The Account Director
Essentially the link between the creative team and the client, the Account Director co-ordinates campaigns and ensures that the work produced corresponds to the brief. The role also involves finance, company planning and organisation. Colour-coordinated highlighting, strategically-placed post-it notes and endless list-writing will be second nature to this person. Taking it back to school, an accounts person would be that annoying all-rounder. Firedog’s Account Director, Hannah, says: “In short, I spend half of my time planning and managing projects, and the other half with my head in multi-coloured spreadsheets.”
The Creative Director
The Don Draper of Mad Men and John Galliano of the real world, this is the role everyone wants to know about. Ultimately responsible for the quality of the final creative work and guiding a team of employees, it takes years of experience to become a Creative Director. While the Creative Director may seem prone to making rash decisions, this person does demonstrate the value in following intuition. For Cliff, Managing Director of Firedog, the Creative Director is “A very manipulative individual who often has a single vision: this usually makes him or her most difficult person in the agency. This is not necessarily negative, though – it often means that the Creative Director is extremely well respected.”
The Designer
At an agency like Firedog, designers work on a range of branding and web projects. This is precisely what appeals to Junior Designer, Ale: “I’ll never be working on one project at a time; every week is different.” Personality-wise, a designer often verges on the side of obsessive compulsive. Absorbing everything around them, they could be likened to a sponge. “Designers can be introverted people who like to stay in their own bubble,” adds Ale. “This is the evolution from Designer to Creative Director – the latter will be much more extroverted.”
The UI/UX Designer
Usually found in digital agencies, a UI/UX Designer determines user experience across multiple platforms and devices. This person will be driven by finding out how and why people use products. Head of Digital at Firedog, Sam describes a UI/UX Designer as “A problem solver who repeatedly draws on past experience to conquer issues. The thinking process behind this role is formulaic: the Developer will scrutinise every procedure and enjoy learning from each outcome.”
The Copywriter
Copywriters generate the words, slogans and audio scripts for campaigns. Firedog’s Copywriter, Sarah, says: “This is a job for an optimist because copywriters communicate the benefits of a brand or product. I love getting to grips with a brand’s unique voice, and figuring out how to speak in an authentic way that honours that voice. The only negative aspect to my job is when the integrity of the work gets compromised. When an edit results in copy that doesn’t scan well, I freely admit to getting a bit precious about it!”
The Office Manager
The Office Manager essentially ensures the smooth running of the studio, which requires strong organisational and administrative skills. For Firedog Office Manager, Cara, “It’s a stable job that allows some variety, without being too stressful. The nurturing part of the role is rewarding; doing simple things can make a difference to everyone’s experience of the work place. On the downside, admin can be dull, and if you’re looking to make a lot of money, it won’t be the job for you!”
The Developer
The Web Developer is responsible for bringing the design to life and coding it to operate as planned. This person can also be involved with the maintenance and update of an existing site.
Firedog’s Web Developer, Ammar, says “Creating something from scratch and seeing the end result is the best part of my job. Frustrating, however, is when something takes triple the amount of time you thought it would. The Developer will be someone who finds a problem stimulating. They will also be content with spending time alone: it’s often just you and the screen.”
And last but not least, there’s the role that cements all of the others together…
The Managing Director
In bigger agencies, Managing Directors and Creative Directors are often on the same level. This isn’t a role you train for, but more something you fall into. As the MD ensures all business objectives are reached, the biggest part of the role can involve working in a spreadsheet world. Despite all the glamour attached with this title, Cliff says: “The job of a Managing Director can actually be quite lonely; you spend a lot of time working on your own. You must be very self-disciplined – you could easily sit on a golf course all day, pretending to be working. The autonomy can be liberating, though. This role is very well-suited to people who have a problem with authority”.
Firedog Creative is a branding and digital agency, based in Shoreditch. Follow them at www.firedog.co.uk or @firedogcreative.
Images by Joe Benjamin.
