How long does it take to become a creative director?

It takes around 11 to 14 years to become a creative director. This includes the time it takes to earn a four-year bachelor's degree. That means the remaining 7 to 10 years it takes to become a creative director comes down to work experience.

Is becoming a creative director hard?

Yes, becoming a creative director is hard. To become a creative director takes time, at least 7 to 10 years of work experience, and an impressive work portfolio. In addition, some formal education and specific skill sets.

What is the career path for a creative director?

The career path for a creative director involves jobs as a copywriter, graphic designer, and creative director. The creative director's career path varies; many creative positions can lead to the pinnacle role.

What skills do creative directors need?

Creative directors need an assortment of skills related to their craft and also in leadership. To become a creative designer takes at least 7 to 10 years of work experience. During this time, a prospective creative director hones their skill set and builds their work portfolio.

What is a creative director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Yash Egami

A creative director oversees the creative vision of a project. They lead a team of designers, writers, and artists to develop innovative concepts that align with the brand's identity. A creative director is involved, from brainstorming ideas to final execution. They collaborate with clients, stakeholders, and others to ensure the creative work meets business objectives. A successful creative director possesses strong leadership has a deep understanding of marketing and advertising principles.

What general advice would you give to a creative director?

Yash Egami

VP, The One Club

A recent Forrester report says that the ad industry will lose 50,000 jobs through 2021, with 35,000 of them already lost since the pandemic. The traditional ad agency model was already in trouble, with many brands hiring away talent and creating their own in-house agencies. Add to that the recent reckoning with the Black Lives Matter movement, and what we're seeing is an industry that is being forced to go through monumental change in order to survive.

While traditional roles like art director or copywriter are on the decline, the good news is that, in an effort to reinvent themselves, agencies are seeking creatives with digital skills like UX design and programming. The rise of in-house creative departments has also meant more opportunities for job seekers within brands rather than agencies. And because of the demand for more diversity from clients and those within advertising, recruiters are making more of an effort to hire multicultural talent.

At The One Club for Creativity, we've been at the forefront of change in the industry through our diversity and inclusion, professional development and gender equality programs. We recently hosted our annual multicultural career fair, "Where Are All the Black People?" that brought together thousands of diverse talent with 40 agencies and companies looking to hire. We launched One School, a free online program for Black creatives who want to get into the industry but don't have a portfolio or the economic means to afford to go to ad school. And we're working on upskilling courses for professionals who want to reinvent themselves or keep up with the changing demands of our industry.

So if you're a recent graduate who specializes in art direction, our advice would be to keep an open mind about what kind of company you want to work for and think about expanding your skillset to include digital skills so that you can future-proof your career. Where you are isn't as important because, since the pandemic, agencies have become more comfortable with working remotely and they are more open to having a workforce not centered on the traditional agency hubs, like New York or Los Angeles.

ScoreCreative DirectorUS Average

Salary

8.6

Avg. Salary $137,779

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 7.80%

Black or African American 4.37%

Hispanic or Latino 14.47%

Unknown 5.73%

White 66.90%

Gender

female 35.27%

male 64.73%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a creative director?

Pros

Collaborating with talented artists and designers
Constantly learning and keeping up with industry trends
High level of creative freedom and autonomy
Opportunity for career advancement into executive roles
High earning potential

Cons

Managing multiple projects simultaneously can be overwhelming
Creative differences with clients or team members can be difficult to navigate
Challenging to stay relevant and innovative in an ever-changing industry
Dealing with feedback and criticism can be emotionally taxing
May require relocating frequently for new job opportunities.

Key steps to become a creative director

Explore creative director education requirements

Most common creative director degrees

Bachelor's

76.5 %

Associate

12.1 %

Master's

7.2 %

Start to develop specific creative director skills

Skills	Percentages
Graphic Design	6.47%
Creative Concepts	5.97%
Creative Direction	5.88%
Video Production	5.39%
Photography	4.97%

Complete relevant creative director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New creative directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a creative director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real creative director resumes.

Research creative director duties and responsibilities

Manage designers and lead entire in-house healthcare creative department.
Manage all social media outlets and create Youtube channel.
Create, direct, and produce engaging videos and manage Instagram page.
Manage staff including designers, producers, HTML designers, creative writers, and developers; interview and select candidates.

Get creative director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a creative director. The most common roles before becoming a creative director include art director, graphic designer team lead and senior art director.

Prepare your creative director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your creative director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a creative director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable creative director resume templates

Build a professional creative director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your creative director resume.