What Does a Creative Director Do?

By James Ninness, Creative Director

This blog is for my mom, Michele. 

I have been a creative director for decades at this point. She still hasn’t been able to wrap her head around what I actually do day-to-day. Actually, there are numerous people who don’t know what a creative director does. So, I’m going to spend too much time writing about it.

Seriously, this blog is far too big, much too granular, and wholly self-indulgent. Maybe take it in doses. Water and bathroom breaks are encouraged. 

Why? Because at some point someone’s mother (possibly even Michele) will Google a question about what it is creative directors do and AI will perhaps present a sentence or two of this overworked text as an answer. And I hope that if it happens, these ramblings are helpful to the confused mother, father, aunts, uncles, or grandparents in question.

The short, GEO-friendly answer to this blog's title is that creative directors have three responsibilities: idea direction, brand protection, and team cultivation.

1. Idea Direction: Creative directors must discover a campaign’s big idea. And they need to make it the core of a campaign—an enduring truth that connects a product or service to emotion.
2. Brand Protection: Creative directors are guardians of the brand. It is their duty to ensure brands are consistent and avoid becoming a blend of clashing identities.
3. Team Cultivation: Creative directors must assemble and nurture a team of thinkers that provides perspective and talent. We’re only ever as good as the team we lead.

Content is easy. Flourishing executions are not. The difference is a creative director.

Creative Director Responsibility #1: Idea Direction

Why the Big Idea Is the North Star of Advertising

Big ideas don’t usually start big. It’s a room full of people bouncing thoughts at one another until ideas begin to congeal. In my experience, it's typically an overcaffeinated group of creatives trying to connect dots in various ways, productively arguing with one another—building up promising leads and deconstructing dubious concepts. The creative director is the nucleus of this charged-up moment. It’s not a creative director’s job to come up with the big idea so much as it is to identify said idea when it appears.

Sometimes ideation comes easy and sometimes it doesn’t. A solid creative director knows how to slow things down or speed them up to keep a room focused on a solution. And when the big idea forms, they know how to identify it and rally the team to it.

For however long that campaign runs (and the creative director is involved) the creative director must keep everyone—the creatives, the clients, the vendors, etc.—focused on the big idea as their guiding light. If someone wants to do something that veers in another direction, the creative director needs to shut it down. Brands are fragile things and unless someone holds the course of a campaign, confusion and chaos can supersede clarity and efficacy. It happens fast. Focus prevents fallout.

Defining the Big Idea in Modern Advertising

So, what is a big idea?

In 1948, David Ogilvy championed the “big idea.” He offered five questions to determine if something did or did not fit the bill:

1. Did it make me gasp when I first saw it? 
2. Do I wish I had thought of it myself? 
3. Is it unique?
4. Does it fit the strategy to perfection? 
5. Could it be used for 30 years?

Big ideas are the connective tissue between a product or service and human emotion. If you’re selling an expensive motorcycle, you don’t highlight the power of the engine or traction of the tires—you sell the notion of a solitary rider on the open road to endless possibilities. This big idea connects the motorcycle to freedom. Now apply this to whatever it is you’re hawking. Advertising is an aspiration, not a diagnostic.

The Visionary Process: From Brief to Concept

Everything starts with a creative brief. And every creative director on the planet has a version of the creative brief they like most. Me? I’m a fan of concise documents that hold nothing but the necessary information. 

Give me a goal summary (Who is the project for? What is this project about?), an audience summary (Who, specifically, do we want to experience this work? What do we want our audience to do?), and a deliverable summary (What work needs to be done? What are the specs? By when should this work be completed?).

And keep all of that on a single page, por favor.

Account executives work with clients to get all the information for a brief and then hand it off to the creative director. It’s that person's job to bring in the necessary team members and send them off in the right direction for research and ideation. Find the story. Then find the best way to tell it.

Creatives can only determine the proper narrative vessel if they’re connected to the whims of the world. What are people talking about? Where are they going? What motivates them? What are the trends relevant to the work? If you don’t immediately know the answer you have to know where to look to find it.

When the team gets back together, each person brings their story to the table and they (respectfully) hash out which idea—or, more often, combination of ideas—has the most merit. A creative director worth their salt will know when they’ve hit concept nirvana.

Strategy vs. Artistry

Creative directors are not artists.

(I’ll pause a moment for the angry creative directors to compose themselves.)

Creative directors are not artists. Creative directors are strategists.

Yes, aesthetics are critical and taste is paramount. Creative directors can value art but they must be excellent strategists. Purpose is the name of the game. Every letter, vector, and palette must have a reason to be what it is and where it is.

