Creative projects don’t fall apart because of bad talent. They fall apart because the team was built backwards.
One overloaded generalist. Two vague briefs. Countless stakeholders who can’t seem to agree on what “on brand” even means.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Whether you’re leading a product launch, rethinking your brand identity, or trying to get a campaign out the door without hiring twelve full-timers, you’ve probably felt this: tight timelines, unclear roles, mounting pressure, and no room to get it wrong.
This isn’t about hiring unicorns or chasing the perfect portfolio. It’s about assembling a creative team that knows how to collaborate, deliver under pressure, and keep momentum when the project gets messy. Because it will.
Here’s how to do it right.
Hiring a good creative goes sideways when you skip the boring part: defining the actual work.
Before you even write a job post, ask:
What are we trying to accomplish?
What does success look like?
Do we need a specialist or a generalist?
Are we hiring execution or strategy—or both?
You might think you need a UX Designer when what you really need is a more of a generalist like a Visual Designer. Or a Creative Director who can translate stakeholder chaos into a roadmap.
Pro tip: Write a short creative brief that covers the essentials the role will cover: projects, goals, projected deliverables, targeted audience (internal and external), and key stakeholders. A solid brief is your first line of defense against chaos.
It’ll save you rounds of interviews and a month of “we’re not sure what this person should actually do.” Clear goal-setting is also a powerful signal of leadership and a better way to build aligned teams from the start.
Yes, skills matter. But so does not hating each other by week three.
A flawless portfolio means nothing if the person behind it can’t take feedback, work well with your team, or hit deadlines without a dramatic Slack monologue.
Ask yourself:
Can they communicate their thinking clearly?
How do they handle curveballs or vague client direction?
Do they get defensive—or curious—about feedback?
Whether you're hiring a Branding Designer, SEO Specialist, Content Strategist, or Videographer, you’re not just hiring output. You're hiring someone who’s about to join your meetings, jump into your workflow, and possibly break your Figma file. You’re hiring process.
Bring in your most trusted direct report to help interview. They’ll clock red flags faster than any hiring manager ever could. Because they've been in rooms you haven't.
Lastly, skip the “What’s your greatest strength?” fluff. Ask what they’d do if the brief changed three times before lunch. And if they answer with grace (and maybe a little humor), you’re on the right track.
You wouldn’t ask your Art Director to QA test your website, or expect your Brand Manager to redesign your website and write every line of copy.
You know this already: creative disciplines have depth for a reason. If your project has specific needs—like motion graphics, UX research, or accessibility-first writing—don’t try to wedge that into a single hybrid role just because it looks good on a spreadsheet.
That doesn’t mean hybrid creatives don’t exist (a specialized generalist is a rare and powerful gem). But if you're stretching one role across five priorities, you’ll get a surface-level version of all of them—and the creative will burn out in the process.
Creative people aren’t mind readers. (Unless you hired a magician, in which case—good luck.)
Be clear about:
Who’s the approver
What “done” looks like
What the real deadline is
Then? Let them work.
Micromanaging won’t get the job done faster. It’ll just make your best creatives look for the exit.
If you're managing creatives for the first time, remember this: direction is more than delegation. Provide clarity early, especially around outcomes and constraints. Then make space for your team to bring their strengths to the table. You’ll get better results—and fewer passive-aggressive Slack threads.
Good teams fall apart faster than you can say "Can you just tweak this one thing?"
Creative professionals burn out when they feel:
Undervalued
Underutilized
Cut out of decisions
Let them push back. Let them question the brief. Let them contribute early—before the plan’s already in motion.
Also? Treat freelancers like humans, not vending machines. Invite them to the kickoff. Share the context. Don’t make them chase down your feedback like it’s a golden retriever on a beach.
Define the project scope in plain English
Decide if you need strategy, execution, or both
Choose the right roles: designer, copywriter, UX, PM, etc.
Vet for process, not just polish
Align on expectations and protect their time
Treat freelancers like collaborators
Don’t chase unicorns—build a bench
If this all sounds like a lot, it is.
We’ve been helping companies like Estee Lauder, Hyatt, and the NFL build creative teams for over 30 years. We know what works (and what doesn’t) when you’re under pressure to deliver fast, great work.
Want help scoping a project or filling a key role? Talk to us.
No fluff. Just clarity, creativity, and a few fewer headaches.
Editor's note: This blog was written with support from ChatGPT as a part of our AI Content Experiment. TLDR? We're seeing how difficult and time-consuming it really is to train AI to write (semi) decent content, or if it's even worth it. Stay tuned for our results!
As a part of the process, our designer also tested Generative AI to see how it would interpret our brand graphics. Left is what it came up with.... uhhh, why are the line widths so inconsistent?