What does a creative director actually do?

The honest job description

My mother still thinks I “do commercials.” That is about 20 percent correct. The rest of the job is harder to film.

A creative director is responsible for what the work is and how good it is. Not every idea has to be yours. But every idea that ships has to be one you would defend.

Three things, mostly

Deciding. Teams generate options. Someone has to pick one, early and clearly, and explain why. Indecision is the most expensive thing in any creative process.

Raising the bar. Looking at good work and asking for great work, without making people feel bad for bringing the good version.

Protecting. Ideas get weaker every time they pass through a meeting. Part of the job is knowing which notes improve the work and which just make it safer, and having the credibility to tell the difference out loud.

And the part nobody mentions

Translating. Clients speak in business outcomes. Creatives speak in feelings and references. A good creative director is bilingual, and most of the job happens in that translation.

I get to do that with a very good team at Summer Friday, and it’s also why I spend time judging other people’s work through the International ECHO Awards. It keeps the bar honest.

If you’d like help with this kind of problem, it’s what we do at Summer Friday.