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Creative director resume example

A creative director’s resume with 16 years across agencies and an in-house team. At director level, the people hiring you are CMOs and agency leaders, and they read for three things: the ideas you led, what they did for the business, and the teams you built.

Creative director resume example, page 1 of 2SIMONE ACHTERBERGCreative Directorsimone.achterberg@example.com · (212) 555-0108 · New York, NY · linkedin.com/in/simoneachterberg · simoneachterberg.example.comSUMMARYCreative director with 16 years in agencies and in-house, the last six leading teams of 15 to 25 writers, designers and producers.I build ideas that work across every channel, sell them to the people who pay for them, and grow creative teams that keepwinning work after I leave the room.EXPERIENCECreative DirectorMar 2022 – PresentMeridian HomeNew York, NY•Lead the in-house creative team of 22 (design, copy, video, photo and production) for a home goods brand with $900million in sales.•Created the “Made for Mondays” brand platform; aided awareness rose from 31% to 44% in 18 months and online salesgrew 28%.•Moved 70% of agency work in-house, saving $3.2 million a year while raising output from 4,000 to 7,500 assets.•Set up the creative operations function (briefing, review, asset management), cutting time from brief to launch by 35%.•Hired 9 people and promoted 4, including the team’s first associate creative director.Associate Creative Director, then Creative DirectorJan 2016 – Feb 2022Halvard & RoeNew York, NY•Led creative for 5 accounts in retail, travel and finance with $60 million in combined media.•Led creative on 14 new business pitches and won 8, adding $11 million in annual agency fees.•Campaigns won a Cannes Lions Bronze, two One Show Merits and an Effie finalist spot for a bank launch that beataccount targets by 40%.Senior Art DirectorJun 2010 – Dec 2015Bowery Street AgencyNew York, NY•Art directed print, TV and digital campaigns for consumer brands; led a team of 4 designers.EDUCATIONB.F.A. in Communication Design2006 – 2010Pratt InstituteBrooklyn, NYAWARDSCannes Lions, Bronze (Outdoor)2021Cannes Lions International Festival of CreativityEffie Award, Finalist2020Effie AwardsSimone Achterberg · 1 / 2
Creative director resume example, page 2 of 2The One Show, Merit (two)2019The One Club for CreativitySKILLSBrand platforms · Integrated campaigns · Creative leadership · New business pitching · Creative operations · Art direction ·Budget management · Agency management · Team building and hiring · Presenting to executivesSimone Achterberg · 2 / 2
Creative directorUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Big ideas with business results: brand platforms and campaigns, with awareness, sales or share results.
  • Team leadership: team size and disciplines, hires, promotions, retention.
  • Winning work: new business pitches won, client relationships grown, budgets led.
  • Operations sense: budgets, agency rosters, in-house versus agency decisions, creative operations.
  • Recognition: awards matter more at agencies, effectiveness awards (Effies) matter to clients.

Writing the summary

State your years, settings (agency, in-house or both) and team size, then what you are known for: ideas, brand building, turnarounds, scaling in-house teams. Keep the voice confident and plain.

The summary in this example

Creative director with 16 years in agencies and in-house, the last six leading teams of 15 to 25 writers, designers and producers. I build ideas that work across every channel, sell them to the people who pay for them, and grow creative teams that keep winning work after I leave the room.

Associate creative director stepping up

Associate creative director with 11 years as a copywriter and creative lead, now running a team of 8 on two national retail accounts. I have led the creative on 6 winning pitches and am ready to own a creative department’s work and its people.

Agency creative director moving in-house

Agency creative director with 15 years building campaigns for 20 consumer brands. Looking to lead an in-house team where I can build one brand for years, measure what the work does and grow a team that does not need an agency for the big ideas.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Repositioned a regional bank’s brand, lifting new checking accounts by 22% in the first year of the campaign.
  • Grew the creative team from 6 to 18 in two years, with 90% retention and 5 internal promotions.
  • Cut agency fees by $1.8 million a year by rebuilding the roster from 7 agencies to 3.
  • Led a product launch campaign across 12 markets with a $15 million media budget, beating sales targets by 30%.
  • Won 6 of 9 pitches in a year, including a $4 million account that became the agency’s largest.
  • Introduced a creative effectiveness review with the analytics team, retiring the 20% of formats that drove almost no sales.
  • Launched a content studio that produces 300 videos a year at a third of the previous cost per video.
  • Directed a rebrand of 1,400 stores, from signage to packaging, delivered in 9 months.
  • Mentored 4 designers and writers who became creative directors at other companies.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Brand strategy and platforms
  • Integrated campaign development
  • Art direction or copywriting craft
  • Creative budgets and resourcing
  • Agency and vendor management
  • Creative operations and workflow tools
  • Brand guidelines and governance
  • Production for film, photo and digital

Soft skills

  • Selling ideas to executives
  • Building and leading teams
  • Giving honest creative feedback
  • Protecting the work under pressure
  • Partnering with marketing and sales leaders

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • No certification applies: creative directors are hired on their body of work, results and references.
  • Awards (Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Effies, ADDYs) do the job certificates do elsewhere; list the best few with years.

Length and format

Two pages are normal at director level. Keep the current role and its biggest results on page one, and give roles older than about ten years a single line. A short awards section can sit after experience.

Common mistakes

  • Listing campaigns you led with no business result. CMOs want to know what the work did.
  • Writing only about the work and never about the team. Hiring, growth and retention are now part of the job.
  • An award list that runs longer than the experience section.
  • An overdesigned resume. A creative director’s resume should look calm and confident; the portfolio carries the craft.
  • No portfolio or reel link at the top of page one.

Questions and answers

Should a creative director’s resume be two pages?

Yes, with 12 or more years, as long as page one stands on its own. Many CMOs read only the first half page before opening the portfolio.

How do I show results when the client owns the data?

Use what was made public: case studies, award entries and press releases often include the results. Effie entries in particular are built around them.

Should I list awards?

Yes, the strongest five or so with the year and level. For in-house roles, put effectiveness results ahead of creative awards.

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