Following is a brief summary of the presentations from Get Worked Up conference, September 22.
Part 6
Leading Creative Teams
— Eleazar Hernández
It is never too soon to think about your future. Early in your career is the best time to understand how a design studio works.
Creative directors often fail when they begin running design teams because they are unable to make the transition from being a design producer to being a designer leader.
Designers make stuff and creative directors lead.
Understanding the role(s) each member of a design team plays, will help you be a successful designer now and an effective creative director in the future. Also, working for an intuitive, effective creative leader, especially when getting your career started, will help you be a better designer.
These are some of the essential skills that a creative director needs to have:
- Approachable and accessible
- Encourage a creative culture of honesty
- Talk to your team — solicit & give advice (not redesign)
- Be specific and constructive
- Give everyone a chance(s)
- Take the blame when things don’t turn out so well, and share the credit
- Inspire your team, do not change the solution if it meets the client’s needs
Being familiar with the role a creative director plays in a studio will strengthen your current design skills, widen your current understanding of studio management, and provide a foundation for perhaps a future position as a creative director.
Take Away: It is never too early to think about what comes next. Understanding the differences between roles will help you be a better designer now and set you up for success as a creative director down the road.
Eleazer has written the book on how to be a creative director. Literally. Leading Creative Teams: Management Career Paths for Designers, Developers, and Copywriters is available as a paperback or as an ebook from Amazon.
Eleazar Hernández
Site: Creative Culture Design and Digital – Success by Design
Twitter: @ourcreativcultr
Instagram: @wearecreativeculture
Behance: @creativeculture
Linkedin: Creative Culture Design & Digital
More Get Worked Up Presentations:
More information about the AIGA Emerge program: https://www.aiga.org/emerge
Upstate New York Twitter: @upstatenewyork
AIGA Emerge Twitter: #aigaemerge