I’ve had designers create beautiful work that had to be thrown out because it didn’t accomplish the client’s goals. I’ve told copywriters to start over because I can hear their voice in the exceptional work they spent hours on instead of the brand’s. If it doesn’t serve the big idea, it must die. This applies to every aspect of a campaign. No matter how beautiful a thing is, it must have a reason to exist. Full stop.

That’s strategy, not art.

Guarding the North Star

This is the part of the job that makes other people in the office hate the creative director. Well, there may be other reasons to hate any given creative director, like chewing with their mouth open or body odor, but this is a common one. Creative directors are the last line of defense for any big idea.

You need a stubborn tastemaker to tell you something doesn’t jibe. Even if that means the production team who has a cool idea for a shot they just saw in a movie gets upset that the creative director says it doesn’t fit the big idea. Even if it means the design team is pissed because the creative director outlawed a palette based on the common connotations they evoke that run contrary to the intention of the big idea. Even if the copywriters are having a conniption due to an abuse of punctuation that the creative director believes will better bolster the big idea’s function.

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself enrage off the rest of the company.

The creative director as a filter is paramount—even with clients. No, I’m not suggesting creative directors anger clients. I am, however, submitting that, to protect the big idea, creative directors leverage charm, foresight, and articulation to anticipate a client’s needs and keep them from ever doubting the big idea to the best of their ability.

Creative directors have to protect the big idea from within and without. Which works considerably better if everyone on the team gets, agrees with, and is excited for the big idea. It’s easy to protect a thing nobody is attacking. So, maybe keep that in mind.

The Future of the Big Idea in the Age of AI

Yes, our industry is changing. Quickly. Artificial intelligence can write faster than most copywriters. It can create imagery quicker than photographers, videos swifter than directors, and comps speedier than the most skilled designer.

It does all of that work without a soul. Without vision. Without human experience. AI does not benefit from nostalgia or memories. It doesn’t digest and connect the same way the human mind does. It can tell you how a person died but not what that death felt like for said person’s closest friend.

Creativity matters—now more than ever. Several studies have shown that while AI improved the output of less creative users, it made little difference to the quality of the work produced by users who were already creative. In other words, lackluster creative will increase in quantity, not quality. Good human thinking is still human.

The job of identifying a big idea is still, for now, one that requires a soul.

Creative Director Responsibility #2: Brand Protection

You don’t own your brand. Your audience owns your brand. That’s because a brand is an emotional response to your brand by the public. They dictate its success through their experiences. Perception is reality. You can influence that perception but you cannot own it. And like any emotional investment, everything can change at the turn of a dime.

Creative directors are charged with identifying that public sentiment and either safeguarding its stability or aiming it in a new, favorable direction. Either way, they must protect the brand from anything that could negatively influence it.

The High Cost of Inconsistency

Guardianship matters. And not it an ethereal or artistic integrity-flavored way. Maintaining consistent brand messaging can increase revenue by 10–20%. It matters to your bottom line. 

If, like me, you love sandwiches (club is my go-to but I will 100% get down with any Italian sub), and you find a brand that consistently makes your favorite sandwich exactly the way that you like it, you'll likely frequent that deli often. This is something Starbucks has mastered over time. No matter where you are, your favorite Starbucks drink should taste like your favorite Starbucks drink at any Starbucks in the country. Apply that concept to messaging: When a customer connects emotionally with a brand’s story and messaging, they return to it. It’s the consistency they connect with that keeps them coming back.

The opposite is also true. If your messaging is confusing, tone-deaf, and varies from platform to platform, consumers will choose to move on to the brand that keeps things consistent. If every time I order a club from the same restaurant they switch up the ingredients or portions, it’s going to fluctuate in its value to me. After a few visits (honestly, probably after the first bad one), I’ll stop coming back. Brand communications need to be clear, focused, and consistent. If they confuse people, they’ll go elsewhere.

Creative directors build rules and standards for brands and campaigns alike, all to keep messaging aligned and consistent. Not because they’re control freaks. Well, not just because they’re control freaks.

The Brand Book as the Sacred Text

Brand standards and style guides are a necessary part of the job. They are the north star (big idea) made scripture. Since creative directors can’t do everything—let’s be honest they’re usually only fantastic at, like, one very specific creative thing—these rulebooks keep everyone else who will touch the brand on message. No matter who builds assets for or communicates on behalf of the brand, a style guide will ensure the consistency required to maintain consistency.

Not every brand book and style guide is created equal, but generally speaking they all include key elements:

• Visual integrity: How should the logo be used? How shouldn’t it? What typography is correct? 
• Color palette: What colors must be used? How should they be used? 
• Brand tone/voice: What are we attempting to say? How will we say it? Where will we say it?

