Meet Richard and find out about his life as a senior creative. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Richard Pay - Senior creative
As Creative Lead, it's my job to make sure that where creating really exciting work that's gonna help our clients’ brands and products do better. Every day you’ll be working on something different. You’ll be doing a fashion campaign one day, you’ll be designing a football the next day, you'll be creating a new product range the next day. Sometimes you’re sketching, sometimes you’re on a computer, just ideas generation sessions, I’ll be making something out of plasticine. Every day is different and every day is exciting.
In school I ended up doing engineering, which just taught me to be really hands on. In college I did English, and that taught me how to tell really good stories and have an appreciation for language. University - I went and did Advertising at Warrington University. Three years ago I came to Uniform, where it just kind of opened my world to all sorts of different disciplines, different types of creativity.
In terms of the skills that you need to do this kind of job, I think the practical skills can be taught to anyone, so learning design software, learning the way to think and the process, that can be taught, but I think you need to just be really passionate and really enthusiastic about getting into this world, and living and breathing it all the time.
My advice, if you're looking to get in to this world, is to start understanding everything that's out there, because there is so much choice. And as soon as you understand where you want to be going and what really excites you, you can just focus in on that and you can practise every day, you can find new things about it and you can start having conversations with the people who are doing that kind of work.
There's so many people out there that want to do this kind of job, so you’re talking to a lot of people all of the time, emailing a lot of people all of the time, you don’t necessarily always get the answer you want, or even answer. So it just means you've got to be really enthusiastic and determined to keep pushing through that because I genuinely believe if you care about it enough, you will make it happen. It's amazing to one day have an idea come out of your mind, and then within a month you’re suddenly shooting a fashion campaign, or you seeing it on TV or you see it in a supermarket on a shelf. It can be difficult, and you can go through ups and downs and work long hours, but at the end of it, it’s just such a great feeling when everyone is enjoying what you’ve done.
You can go through ups and downs and work long hours but at the end of it, it’s just such a great feeling when everyone’s enjoying what you’ve done.
- Richard’s role is to help his clients' brands and products do better
- The job is very varied: one day you’ll be doing a fashion campaign, the next you’ll be designing a football, the following day you might be creating a new product range. Richard’s role can involve sketching, designing on a computer, generating ideas – or even making something out of modelling clay
- Richard studied Engineering at school, which he says taught him how to be hands-on. He studied English in college, which taught him how to tell good stories and have an appreciation for language. At University, Richard studied Advertising
- As well as learning practical skills - like how to use design software - Richard says it’s important to be passionate and enthusiastic, and to understand what products are already out there. You also need to be determined, resilient and prepared to sometimes work long hours.
Richard is a senior creative. A similar role to a senior creative is an advertising art director. Advertising art directors design the visual side of advertising campaigns for all kinds of media including film, TV, web or print.
What to expect if you want to be an advertising art director
- Advertising art director average salary: £18,000 to £45,000 per year.
- Advertising art director typical working hours: 38 to 40 hours per week. Occasionally, you could work evenings.
What qualifications do you need to be an advertising art director?
You could get into this role via a university course, an apprenticeship, working towards the role and a graduate trainee scheme.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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