a team. Other responsibilities include:

  • Planning and overseeing the development of company advertisements
  • Heading brand campaigns, including submitting ideas for projects and overseeing the development of all creative content
  • Supervising all work completed by the creative department
  • Working with executives and other creative leaders to set project deadlines and content goals
  • Presenting project information, including deadlines and budgets, to executives and clients
  • Recruit and train team leads and managers
  • Oversee the creative budget
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Creative Director Job Description Examples

 

Example 1

We are looking for an experienced Creative Director to devise our marketing strategy, create content, and monitor its progress. You will be able to implement your creative vision and become the point of reference for any creative plan that wants to make its way to the customers. While the location for this position is our McLean, VA office, a &;hybrid&; remote work environment is acceptable. We have offices throughout Maryland, DC, and Virginia, so some local travel will be required. We are also expanding into other areas of the country, so some overnight travel may be necessary. *Responsibilities* * Conceive and implement concepts, guidelines and strategies in various creative projects and oversee them to completion. Particularly around brand strategy and social media. * Collaborate with our operations and sales teams to obtain knowledge of the clients’ requirements * Work with executives to craft an updated brand strategy and marketing plan. * Produce quality still photography and videography equipment provided). * Write and design unique and well-crafted copy * Monitor results of team efforts and propose actions for the future *Skills* * Proven experience as a creative director or in a similar creative role * Hand-on experience in creative process, marketing, graphic design and brand development * Excellent working knowledge of software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Wordpress, etc. * Excellent working knowledge of Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and TikTok. * Outstanding leadership and organization skills * Exemplary interpersonal and analytical abilities Job Type: Full-time Pay: $50,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year Benefits: * 401(k) * 401(k) matching * Dental insurance * Flexible schedule * Health insurance * Paid time off * Parental leave Schedule: * Monday to Friday * Weekend availability Education: * Associate (Preferred) Work Location: Multiple Locations

Example 2

Your Role at MOBE As a Creative Director, you will manage and contribute to highly-visible and strategic work in support of our commercial efforts (B2B), internal initiatives (B2E), and our clinical content library. You will partner with the Senior Director of Creative Services in building, developing, and guiding an in-house creative team, maintaining brand consistency across all work in all channels. In addition, you will enlist and oversee agency partners and freelancers to ensure work is delivered on time, on budget, and on brand. You will keep audience top-of-mind, and inspire others with your curious nature and creative approach to problem-solving. Your passion for growing the business will be equally matched with your passion for supporting our participants and leading your team. This position reports directly to the Senior Director of Creative Services. Responsibilities: * Oversee and help drive B2B/B2E creative and content work * Ensure all work adheres to brand guidelines * Provide hands-on writing and/or design support (a ?working leader?) * Identify and scope creative resourcing requirements * Recruit and train talent to support requested work (incl. designers, writers, production artists) * Attend and support kick-off meetings, adding to discussions with thoughtful contributions and observations * Partner with MOBE Marketing?s Brand team on innovative multi-channel initiatives, including trade show exhibits, presentation materials, email campaigns, web (landing pages, webinars, etc.), paid media, and promotional items. * Partner with the Director of Content Strategy and MOBE clinical SMEs on building and shaping inspiring content for our library (long-form articles, videos, podcasts, etc.) * Communicate creative strategy and concepts at the executive level * Actively seek guidance, insights, and feedback from partners across the organization * Lead and participate in collaboration sessions * Contribute to creative process improvement in partnership with Marketing Operations team * Enlist appropriate creative resources to produce work that is on time and within budget * Review creative team?s assignments and provide creative feedback that is thoughtful, supportive, and constructive * Participate in weekly check-ins with Brand and clinical content creative teams, as well as with the Senior Director of Creative Services * Conduct semi-annual and annual performance reviews with creative staff (direct reports) * Other duties as assigned to help fulfill our Mission and abide by MOBE?s Guiding Principles *Required: * * Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field * 7 – 10 years of marketing experience, including creative leadership experience * Excellent communication and editing skills * Strong organizational skills * Strategic creative experience (design/art direction and/or copywriting) * Presentation experience (sales decks, webinars, etc.) * Print experience (direct mail, sales collateral, etc.) * Digital experience (email campaigns, landing pages, social media, etc.) * B2B creative experience * Health care experience * Budget management experience *Preferred: * * Master’s degree in marketing or related field * Combination of client-side and agency experience strongly preferred * Content strategy experience (clinical knowledge a plus) * Photo and/or video production experience * Trade show exhibit design experience Guiding Principles: We want employees who are kind, talented and committed, who live by our guiding principles and choose to work at MOBE because of these principles. * *Care about people. *We only succeed in our mission because we take good care of our own with the same energy, empathy and expertise we bring to the MOBE program. We honor who people are at work and outside of work. * *Attitude counts. *Our people believe in a friendly, human approach to helping people with their health and enjoy a culture built on trust, positivity, and well-being. * *Do good together. *As a mission-based organization, we need people who like to collaborate and are energized by doing good things. * *Believe in the power of human potential. *We need people who want opportunities for personal growth and believe in making a difference in the health care space, person by person.** * *Embrace new ideas. *As a high-growth organization, we need people who have the energy and flexibility to innovate and evolve with our program. * *Apply learnings. *We learn by doing, and we’re going to get better at helping people by being able to anticipate their needs. We need people who embrace continuous improvement and are dedicated to delivering results. * *Be relentless in the pursuit of awesome. *MOBE offers a unique opportunity to help others lead more fulfilling, enjoyable lives. We need people who are ready to embrace this mission. Job Type: Full-time

