What Does a Creative Director Actually Do and How Might it Change? Part 1/4

Most people confuse creative direction with design. Design is simply one discipline among many falling under the Creative Director’s purview; creative directors uphold a broader scope of work. Designers solve individual design problems; creative directors define the visual language and principles to guide the work of the entire team.

Generally, the creative director holds the vision while the specialists we hire execute individual aspects of a build. What story are we telling? To whom are we speaking? What emotional response are we trying to elicit from our audience? Does every touchpoint feel cohesive, belonging to the same world? Strategists, photographers, retouches, writers, filmmakers, editors, developers, and designers all contribute, and the Creative Director pulls it all together.

As a creative director specializing in launching and refreshing luxury brands, during the formative stages I come on board to establish unique brand positioning. From that foundation I oversee the creation of a complete brand identity, including all brand touchpoints, including packaging design(s), photographic style, virtual presence, social media.

Different Kinds of Creative Directors

There are two basic categories of creative directors. Brand creators work externally with brand founders and CEOs to invent or redefine the brand; this is where I land in my work for the last twenty years. Brand stewards work in-house to ensure all is consistent, vision intact. While the creators write the language, the second speaks it and teaches it to others.

A creative director is essentially the conductor of an orchestra. While the conductor does not play every instrument, their work is to assemble talented musicians, understand their strengths, and know when to bring each person/instrument forward. They create rhythm, harmony, and a cohesive flow. As Rick Rubin says, “My only talent is that I know what I like.” Similarly, I don’t need to know more than any specialist on the team; I need to simply inspire each team member to deliver their highest capacity toward our shared creative goal.