Requirements

Advertising creative director - requirements

As a creative director, you’ll use your leadership skills to oversee the whole creative campaign process for a client or company at a marketing or advertising agency. Learn more about a career as a creative director, find out what it involves and what you’ll need to study and do to get a role.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be an advertising creative director?

A degree in a relevant field will prove useful. Subjects to consider include:

Advertising apprenticeships are also available, where you gain skills and knowledge on the job alongside some study.

Please note this is a beta version. We'll continue to improve our suggestions here so that we show you the most relevant subjects.

Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be an advertising creative director?

Although it’s not essential to do a postgraduate course, it can help develop your skills and increase your career opportunities.

Examples of taught MAs and research degrees at postgraduate level include:

Advertising
Branding
Corporate communications, marketing, and public relations
Creative advertising strategy
Digital marketing
Global journalism and public relations
Psychology of advertising

What skills do you need to be an advertising creative director?

As well as being able to manage campaigns and creative teams, you’ll need to keep up with the various responsibilities that come with the role.

Hard skills usually include:

Advertising
Client relationships and expectations
Competency with using and learning new computer software packages
Digital marketing
Media production
Sales

Soft skills include:

Attention to detail
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Communication and presentation
Customer service
Decision making
Innovation and creativity
Planning and organisation
Teamwork and leadership

Do you need work experience to be an advertising creative director?

You’ll need considerable experience to secure a creative director role. As a student you could start gaining work experience to fulfil your ambition by attending industry events and networking with industry people.

You could also look for internships and summer jobs within an agency to understand how they work and demonstrate your commitment. Volunteering in a communication role for a charity or student society will also help develop the sort of skills needed.

You could also set up your own blog or use your own social media channels to showcase content and demonstrate a commitment to the industry.