What does a Creative Director do?

Creative Directors typically work for corporations or marketing agencies, but they may also be self-employed individuals. They work closely with artists, graphic designers, copywriters and other professionals to ensure products or services adhere to their company’s brand and overall vision. Their job is to review their company’s brand and develop color schemes and visual layouts to enhance publications like newsletters or magazines and product packaging. They may also be responsible for creating logos or design layouts using their expertise and creative software programs.

Creative Director skills and qualifications

Creative Directors need a variety of hard and soft skills, such as:

  • Analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Ability to empathize with clients and team members
  • Leadership skills
  • Public speaking skills
  • Exceptional planning and organization skills
  • Time-management skills
  • Ability to oversee projects, budgets and the creative department

Creative Director salary expectations

A Creative Director makes an average of $103,379 per year. Salary may depend on level of experience, education and the geographical location.

Creative Director education and training requirements

Creative Directors need a bachelor’s degree at a minimum, with many candidates possessing degrees in fields like advertising, design or marketing. Some candidates continue studying and complete a master’s degree to stand out among other candidates. No certifications are needed for a Creative Director, but they should have training in any software the company uses. Creative Directors complete most of their training on the job while working in different creative positions. 

Creative Director experience requirements

Creative Directors should have at least five years of experience, though many employers seek candidates with up to 10 years of experience. Working in creative and marketing roles provides valuable experience for Creative Directors, and they should feel comfortable leading a team. An Associate Creative Director, Assistant Creative Director or Marketing Manager would be ideal for an entry-level role. Creative Directors heading large departments or budgets should have previous related experience in the same position.  

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Frequently asked questions about Creative Directors

 

What is the difference between a Creative Director and a Art Director?

The difference between a Creative Director and an Art Director is their scope of job responsibilities. For example, Art Directors typically focus solely on aesthetic elements and oversee a team of artists to create artwork and photography to contribute to the creative team’s efforts. In contrast, the Creative Director focuses on aesthetic elements, but they also have the responsibility to develop strategies for visual marketing campaigns, oversee budgets and ensure that aesthetic images adhere to the company’s brand. 

The Creative Director and Art Director work closely together to combine artistic images and design layouts for product packaging, magazines, books or other publications.

 

What are the daily duties of a Creative Director?

On a typical day, a Creative Director starts by checking their email and voicemail to respond to time-sensitive messages from company Executives, business partners or members of the creative team. They review campaign calendars to determine deadlines for upcoming projects and communicate with employees to check their progress. Throughout the day, the Creative Director meets with company Executives and the creative or marketing teams to pitch ideas for upcoming campaigns and reveal the finished layout of packaging or publications.

 

What qualities make a good Creative Director?

A good Creative Director has an innovative mindset that inspires them to develop new and exciting ideas for visual marketing campaigns. They have excellent verbal communication skills that allows them to present their ideas in marketing meetings and persuade company Executives to approve their projects. Further, a good Creative Director understands that some projects require additional time to complete, and demonstrate their willingness to work late or on weekends to accomplish goals ahead of campaign deadlines. 

A good Creative Director also values continued education and participates in certification courses for new software programs. This is important as it allows them to contribute to creative projects and implement new creative software into team operations.

 

Who does a Creative Director report to?

A Creative Director typically reports to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to strategize about visual marketing campaigns in accordance with the company’s overall brand image. Creative Directors also report to the Chief Marketing Officer to relay information between them and their creative team. In smaller corporations, the Creative Director may report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

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