A day in the life of the Creative Director

What comes to your mind when you hear the name Don Draper? For those living under a cultural rock, probably nothing. For everyone else, you are met with a masculine silhouette of a late-1960s advertising executive, working under the title Creative Director.

At first, his life seems like the stuff of dreams. Opining on the ideas and sketches of others, while consuming more tobacco and alcohol-based vices than any one person should ingest in a month, much less from 9–5. Upon further review, the wanton misogyny alone makes one furrow their brow and seek out a more contemporary definition.

My business card reads Creative Director, but I can assure you my days look very little like those portrayed at Sterling Cooper. It’s a term loosely explained as one who develops the creative vision and marketing strategies for a client. Left out of the description is the part where I grab a highball glass and give it three fingers of scotch immediately upon entering any room. In full disclosure, our offices do feature the appropriate vessels for a variety of libations, but they are reserved for special occasions.

If not the AMC presentation, what does the Creative Director’s typical day look like at LS2group? A similar question might be “How long is a rope?” It’s impossible to answer, as each day brings new challenges. So, I’ll share how today went.

Look over the shoulder of our marketing interns

Interns are an invaluable source of fresh views on creativity. I am constantly picking their brain about current trends they are experiencing in design, color, sock patterns, whatever.

Review an outgoing proposal

Marketing is just one of the slices of pie LS2group offers, so it’s always a learning experience to read through a document calling out our strategies in public relations, public affairs, crisis communications, and government affairs. It’s a humbling aspect of my day to be reminded how many talented teammates I am lucky enough to work with daily are in one building.

Brainstorm a new client’s branding platform

Now we’re getting into the meat and potatoes of why I do what I do. Few things are more rewarding than a casual gathering with a small group, blurting out words, phrases, and ideas in the hopes of finding the perfect message. The whiteboards throughout the office are smoking at the end of the day.

Caffeine break

No day is complete without a trip to one of the East Village’s fine sugar-peddling establishments. An iced-mocha paired with a brisk walk through the neighborhood is invigorating and sets the tone for a productive balance of the day.

Scouring the internet for the new and the fresh

Yes, I get paid to surf the web, but it’s not all Amazon and Facebook. The internet is an invaluable tool for staying on top of trends that can be passed along to clients or even utilized to better our own internal processes. It’s also the easiest way to stay connected with vendors and freelance talent that act as cousins in the LS2group family.

Going old-school

In these, the days of desktop publishing, it’s rare to be able to grab the #2 Ticonderoga and sketch whatever’s bouncing around my brain. Computers are fantastic, but nothing is as quick and fluid as when pencil meets paper. Maybe it’s a logo or a video storyboard or even random doodling that might unlock an idea for a project down the road.

So ask me again tomorrow what my day looks like and it might be completely different than today. Variety is the spice of life and I am lucky enough to spend my days in the flavorful work environment that LS2group offers.

Originally posted July 21, 2015 at LS2group