Creative Director
Creative Directors are the driving force in all creative departments and are responsible for leading the creative output of the agency, ensuring that the best possible work is being produced for clients at all times. They are the figurehead for the agency’s creative reputation.
Creative Directors will have come through the creative ranks, most often from either an Art Director or Copywriter background. Having said that, away from the advertising agency world Creative Directors in brand, design, or digital agencies will more likely have come through the design ranks. What’s always consistent is their creative vision and their clear leadership qualities.
What sets them apart and allows them to make the transition from talented creative, to leader, is their ability to inspire their teams to develop the best possible creative ideas and to build an environment that allows creative talent to flourish and ideas to thrive.
Creative Directors need to combine outstanding creative vision with a strong commercial understanding and an ability to inspire both their teams, the wider agency and their clients. As such they’ll invariably be a skilled presenter and story teller. Creative Directors are a key part of the agency management and leadership team, with overall responsibility for the creative department.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Establishing the agency’s creative philosophy, strategy and objectives,
- Representing the agency at industry events, panels and groups.
- Managing the work, performance and professional development of creative teams
- Ensuring that work is both creatively outstanding and effective, whilst also consistent with client’s brand guidelines/objectives
- Pitching ideas and campaigns to existing and potential clients.
Depending on the size/type of agency, Creative Directors are sometimes also called Creative Partner, Design Director, Executive Creative Director and other such combinations. Salary wise outside of London the role generally pays between £68,000 to £120,000 depending on regional variance and level of experience.
City of London
One of the world's most visited cities – founded by the Romans and named ‘Londinium’, London has something for everyone! Immersed in history with fascinating antiquity and splendour everywhere you look: London’s buildings are milestones in the city’s unique biography, World Heritage Sites and landmarks such as the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Shard, the London Eye complement the architectural grandeur of the West End’s theatres, the enthralling remains of England’s many bygone eras and today’s charming society housed in the cultural hubs and public houses in and around the banks of the River Thames. Central London is where to find major museums such as the British and Victoria & Albert, galleries such as the Tate Modern and iconic sights such as the centuries-old Borough Market, and yet you can visit Hampstead Heath or the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to escape the crowds and even venture out to Kew Gardens, Richmond or Hampton Court Palace for excellent panoramas of London – all easily accessed thanks to the London Underground, the oldest underground railway network in the world. The modern conurbation of London includes the small district of the City of London and the county of Greater London. A leading global city with international strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development and tourism. London's 43 universities form the highest concentration of educational institutions in Europe, helping the city to rank highly the world’s multimedia development and technology markets.
With the UK advertising industry estimated to be worth in excess of £20 billion in 2016, this puts London as a worldwide leader and powerhouse for the creative and industry. Widely regarded to host some of the best creative output in the world, it’s no surprising that the majority of marketers and creatives in the UK are based in the capital.
