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Creative Director

Interviews

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Susan Herr gets excited about working as a creative director. Herr used to be Jim Henson's director of art services.

What was it like to work for someone like Jim Henson? "Jim Henson was a genius, as everyone knows -- but he was also a bit like Kermit the Frog and had a difficult time managing people, particularly a large organization of talented people, which is what he built up to implement his ideas and shows.

"Often, he'd travel and things didn't get done to his liking while he was gone. It frustrated him a lot, and I'm sure he must've wished that he hadn't gotten himself into such a large bureaucracy so he could just spend his time creating wonderful characters and wonderful stories and wonderful jokes. He was very funny, charming and eccentric. I'm glad I had a chance to know him for a little while."

To Herr, one of the most frustrating parts of being a creative director is that the client -- someone who's unqualified artistically to make decisions -- ultimately approves the final design.

"Such is the frustration of creative directors, who have trained eyes and who labor over just the right color, shape, nuance, to be critiqued by corporate managers with little or no background in graphic design," says Herr.

Outside the office of Texas creative director Wayne Bennett, a sign says: "We're not here to do what's been done before." It features a dialog box with an arrow pointing to the word "create." This indicates Bennett's creative goal -- to think beyond the box.

"You can't get trapped inside the box," he says. "I wish I knew who invented that phrase, 'Think outside the box.' That's exactly what you have to do."

Bennett takes concepts from management and ensures "that each concept is fleshed out in accordance with management's vision. Then [you] execute it, whether it be a marketing piece, a direct mail piece...or a video, and ensure that it's done efficiently and creatively."

A creative director spends a lot of time just thinking. "I'll see a problem that I'm trying to solve and I'll tuck it in the back of my mind. Then three or four months later, I'll find the answer while looking in a completely different place," says Bennett.

How can someone like Bennett be creative day in and day out? "Many people think that creativity's a tap that you can turn off and on at will. It's more or less a dripping faucet, which is the best analogy I can come up with," he says.

"Creativity's that which is consciously placed in the subconscious and ruminated over for a period of time. The longer the time, generally the better the end result," he explains.

In fact, if you walk into the design department of almost any advertising agency, you'll find a virtual playground.

"It's done that way consciously, to challenge their minds with puzzles and fun toys. You'll find that a mind that plays finds ways to answer problems, which is conducive to deep thought," says Bennett.

"Anyone who thinks that simple's simple is mistaken. Simple's very difficult, like 'just do it.' Those two- or three-word taglines are so simple, but are so good because they cut right to the quick."

What does Bennett look for when he hires creative people? "They've got to know the mainstay programs on the print media, such as Quark Express, Pagemaker, Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. If they can effectively fly a Macintosh and know those programs, they're in," he says.

"You can't teach creativity, but you can teach methodology that allows for creativity," he adds.

"You have to know the software programs and the computer. You have to know how to do it well, know basic layout, what makes a page look good, grammar and typography. It's so important to have a well-rounded education. I'd love to have an English major who has the desire to be a designer.

"You essentially work your way from the grunt who's doing it all, to being a group leader, to being an art director, to being a creative director who's over the art directors," says Bennett.

Paul Paquet chose creative designing because he loves writing and he can craft effective messages. He writes and edits copy, "everything from brochures to manuals. There's a PR component to what I do, and a marketing component, of course."

Paquet says it's sometimes hard to become a creative director. "There's enormous competition, and sometimes clients have a hard time distinguishing good work from bad, which leads them to go with 'brand names' rather than small firms. I believe most clients get better service and a better product from small firms."