Need to get this in perspective - creative directors

[bobbi716]

I just need to know if I'm just being cocky or if creative directors are really supposed to know these things...

There's many example of things I would expect my creative director to know, but she doesn't. This one just topped the cake. I was shocked.

She was having trouble importing an image into Quark. Turns out it was an .ai file. So she didn't know you can't import an .ai file directly into Quark????

Then when it was explained that it needed to be changed to an .eps file, she didn't know how to do that.
So we actually had to open it in Illustrator and do a save as and make it an .eps for her.

Arent's these kinds of questions things we should be asking her?

How about her comment a while back (you might remember this one) 'The dpi is blue.'

/emoticons/frusty.gif

[defjoe]

Well my thought on this is a CD is the natural progession from being an AD which is up from being a Senior DG, etc ,etc. but i am finding out this is wrong...even though I don't think it is suppose to be. I worked at an ad agency where the CD was this older deisgner from the paste up age. did everything in marker comps. did a goood job, but in this day and age...way to slow. Never learned any programs. all he knew about the computer was 2 things, checking his email and surfing porn (which is what he did most of the day). the problem that arises is this is when the art department gets back up they are suppose to be able to help out. no can do for this guy. I would have major deadlines and he would have major hooters on his screen. He would comment 'I wish I could help you out, I have to learn this stuff one day.' Off he went to find a little FMF action.

He was freinds with the president and eventually he left (after I got the big layoff).

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[bobbi716]

That's pretty much the situation here - minus the porn. So I shouldn't be so shocked, I guess. I think that's the perspective I needed. :o)

So when looking for a new job -- is a good idea to subtly quiz the CD to be sure they know what they're talking about? Say at interview stage? What kinds of questions do you think would be good ones to ask?

[defjoe]

Hummm you run the risk of undermining them. As you have found out our industry is FULL of egos. CD being maybe the biggest...most times the most deserved. What I would do is just take notice of what they have around. do they have a G5 at their station or an iMac (as mine did). do they know what they are talking about while looking at your portfolio (so you did this in PS and then Quark?). you can tell fairly easy.

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[3howards]

yeah, most of the time with positions in management it's who you know not what you know ... i like being my own boss now. it's not a consistent paycheck, but i don't have some dumbass telling me how to do my job or me showing them how to do something simple. most directors stink and don't know squat ... it's sad.

I'm a Senior Designer now, if I move up (either that or I blow with the freelance) I would know a little bit, just a hair. LOL!

[aprilcartergrant]

Hm. That is hilarious.

I have been in such a position before, and my advice is to do what I've done.

Humbly, keep tabs of your knowledge and work. Without gloating or trying to undermine your superior, make sure it is clear to decision-makers that YOU know what you're doing... you may have the job somewhere down the line.

If you're especially charitable, you could try to teach the woman how to do things she doesn't know, but I personally don't think it's proper for a superior to reap all the benefit from the toils of her subordinate.

+++ april carter +++

Coming soon: www.sugarsock.com

[3howards]

hey everyone...it's april. haven't seen you around here much lately...

i'm diggin' sugarshock ... looking forward to the launch

[BuckarooB]

Like the three H's said - it's not what you know, but who you know... and what it is you know about them - that matters.

BB

No Matter Where You Go... There You Are. (Confucius)

[lingon]

The sad thing is that when people dont know what to do with for exemple changing the ai to eps file they get all aggressive because they feel like
a fraud we should all have some more room to make mistakes and feel comfortable about it.

[D-Zine]

We're allowed to make mistakes? What? I had NO idea?!?! Why didn't someone tell me this 7 years ago???
Hahaha...just kidding!!

:o)

http://coastalcarousel.com/GDF/metatag3.jpg

3howards said...
just a hair huh ... you've done some great work benjo. i'd bow down to all-knowing sr designer benjo if he became a cd ...

/emoticons/icon_redface.gif Thanks...

