Career Spotlight: Creative Director, from The Creative Ladder and Smartsheet

Career Spotlight: Creative Director

Creative Directors play a vital leadership role at agencies and brands. As charismatic leaders and architects of big ideas, they bring together the worlds of writing, design and strategy by leading teams of creative specialists.

The Creative Ladder’s Career Spotlight, presented by Smartsheet, features one of the many creative industry roles that today’s rising talents might want to consider as a rewarding career path. 

And if you want a career that’s flexible, wide-ranging, leadership-oriented and never boring, Creative Director could be a great fit. 

What this role does:

A Creative Director oversees the creative direction and production of everything their team creates, from ads on billboards to the look and feel of a website. They lead teams of creatives (typically writers and designers), organize brainstorming sessions, and meet frequently with clients to understand their needs. 

Salary range:

$124,000–$224,000 (average $165,000), per Glassdoor; $63,000–$200,000 (average $111,376), per Indeed.

Personality traits that thrive in this career: 

  • Creativity: Innovative thinking and a love for developing new ideas

  • Leadership: Stepping up to help a group of talented individuals succeed together 

  • Communication skills: Discussing, educating and inspiring, in writing or in person 


What they love about their job:

“I get to teach, not just design.” —Aaron Sanchez, Creative Director

What recruiters look for when hiring for this role:

  • Proven leadership ability

  • Strong presentation skills

  • Hands-on experience in writing and/or design (Creative directors are typically promoted from Art Director or Copywriter roles)

  • Though direct experience tends to be more important than college education, many Creative Directors begin by seeking bachelor’s degrees in advertising, design or communications. Some attend “portfolio schools,” two-year programs specializing in creative development for advertising.

A sample career path for this role:

  • Copywriter or Art Director (entry-level role) 

  • Associate Creative Director 

  • Creative Director

  • Group Creative Director

  • Executive Creative Director

  • Chief Creative Officer

Do you know the next great Creative Director?

If you know someone who might be a great fit for a career like this, please share this page with them! And be sure to sign up for free to join The Creative Ladder community so that you’ll be one of the first to hear about new career resources and opportunities!

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Special thanks to Smartsheet for sponsoring The Creative Ladder’s Career Spotlight series. Learn more about how Smartsheet can help creative professionals thrive through its enterprise work management platform. 

Find more Career Spotlights at CreativeLadder.org/Careers