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A creative directoris a position often found within thegraphic

design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media orentertainment industries, but may be useful in other

creative organizations such asweb developmentand software development firms as well.

A creative director is a vital role in all of the arts and entertainment industries. In another sense, they can

be seen as another element in any product development process. The creative director may also assumethe roles of an art director, copywriter, or lead designer. The responsibilities of a creative director include

leading the communication design, interactive design, and concept forward in any work assigned. For

example, this responsibility is often seen in industries related to advertisement. The creative director is

known to guide a team of employees with skills and experience related to graphic design, fine arts,

motion graphics, and other creative industry fields. Some example works can include visual layout,

brainstorming, and copywriting. Before one assumes the role of a creative director, one must have a pre-

set of experience beforehand. Like anyone else, these types of artists start up from the very beginning in

fields that can relate to motion graphics, advertisement in television, and/or book (or magazine)

publishing. It takes years of experience and professionalism for an artist to grow and eventually take the

job as a creative director. If one shows exceptional skills in visual and team leading projects, they may be

considered to be promoted to the role.[1]

A creative director needs to possess a wide range of general skills when working with projects that

involve collaborating with a large team. The director is the lead person so he or she is in charge of what

ideas and concepts go forward. In order to perform effectively, one must have a wide attention and

listening span, especially with large projects and teams. It is the responsibility of the creative director to

fully understand the ideas and opinions of his or her team in a respectful/critical manner (providing

constructive criticism, turning small ideas into larger concepts, etc.). The creative director must be able to

make decisions in a deadline driven environment in the most efficient way as possible. Coordinating his

or her team in an accurate conceptual direction of where the project needs to go and involving their team

in constant creative/brainstorming sessions is crucial. Also another important key part is being able to

learn new skills and strategies from fellow workers and how to apply those to future projects.

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A creative director is ultimately responsible for the quality of the f inal creative work. For this reason, they

get the lion's share of acclaim when their team's efforts win awards, but conversely, the creative director

shoulders the negativity (and the blame) when a project goes wrong, response falls short of expectations,

or an important individual on the client's side dislikes or vetos an idea.[citation needed]

In the communication design fields of work, creative directors are usually considered to be one of the

highest/most active authorities in a creative agency firm. Main goals will include watching out over

activities and agendas that his or her creative team may come across. One must consider every option

and idea that is conceptualized by their team. The management comprises professional individuals who

specialize in communication design which can include graphic designer, illustrators, drawing artists, copywriters, photographers, etc. One thing that is important to know is that producing creative works and ideas

with the assistance of a team is not the only important responsibility at hand. Aside from leading a team,

the creative director must always have an open mind and plan new, innovative, and interesting ways of

translating ideas out into reality. As mentioned in other fields of creative directors, exceptional

interpersonal skills is key as well as studying different ideas that others conceptualize and knowing what

idea is good or bad.[3]

Creative directors are also determined to work closely with clients (holding

meetings or sessions directly with them). It is their job to understand the goals and objectives of their

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clients and to deliver outstanding results. During the entire production process of a design or product, the

creative director must review/finalize the concluding aspects of it and prepare to present it to the client(s).

This role is deemed as a very challenging and stressful job since it involves a great deal of attention to

detail, excellent team managing skills, extreme time managing skills, and meeting tight deadlines on time.

It is also important for one to know how to resolve problems constantly on the go as well as in creative

ways that meets or exceeds the expectations of their client(s).[4]

The creative director involved in the film industry carries a large responsibility of managing the arts and

props of a movie. The job is similar to a creative director's role in the video game industry in that they

manage a team of employees and have to consistently develop new ideas and methods of working. It is

vital that creative director's in this field are able to produce expressive/creative ideas and translating them

into something cinematic. Usually a certain sum of funds is distributed among different departments in the

production of a film (in this case, the art department). Creative directors must decide on how to distribute

and use the funds in the most efficient and effective way to ensure maximum quality in the films art

department. An example can include the structuring of scenes and sets once a film begins to undergo the

shooting process. During this process, i t is important for creative directors to understand what props and

effects should be used and how they should be used among various sets and scenes of the film. Some

important qualifications that one should have include being able to manage teams, having expertise on

design (specifically in theatre and interior sets and art design), being open minded to new ideas and

methods in regards to organizing film sets, and having an understanding of coordinating among different

departments in order to move a project towards success. A creative director in the film industry usually

starts out in lower ranks of the chain such as an assistant to other art directors and/or as

a Draughtsman.[8]