To be honest, when I first stepped into the role of Creative Director, I didn't have a clue what I was signing up for. But it certainly turned out to be one hell of a ride. 15 years on a rollercoaster.
Looking back now, I have a deep appreciation for how much I've grown in the role. And how wonderfully supportive the creative industry is. We all help each other. We all want each other to succeed.
There's just something about collaborating professionally that extends to into personal growth too. We are all working on the same project, so we look out for each other.
With a team that's known each other for many years, the bonds are even stronger. Over time, you naturally find the best ways of working together and better understanding each other's unique perspective.
So here is my unique perspective on being a Creative Director. The things I learned about communication, processes, team dynamics, client pitches, feedback, and more.
The stuff I'd loved to have known sooner.
Communicating an idea is tricky. I don't just mean your idea—I mean any idea. You’re never quite sure if someone’s really understood. They might nod along—but you only find out when version one lands… and it’s not what you had in mind.
Or in other words—they interpreted what you said, and this is the result. Which doesn't match the result you wanted.
So how do we get the result we want? We lessen our grip on a fixed result.
Sure, we want our idea to be exactly like we envision it. However, we can also easily fall into the trap of stifling the creative expression. I've learned that some of the strongest creative routes come from letting the idea evolve.
Present your vision, then watch how it is moulded by the discussion that follows. Take note of how it's evolving and changing the shape of the idea. You'll want to ensure you have a clear timeline and strong brief in place. They are your compasses—ensuring you steer in the right direction, and stay on-track.
I always thought a creative process would be restrictive. But nowadays, I’m totally in love with processes. What I like most is the safety net they give you (and the client).
When I first started my career as a Creative Director 15 years ago, we really didn’t have much of a animation production process.
Now, I'd daren't imagine life without one. We set out very clearly all the milestones, including when creative will be delivered, when we need client feedback, and the milestone for moving on to the next stage.
Our process only moves from one stage to the next once a client gives sign off. This protects your product quality by preventing the desire to borrow days from other production teams—hoping to make up the days.
It'll be no surprise that each stage has a specific purpose. But it also offers assurance. For example, we produce style frames to ensure we have clear creative direction for the full visual storyboard. We want want any surprises.
A process should be clearcut and grounded—giving you more room for creative expression.
Over the years I've come to appreciate how important teamwork is in animated video production. Each team member plays a pivotal role. Every role must deliver, or the whole production suffers.
Amongst other things, our role is to get the very best from all members of the production team. I can't draw, or animate, or do sound design. But I love collaborating with people who can—and who do it amazingly well.
Float your idea into the conversation, and explain your thinking behind it. Reference materials you've gathered can be helpful too. Then let the conversation unfold.
Be open to changes and challenges. Be curious as to how your team are interpreting your vision, and the ideas they put forward to evolve it.
Sometimes it can also be very useful to let the team run with it loosely. Often I’ll convey the feeling I want to evoke, but leave it open to interpretation. I am constantly amazed at what the animation team produce. It’s often not what I originally imagined, but far better.
That’s the beauty of working with a seasoned creative team—everyone knows how to elevate the work. You’ll find a deeper breakdown of what makes a collaboration so successful in our blog what clients really want from an explainer video agency.
In short, communicate your vision well—but then let the experts be experts. Don’t grip your idea too tightly—let it evolve. This doesn’t mean you’re losing control of the initial vision, rather it means you’re comfortable enough to see where it might go.
I used to be terrible at delivering feedback. “Hmm, I don’t like it, but I can’t quite say what I don’t like,” or, “Erm, it’s not quite what I had in my head.”
It's surprisingly hard sometimes to find words that best describe your reaction to seeing the creative. Here, I've found it immeasurably helpful to pause ask a few questions.
What am I feeling? Where am I feeling it? What does it say about what I'm seeing?
This alone brings clarity. It's like the mind pauses just long enough to catch it's breath. Now you can better explore what's working, and what's not working. It can be so useful to do some exploration together with a designer, animator, or sound designer.
Of course, then there's also client feedback. Which is a different kettle of fish. Over the years, we've been blessed to have attracted client's who are amazingly collaborative with feedback.
However, you will also come up against clients who make requests that aren't likely to pan out well. And there will be occasion where even after an honest conversation, you'll just get on and complete the request.
For common pitfalls, see our blog on explainer video mistakes to avoid.
Invariably, things will go wrong. And they'll never go wrong how you imagined.
If you’ve developed a robust creative process, then you’re on safe ground. Breathe. All is OK.
I found creating a little distance before responding immeasurably helpful. Go for a walk, have a coffee, or do another task. Forget about it for a while. Let your mind process it. Often the solution comes to you in the shower, while on the loo, or mid-stir of the coffee.
That's the thing with creativity—it can't be rushed!
It comes to you like a timid kitten.
I used to get fixated about the things that could go wrong and not even notice I was lost in thought. Then one day I started to meditate. 3 years later I can honestly say it's been a game-changer.
Essentially meditation and mindfulness level up your awareness—like a superpower. This also helps keep you cooler under pressure. We tend to make better decisions when we feel grounded.
When we learn to trust awareness, over mind chatter—we open the door to creative routes we'd never of found otherwise. That's magic.
Ah, this is a biggie. As your ability to direct gets better, you’ll might start winning bigger projects. You'll pour your heart and soul into them. You'll get great feedback. You'll pat everyone on the back (including yourself).
The client is delighted. You are delighted. Your name gets about. Your reputation grows. You're flying high.
One day you see a familiar-sounding email in your inbox. “We’ve been recommended you. We’d love you to pitch for the work.” You smile. Life is good.
You painstaking work through all the tender documents, and start the long task of creating a pitch proposal. You attend the interview. Maybe even produce some pitch deck creative. Then you wait.
One week later you get the bad news. They’ve gone with another agency. PANG. You feel hurt, and annoyed having spent all that time for nothing. Sometimes you’ll get some more information about the rationale for the decision, but often you won’t.
It’s just part and parcel of being a Creative Director. Nothing is a given. But it's also what stops us some becoming complacent. We learn to always look at our approach with new eyes, and come up with novel creative approaches.
It's more fun when we don't cling to outcomes too tightly anyway.
It still amazes me that I get paid to do what I love. And the longer I do it, the more I appreciate it. You find your groove. Your confidence grows. You make things you’re proud of.
And on goes the cycle, getting better every time.
So whether you’re embarking on becoming a Creative Director for an animated explainer video agency, or something entirely different… what a wonderful industry you’re entering. In my opinion, you couldn’t have made a better choice.
