The Creative Process Puzzle Pieces

Many of us have fallen victim to an advertising message that touts products such as fast food, cleaning products, or services for a financial advisor. If you are a chocolate fanatic, for instance, it may be hard to resist warm, milk chocolate being drizzled atop creamy, caramel nougat as the slogan hypes “It’s good to be bad.” The advertiser has done a good job if you come home one afternoon with several of those same candy bars in hand.

Wether the advertiser is selling candy or cars, the creative process involves the production of ideas that are conveyed with both words and pictures. This begins with the creative team translating the advertising brief into the creative concept.

The Team

The team that produces the creative strategy for an advertising campaign begins with the account manager and creative director, and ultimately ends up in the hands of the art director and copywriters, who are responsible for shaping the message.

Account Manager

The account manager, also known as the account executive, is the contact person between the agency and the client. It is the account manager’s job to understand the client’s needs and handle the requests. The account manager is a problem solver, n addition to a creative thinker who shapes the ideas for a product or service in the form of strategy.

Creative Director

The creative director is responsible for overseeing the team. The creative director supervises the development of the creative concept and the look and feel of the composition and design for a product or service.

Art Director

The art director is responsible for the visualizing and ultimately executing the creative ideas for a new product or service. The art direct should have talent in many areas, including illustration, concept development, layout, and even copywriting. The art director is also in charge of overseeing the creation of the storyboards, which are considerably detailed compared to production storyboards for film and animation.

Copywriter

The copywriter is a wordsmith who must study the creative strategy and the facts before disseminating the message. Whereas the art director uses visuals to persuade an individual to buy a product or service, the copywriter uses words. The copywriter often works directly with the art director, brainstorming ideas for attention-getting ideas.