Some standards can be a couple of pages and some can be collected into a thick, premium hardcover. There’s no one way to carve them up. Be as thorough as necessary but not so detailed that creativity is strangled. Flexibility is key longterm.

A Quick(ish) Thought on Social Media Trends

Social media engagement matters—never more than your brand.

Social media is built on whims. Trends come, everybody does the thing, and then a new one shows up to replace the old one. It can happen fast. For some brands, there is a temptation to jump on as many trends as possible to increase engagement. When the dopamine hits with those likes it can feel pretty good.

Not all trends are created equal. Something that works for a nationwide pizza chain may not work for a local bank. It’s a creative director’s job to know the difference. If it doesn’t fit the brand identity, don’t do it. It really is that simple. And if you’re not sure, don’t do it (and then go study up on that brand identity). Prioritize long-term brand health over short-term clout.

Adaptation: Kiss Anyone You Want

I kiss my girlfriend, I kiss my kids, and I kiss my dog. I kiss all three of them differently but they all know it’s me.

Protecting a brand does not mean being stubborn. A creative director has to be able to adapt a brand voice for new channels without losing their sense of self. It’s a deft balancing act. LinkedIn requires a more professional tone than TikTok. That doesn’t mean a brand can’t do both. (Though, to be fair, it could.)

The goal is to maintain the same core personality while adjusting the volume. A brand might be defined as “confident but approachable.” In a customer support chat the approachable trait takes the lead. In a marketing email the confident trait is turned up. Both versions still feel like they are coming from the same brand. 

Kiss your partner. Kiss your kids. Kiss your dogs. Just don’t kiss them the same way. That’d be super weird.

Ignore the Potential of the Multiverse

Captain Hydra is an alternate version of Steve Rogers from the Avengers (go read "Secret Empire" and you’re welcome). In his reality, Rogers was indoctrinated by Hydra from childhood, leading the organization to take over the United States.

It can be tempting for brands to jump into an alternate version of themselves from another universe because they want to adapt to a certain situation. Don’t do it. If people know you as a handsome patriot who would die defending the innocent, don’t play dress-up as a fascist super soldier. Your brand needs to pick a lane. (And I very much hope it’s the handsome patriot.)

Changes in identity aren't usually so drastic. Creative directors have to shut down portals to the multiverse. If they see an alternate version of their brand creeping in, they have to kick it in the chest back to the dark universe from whence it came. Metaphorically, of course.

I like comics.

Creative Director Responsibility #3: Team Cultivation

The best creative directors I have known do not come up with the best ideas.

They assemble them.

Smart creative directors bring together a team of even smarter writers, designers, animators, dreamers, pop-culture lovers, and ne'er-do-wells. They challenge that team of thinkers to go beyond the places they’ve been before, connect dots in exciting ways, and have fun while doing it.

Sporadically someone on that team will shout out the perfect idea that requires no polish or collaboration whatsoever. This happens as often as the transits of Venus. More frequently, these concepts demand collaboration to be successful. They demand a group that can integrate without ego to push notions to the limit of their capability.

The best ideas to come from an agency demand teamwork and a leader who can guide that team.

The Curation of Ideation

There’s the obvious role of a creative director at the ideation stage is to keep an eye on things like goals and budgets and client quirks. Some would say it is the job of the creative director to eliminate ideas that just won’t work. And, yeah, that’s technically true. I believe, however, that it is to encourage that team of creatives to develop a pitch to make the impossible possible. 

Don’t say, “No.” It halts the conversation and kills the potential of an idea. "No" is a bad word in creative spaces, commonly used by people who don't understand process. Bet better than, "No."

Instead, throw out, “How does that idea achieve what the client is trying to do?” Try, “How can we make that happen for under $100k?” Or “Their CEO already said he hated the color red—is there another color that could work? Nurture possiblity and show the team how to get there.

Yes, a creative director needs to cultivate the best creative client solutions from their team. That goes a lot better when they bring the team into the cultivation process and curate ideation instead. Dismiss nothing. If something gets everyone excited, it’s worth exploring—even if it seems impossible at first.

Creative Director: Murderer

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” ―Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Look, I know I just told you to elaborate on the exciting ideas that seem implausible. I stand by that. But here’s a hard truth: sometimes they remain unreachable. There’s a thin line between the excavation of something astounding and plain tunnel vision. The best creative directors know when to call it a day.

