Nik is a creative director, copywriter, and content strategist working in Seattle.
My Background as a Creative Director (Copy)
Leading writers, designers, illustrators, and editors
As the chief creative and founder of a digital marketing agency which works with employees and contractors on large campaigns, I have gained tons of experience as a creative director. While often I’m in the trenches writing copy myself, just as often I’m helping writers understand a client and audience, drawing out simple sketches to guide designers, and presenting a vision to videographers ahead of a shoot.
How do I make it happen?
I work to build concise creative briefs that give creatives all the tools they need to complete the work—even for ESL creatives in other countries. I gather relevant brand guidelines, inspiration, and background research, then provide hooks and angles for them to begin diving deep on the work (without taking away their ability to blue sky it).
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but most often it begins with a story relevant to the audience of the work. Whether it’s a campaign or a website, I like to dig into customer reviews, sales recordings, and the human experiences that brush up with the product or service in question. From there, a unified angle, a cohesive visual style, and the right words usually fall into place.
Before presenting to end clients, I work with my creative team to take the work to that next level by poking holes where they might exist, presenting alternate readings of their work, and helping them make it bulletproof. I find this always results in stronger work.
I work to build concise creative briefs that give creatives all the tools they need to complete the work—even for ESL creatives in other countries. I gather relevant brand guidelines, inspiration, and background research, then provide hooks and angles for them to begin diving deep on the work (without taking away their ability to blue sky it).
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but most often it begins with a story relevant to the audience of the work. Whether it’s a campaign or a website, I like to dig into customer reviews, sales recordings, and the human experiences that brush up with the product or service in question. From there, a unified angle, a cohesive visual style, and the right words usually fall into place.
Before presenting to end clients, I work with my creative team to take the work to that next level by poking holes where they might exist, presenting alternate readings of their work, and helping them make it bulletproof. I find this always results in stronger work.
As a creative lead, the task of presenting falls onto me, which is where my sales experience kicks in. I deliver work and win client buy-in by reframing the business situation, teeing up the inspiration and rationale, then delivering each concept and execution aligned precisely to that framework. If they buy the framing, it’s easy for them to buy the work.
Check out how I put this skill into practice.
Bringing an old financial giant’s website into the self-serve FinTech era.
See case