Career guide
Associate Creative Director vs Creative Director vs Executive Creative Director: The Agency Creative Ladder
In most agencies creatives move from junior to mid-level and senior copywriter or art director, then associate creative director (ACD), creative director (CD), sometimes group creative director, executive creative director (ECD) and chief creative officer (CCO). Each step gives you more of the idea, more people and more of the client relationship.
Key takeaways
- The usual agency creative ladder runs junior, mid-level and senior copywriter or art director, then associate creative director, creative director, executive creative director and chief creative officer.
- An associate creative director leads a creative team or account and reviews other people's work while often still making work themselves.
- An executive creative director is responsible for the creative output of a whole agency or office, and spends much of the job on pitches, clients and talent.
- Copywriters and art directors usually climb the ladder side by side, and many ACDs and CDs are still known as an art or copy person.
- In-house teams use fewer creative titles, often design or content lead, creative director and head of creative or VP creative.
Agency creative titles can look confusing from outside. They follow a fairly standard ladder, and once you know it, a posting or a LinkedIn profile tells you a lot about scope.
What is the agency creative ladder?
The agency creative ladder runs from junior writers and art directors at the bottom to an executive creative director or chief creative officer at the top. Titles vary between agencies, but this order is common:
| Level | Title | What the job is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior copywriter / junior art director | Writes and designs to ideas, learns concepting, makes variations |
| 2 | Copywriter / art director | Concepts and makes work with a partner; presents internally |
| 3 | Senior copywriter / senior art director | Leads campaigns, presents to clients, mentors juniors |
| 4 | Associate creative director (ACD) | Leads a team or account, reviews work, still makes some |
| 5 | Creative director (CD) | Owns the creative on accounts, leads several teams |
| 6 | Group creative director (GCD) | Leads several CDs or a group of accounts (larger agencies) |
| 7 | Executive creative director (ECD) | Owns the creative output of an office or agency |
| 8 | Chief creative officer (CCO) | Leads creative across the company or network |
Smaller agencies skip rungs: an independent shop may go from senior creative straight to CD and a founder who’s also ECD.
What does an associate creative director do?
An associate creative director leads a creative team or account and reviews other people’s work, usually while still concepting and making work themselves. It’s the first true leadership title on the creative side.
A typical ACD:
- Runs the first round of creative reviews before the CD sees the work.
- Leads one or more creative teams (art director and copywriter pairs) on an account.
- Presents to clients, often alongside the CD.
- Still writes or art directs on the most important projects.
- Coaches juniors and mid-level creatives.
ACDs are usually still identified by craft, as in “ACD, copy” or “ACD, art.” If you’re a senior creative, the jump is mostly about showing you can make other people’s work better, not only your own.
What’s the difference between an associate creative director and a creative director?
The creative director owns the creative on an account or brand and answers for it; the ACD leads parts of it under them. The difference is final say and breadth.
| Associate creative director | Creative director | |
|---|---|---|
| Final say on work | Shapes it, recommends | Decides, signs off |
| Scope | A team or account | Several teams or accounts |
| Still making work? | Often | Less, mostly directing |
| Client role | Presents with the CD | Owns the creative relationship |
| People | Coaches a team | Hires, staffs and develops teams |
What does an executive creative director do?
An executive creative director is responsible for the creative output of a whole agency or office. They set the creative standard, lead the CDs, lead the biggest pitches and spend a lot of time with clients and on hiring.
The ECD is also the face of the agency’s work: the person whose name appears on the award entries and in the trade press. In the agency world, shows such as the One Show, the D&AD Pencils and Cannes Lions are part of how an ECD’s reputation is built. Some agencies have one ECD; network agencies may have several, each over an office or group of clients, under a chief creative officer.
Where does the chief creative officer fit?
The chief creative officer leads creative across the whole company or network and sits on the leadership team. At large agencies and holding company networks the CCO sets the creative agenda across offices; at a brand, a CCO leads all creative functions.
Where do junior and senior copywriters fit?
Junior and senior copywriters (and art directors) are the craft levels below the leadership titles. A junior writes and designs within an idea and learns concepting from a senior partner. A senior leads campaigns, presents to clients and is the person the ACD trusts to run a project.
Most creatives climb in pairs: a copywriter and an art director hired, promoted and sometimes moved between agencies together. If you’re early in your career, finding a partner whose work pushes yours is one of the most useful things you can do. Our guides on becoming a copywriter and what an art director does cover the first steps.
How do in-house creative titles compare?
In-house teams usually use fewer rungs and different names. A brand creative team might have designers and writers, a design or content lead, a creative director and a head of creative or VP creative who reports into marketing.
| Agency title | Common in-house equivalent |
|---|---|
| Senior copywriter / art director | Senior designer, senior writer, content lead |
| Associate creative director | Design lead, creative lead |
| Creative director | Creative director |
| Executive creative director | Head of creative, VP creative |
| Chief creative officer | Chief creative officer, CMO at some brands |
Titles don’t always transfer one to one, so read the scope in the posting. Our in-house vs agency marketing page explains the bigger differences.
How do you move up the creative ladder?
You move up by showing you can do the next level’s job before you have the title. For each step, that looks different:
- Junior to mid: come up with ideas that get presented, not only executed.
- Mid to senior: lead a campaign and present it well.
- Senior to ACD: make the team’s work better; review, coach, protect the idea in client meetings.
- ACD to CD: own an account’s creative and the client relationship, and help win new business.
- CD to ECD: shape the agency’s work and reputation, and attract talent.
Ask your CD what the next title looks like at your agency, and which project would show it. That one conversation usually makes the path concrete. When you write it up for a promotion or new job, describe your leadership in your own words, not the title’s buzzwords; the person deciding wants to know how you lead. Our how to ask for a promotion guide has a script.
FAQ
Is associate creative director a senior role?
Yes. It’s the first leadership level on the agency creative side, above senior copywriter and senior art director and below creative director.
Is executive creative director higher than creative director?
Yes. An ECD leads the creative directors in an office or agency and is responsible for all its creative output.
What comes after creative director?
Group creative director at larger agencies, then executive creative director and chief creative officer. In-house, the next step is often head of creative or VP creative.
Is a group creative director above an associate creative director?
Yes. A group creative director sits above creative director at the agencies that use the title, overseeing several CDs or a group of accounts.
How much do creative directors make?
BLS reports creative directors within the art directors occupation; our creative director salary page shows that data and where different levels tend to sit.