I'm nowhere near all knowing. (I'm lying I even know how to make the sun stop burning) lol

To get back on subject:
She or he might have great organizational kills and has experience managing. Designers have to realize that your job is more than coming up with ideas. You have to tap into your other talents or they’ll look at you like some artist that doesn't know how to think.

You have to show potential and initiative, show that you can make decisions and solve problems. These are interpersonal skills that you need. For example I not only research design and trends I read about marketing and self help books. I constantly try to grow as a person in general.

I’m not satisfied with where I’m at but I believe it’s up to me to work for where I want to be.

Your Creative Director might not know that and yea she might seem ignorant in that area and unqualified but what does she/he know? They have to know something.

TallMikeG was in a similar situation but his superior didn’t know her left from right and was really unqualified for the job. Now he’s doing her job and she’s, well I don’t know what happen to her but she isn’t there anymore.

[ron hasler]

Interesting situation but not uncommon. Hey, I'm from the 'paste-up age' and I know how to import graphics into Quark... taught myself years ago. Fact is many people who were pushed into management positions either by the lure of bigger pay or to, in the old days we'd say, 'get off the boards' haven't kept up with desktop technology. In these cases the best policy is just to show your superior how to do the function and step away as a neutral party. Should they know how to save an .ai file to an .eps file? Sure, probably. But you can't judge them by not knowing how to do it. When I was a young, cocky designer I'd be taken aback if a CD wasn't as good at paste-up as me. A typical answer was 'I'm better up here [points to head], not down here.' [shakes hands]. So you see it's not a new problem. As a self preservation maneuver, I taught myself Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop, et al, and haven't looked back. I miss the craft and precision of pasting up but that's about all I miss about it. There's a lot about being a CD that doesn't involve mechanical skills. Running a studio is one of them, tho if the CD is grokking porn all day, well... let's just say Illustrator isn't his main problem.

bobbi716, sorry you were shocked. I would guess this is just the beginning /emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Remember, telling the boss she's not a sharp tack is never a good policy. You can turn this into an advantage by helping her out if she hits the wall again. You'll want a good reference from her when you move on.

B cool
B well y'all
I'm on vacation tomorrow
/emoticons/cool.gif

[bobbi716]

She actually makes it difficult to do our job. She doesn't relay key information to us about jobs, and she flat out lies to us - we've caught her in that act. Not just work related things, either. It's just a sad story.

If she asks me how to do something, I just show her. I am no longer shocked by her questions. I just wish I was in a position in which I could grow and learn from my CD. I'd like to look up to her. I'd like to be able to respect her and trust her opinions and ideas.

It's time for me to move on. I am going nowhere here. In fact, I feel like I'm going backwards. Good thing is that I finally got my head out of my butt and I have online colleges calling me wanting me to enroll because of my educational and work experience. So I might be going back to school to further my career. Hopefully I can get a different design job somewhere to help with that, too.

My last job the CD was amazing. I didn't like the work quite as much (big, big corporate agency) - but that CD taught me most of what I know. I guess my standards have been high since then.

The world sure is a crazy place. I guess it makes sense that some of these CDs don't really understand much about design. I just can't see why you wouldn't want to keep yourself up with the technology if you're in the position. I'd be scared every day if my designers were telling me how to make a pdf. Just difficult for me to comprehend.

[bobbi716]

And Ron, thank you thank you for giving me the hope that not all the CDs are like mine now. You ROCK!

I like to hear that the want to succeed is still out there. I'll am learning a lot, and I'll know what things to look for next time.

Thanks - you are all giving me good advice and opinions.

Love ya!

:)

[D-Frag]

ive run into creative directors who didn't know the difference between Vector and Raster. My old boss (head of the whole creative department) couldn't figure out what bleed was if it shot him in the face...even after several explanations from the graphic designers.

its a sad world out there in our industry, best you can do is educate them the best way possible.




http://www.pillargraphicdesign.com/dfrag/dfragsig.jpg