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What does a creative services director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Mark Charney Ph.D.
What does a creative services director do

A Creative Services Director is responsible for managing digital content and campaign publications for project management efforts. They oversee the daily account operations and ensure that the processes adhere to high-quality standards and client specifications. They also conduct data and statistical analysis to measure media presence's effectiveness and adjust plans as necessary to meet goals and objectives.

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Creative services director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real creative services director resumes:

  • Oversee and manage highly complex creative assignments, copywriting and translations while interfacing with outside agency partners.
  • Manage content effectiveness, ROI, media orders, ad confirmations, production requests and discrepancy notices.
  • Initiate RFP process for agency selection and manage all advertising agency activities.
  • Coordinate, plan, design and execute all print and digital media including professional photography and video production.
  • Construct SEO strategies and utilize best practices to increase visibility and relevance.
  • Build site structure, presentation and behaviors with HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
  • Create strategic and tactical plans for high-technology professional services and software product firm to deliver desire ROI.
  • Develop custom HTML training guide solutions for financial institutions.
  • Suggest and setup in-house photography studio, able to provide both conventional and digital media which significantly reduce production cost.
  • Skil at bringing different elements - voice, music, sound and copywriting - together and creating an effective advertising message.
  • Implement advanced training for editorial team to improve copy deliverables for web and SEO.
  • Direct visual branding of corporate PowerPoint template, generating final template and creating content for key slides in sales presentations.
  • Create sales and corporate PowerPoint presentations.
  • Create UI standards for control systems design and improve customer satisfaction and usability of install client-side systems.

Creative services director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Creative Services Directors are proficient in Graphic Design, Video Production, and Adobe Creative Suite. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Creative Services Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Graphic Design, 15%

    Operate full-service freelance graphic design studio, specializing in promotional collateral for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

  • Video Production, 8%

    Produced an award-winning alumni magazine, numerous websites, video productions and multimedia presentations.

  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%

    Converted and constructed vector-based artwork for promotional items with Adobe Creative Suite.

  • Creative Direction, 5%

    Interfaced with commercial clients to determine desired creative direction and timely execution of ad production.

  • Web Site, 4%

    Design web sites and digitally based creative communications.

  • Digital Marketing, 4%

    Established and manage production teams for existing and new business, media productions, and digital marketing.

Common skills that a creative services director uses to do their job include "graphic design," "video production," and "adobe creative suite." You can find details on the most important creative services director responsibilities below.

Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a creative services director to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what creative services directors do because "art directors must be able to organize, direct, and motivate other artists." Additionally, a creative services director resume shows how creative services directors use leadership skills: "provided leadership in the areas of content, copywriting, design and production. "

Time-management skills. Many creative services director duties rely on time-management skills. "balancing competing priorities and multiple projects while meeting strict deadlines is critical for art directors.," so a creative services director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways creative services director responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "follow through with design, copywriting and production to assure quality, meet deadlines and monitor budget. "

Communication skills. creative services directors are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to creative services director responsibilities, because "art directors must be able to listen to and speak with staff and clients to ensure that they understand employees’ ideas and clients’ desires for advertisements, publications, or movie sets." A creative services director resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "developed and refined communications and production processes to reduce project time-to-market while maintaining high production quality standards. "

Creativity. A big part of what creative services directors do relies on "creativity." You can see how essential it is to creative services director responsibilities because "art directors must be able to come up with interesting and innovative ideas to develop advertising campaigns, set designs, or layout options." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical creative services director tasks: "led all creative with a full-scale brand development and identity program. "

All creative services director skills

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Compare different creative services directors

Creative services director vs. Art consultant

The job of a junior art director is to plan, assist, and execute the design and creative projects, including websites, emails, magazines, and ad campaigns. Duties may vary but typically include creating presentations and layouts, working closely with other departments on current projects, and organizing and conducting training on branding and design concepts. Additionally, you will be responsible for creating logos, brand standards, and corporate marketing. You are also responsible for creating graphic standards and communication guidelines.

We looked at the average creative services director salary and compared it with the wages of an art consultant. Generally speaking, art consultants are paid $38,988 lower than creative services directors per year.Even though creative services directors and art consultants are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require graphic design, fine arts, and promotional events in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between creative services directors and art consultant. For instance, creative services director responsibilities require skills such as "video production," "adobe creative suite," "creative direction," and "social media marketing." Whereas a art consultant is skilled in "art gallery," "contemporary art," "art collections," and "art shows." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Art consultants earn the highest salaries when working in the internet industry, with an average yearly salary of $68,646. On the other hand, creative services directors are paid more in the media industry with an average salary of $114,140.On average, art consultants reach higher levels of education than creative services directors. Art consultants are 6.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Creative services director vs. Assistant art director

Assistant art director positions earn lower pay than creative services director roles. They earn a $31,145 lower salary than creative services directors per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both creative services directors and assistant art directors have skills such as "graphic design," "adobe creative suite," and "web site. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that creative services director responsibilities requires skills like "video production," "creative direction," "social media marketing," and "digital marketing." But an assistant art director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "adobe photoshop," "concept development," "adobe illustrator," and "editorial layouts."

On average, assistant art directors earn a lower salary than creative services directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, assistant art directors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $102,665. Whereas creative services directors have higher pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $114,140.In general, assistant art directors achieve similar levels of education than creative services directors. They're 2.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for creative services directors in the next 3-5 years?

Mark Charney Ph.D.Mark Charney Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, Texas Tech University

The arts will be rightfully concerned with preservation, so while the zoom platform will continue to be necessary, we will continue to find ways to express art in various media. We will still treasure the stage, but we can bring what we have learned from sharing performances over the computer to the stage, using technology to advance narratives and create opportunities.

Creative services director vs. Co-director

On average, co-directors earn lower salaries than creative services directors, with a $9,798 difference per year.By looking over several creative services directors and co-directors resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "press releases," "facebook," and "powerpoint." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a creative services director is likely to be skilled in "graphic design," "video production," "adobe creative suite," and "creative direction," while a typical co-director is skilled in "oversight," "curriculum development," "community outreach," and "mental health."

Co-directors make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $83,655. On the other hand, creative services directors are paid the highest salary in the media industry, with average annual pay of $114,140.co-directors typically earn higher educational levels compared to creative services directors. Specifically, they're 7.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Creative services director vs. Junior art director

Junior art directors average a lower salary than the annual salary of creative services directors. The difference is about $22,090 per year.According to resumes from creative services directors and junior art directors, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "graphic design," "adobe creative suite," and "creative process. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between creative services directors and junior art directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a creative services director might have more use for skills like "video production," "creative direction," "social media marketing," and "web site." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of junior art directors require skills like "visual design," "adobe photoshop," "jr art," and "web banners. "

In general, junior art directors earn the most working in the professional industry, with an average salary of $102,054. The highest-paying industry for a creative services director is the media industry.In general, junior art directors hold similar degree levels compared to creative services directors. Junior art directors are 1.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of creative services director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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