Creative director

With the increased team sizes and more specialised disciplines in the games industry, certain game designers are titled as "creative director", "executive designer", or "game director". A creative director in a video game company is usually responsible for product development across a number of titles and is generally regarded as the prime design authority across the company's product range. Some examples are Peter Molyneux, Sam Lake, Neil Druckmann, or Shigeru Miyamoto whose influence extends across more than one project.

The creative director has an important responsibility in this industry. The director must devise ideas to lead a video game project forward and many responsibilities involve working with various individuals or teams spread out within the entire project or video-game production. This can include cross-functional collaboration with the various disciplines involved in games development. Academically speaking, a creative director is usually degree educated but there are some circumstances where a high school education strongly focusing on aspects such as art, graphics, computer science, and math can be acceptable and provide some valuable insight to students who hope to aspire in this field of work. Some skills that a creative director working in the video game industry may have include proficiency in computer programming and graphic development (illustrations, fine art) and have excellent interpersonal and writing skills (since they deal with many other clients and management leaders). The exact skills a game director possesses will depend on their background in the industry. Creative director, or game director, is not usually an entry-level position, but in a smaller studio it can be. This is more common in start up companies for instance though normally one would have to earn that role by showing their skills and development over a period of years. The entertainment industry is not always a meritocracy, however, and sometimes people just luck into or inherit such positions. Creative directors have often done their share of lower level startup positions such as internships or assisting other directors in art related work fields. It is all about advancing through the career chain, and once one has earned the position a creative director, they may be eligible to work for larger and more popular game developing companies depending on how successful they have been with past collaborative projects.[2]

The creative director in the film industry is referred to as the "production designer". A production designer carries a large responsibility of designing the look of a movie. The job is similar to a creative director's role in the video game industry in that he or she manages a team of employees and has to consistently develop new ideas and methods of working. It is vital that designers in this field are able to produce expressive and creative ideas and translate them into something cinematic. Usually a certain sum of funds is distributed among different departments in the production of a film (in this case, the art department). Creative directors must decide on how to distribute and use the funds in the most efficient and effective way to ensure maximum quality in the films art department. An example can include the structuring of scenes and sets once a film begins to undergo the shooting process. During this process, it is important for creative directors to understand what props and effects should be used and how they should be used among various sets and scenes of the film. Some important qualifications that one should have include being able to manage teams, having expertise in design (specifically in theatre, interior sets and art design), being open minded to new ideas and methods in regards to organizing film sets, and having an understanding of coordinating among different departments in order to move a project towards success. A creative director in the film industry usually starts out in lower ranks of the chain, such as an assistant to other art directors or as a draughtsman.[3]

Creative directors in the field of music can be broken down into various key roles that make up the whole (it may be said that one can be known as a 'music director'). It is in this artistic field where the individual, the director, must master tasks that are relatable to one another. An orchestral conductor is a prime example (but not exclusive) of this role and how one would direct music and harmonize symphonies as well as guide and direct other musicians in an ensemble. The three roles in this sense can consist of: the active musician, the musical art director, and the instructor that teaches and informs music for society. The main requirements one would need to have is an extensive background and knowledge of music (being able to master one or more instrument), understanding the principles and theories behind music composition, developing an understanding and connection with musicians that the director would be working with to communicate music in a harmonic and creative sense, and most importantly being able to develop leadership skills among other musicians.[4]

Creative director is the highest creative position in a fashion house. The creative director does not design clothes, but instead formulates and impresses upon the designers an overarching concept or concepts for a certain collection and the label as a whole. A fashion creative director's main role is to establish what designs should be created, what will appeal to the target market, and how the concepts will be applied and distributed in collaboration with fashion designers who are responsible for creating the clothing and fabrics.[5]

• VFX creative director