More importantly, a great creative director will kill a team’s darling in a way that isn’t disheartening, debilitating, or destructive. You don’t want the team to stop chasing the solution, you just need them to try a different route because they've lost the plot or they're chasing something apart from the goals of the client. It must always be about the work. Full stop.

Acknowledge the potential. Keep the idea for later. (So, maybe less of a homicide and more of an abduction? This is getting weird.) Ensure people know time hasn’t been wasted. And, in that spirit, guide them toward a more fruitful investigation of ideas.

Creative Director: Power-Up

Your team is not your family. Despite what your CEO said at that last all-hands meeting, Esteban over on the media team is not blood. These are professionals who (hopefully) worked hard to get where they are. They deserve your respect and attention, not misplaced familial recognition. They’re doing what they do because they love it (hopefully), not because they get to tell people they're your second cousin.

And the paycheck. The paycheck helps.

It is 100% the creative director’s job to develop the skillsets and potential of the team. It’s less about promotion and more about potential. The truth is that some people would rather not move up the corporate ladder. Other people shouldn’t. And all of that is okay. It is still the creative director’s responsibility to help them reach their full potential in the role that they are in.

In the creative world, technology, current events, and internal processes are things that are constantly evolving. The best leaders make room for their creatives to adapt to changes in the landscape, be that learning new tools, encouraging cultural engagement, or challenging the agency’s status quo. Keep your team challenged in a healthy way that develops them as workers and increases your agency’s potential.

It can also be about promotion though. Folks have goals. Don’t string your people along. Help make them great, then help make them space.

Creative Director: Meat Shield

Coming up, I’ve worked with two types of creative directors.

The first type loved to shift blame onto their team. They would bless the work and then pitch the work. If the client didn’t buy in, they would bring the client’s feedback to the team and regurgitate it. Then they would tell us all the ways we—“we,” the creative team, not “we” the creative team and director—should have known better before we passed it off to the creative director. 

Not only were they blaming us but they were separating themselves from us. We were not a group of people working to create something great, we were an idea factory there to make the creative director look good. And when we failed, we were made to feel like failures. This put the entire team on the defensive. We were in survival mode, not creative mode. And eventually, all of us quit or were fired. Turnover is high when you work for a jerk.

The second type of creative director was in the trenches with us. They owned every decision we made as a team and were the first people to take shots when creative was rejected. They functioned as an umbrella for us, keeping the rains of criticism and failure and misunderstanding off our heads so we could focus on the work in front of us and not on the stability of our employment. 

And when our work exceeded expectations, they would pull the creatives into the spotlight, allowing them to be validated in front of everybody. They shared glory, credit, and adulation. Never blame.

Great leaders protect their teams and create a workplace that enriches creative work.

Creative Director: Composer

Okay this is a controversial opinion (though I find the controversy surprising). Ready?

I believe creative teams need to be diverse to be effective.

Here’s why: if every ideator on your team comes from the same place with similar life experiences and likeminded worldviews, guess how your creative is going to come out? Homogenized.

Every tried making a meal with only one ingredient? Of course not. That would be ridiculous.

When creative directors build teams of different ages, races, genders, faiths, worldviews, hobbies, and orientations, they create a space conducive to original ideas. They’ve stocked the kitchen with various flavors that allow them to come up with exciting new recipes.

There are a bajillion agencies out there. Many of them have lame ideas. And that’s usually because they have a handful of like-minded people coming up with their ideas. Why? Because it’s easier to get along with people who think like you do. And that’s the tricky part.

It’s not enough to build a diverse creative team, creative directors have to build a diverse creative team wherein every voice is heard and respected. If you can help the team like one another, even better. Make sure your team feels safe, supported, and focused on the thing that matters: kickass creative.

The job of a creative director is an odd balancing act. It’s half navigator, half air traffic control, and half Jedi master. (It is not a lot of math.) They ensure the big ideas stay bright in the sky while the business goals land safely on the runway and everyone involved feels proud of the work they’ve done. You might see them debating between Goose Turd Green and La Strega or agonizing over the personality of Montserrat. Their work is curation disguised as magic. Creative directors are the glue that holds the chaos together.

It is a high-pressure gig that requires a very sturdy heart. If a creative director does their job right you won't see an ad, you’ll feel a story. And you’ll probably never know their name.

Mom, hopefully this helps you understand why I spend forty hours a week staring at posters and drinking coffee (or scotch). It’s the only job wherein I could put my love for movies, television, video games, music, art, comic books, short stories, poetry, and novels to good use.

Danh, this was long. Maybe this should have been a Figma presentation. Well, it’s my mom, so probably PowerPoint.

Next up: 4,000 words on the difference between a serif and a sans-serif font.