Creative Leadership & Innovation for Art Directors

● Art Directors & Associate Creative Directors
● UX/UI Designers with leadership roles
● Communication & Brand Leads
● Innovation & Product Teams
● Creative Managers and Team Leads

Day 1: Foundations of Creative Leadership
Theme: From Designer to Leader – Understanding the Role of Creative Leadership
Topics Covered:
● The shift from individual contributor to creative leader
● Key differences between managing and leading in creative environments
● The role of the Art Director in balancing vision, strategy, and execution
● Modern leadership models: Transformational & Creative Leadership
● Common leadership challenges in creative teams — and how to solve them
Activities:
● Self-assessment: What’s your creative leadership style?
● Group workshop: Analyze real-world leadership scenarios in creative teams
Day 2: Design Thinking & Strategic Innovation
Theme: Using Design Thinking as a Strategic Tool for Problem Solving
Topics Covered:
● The 5 phases of Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test
● Translating business problems into creative opportunities
● Innovation through constraints: Turning limits into design breakthroughs
● Ideation techniques: SCAMPER, Reverse Thinking, Brainwriting
● Case studies from top design-driven companies

Activities:
● Build a User Persona and define a core user need
● Team challenge: Solve a real creative challenge using design thinking principles
Day 3: Leading Creative Teams & Collaborative Tools
Theme: Managing Team Dynamics and Using Tools to Boost Collaboration
Topics Covered:
● Building a strong creative culture and psychological safety
● Structuring productive brainstorming and creative critique sessions

● Motivation and engagement in creative teams
● Conflict resolution and emotional intelligence in leadership
● Intro to Figma: Using Figma as a team collaboration and communication tool
Activities:
● Simulation: Run a team feedback session
● Hands-on project: Collaboratively design a user interface in Figma
Day 4: Visual Influence & Strategic Communication
Theme: Presenting Creative Ideas with Clarity, Strategy, and Impact
Topics Covered:
● Storytelling for visual thinkers: Building narratives with design
● How to pitch creative ideas to stakeholders and clients
● Strategic communication: Aligning design direction with business goals
● Visual persuasion techniques and concept framing
● Prototyping and showcasing ideas effectively with Figma

Activities:
● Build and present a rapid prototype
● Group feedback: Assess clarity, persuasion, and storytelling
Day 5: Scaling Creative Impact & Personal Growth
Theme: Developing Your Creative Leadership Roadmap
Topics Covered:
● Leading creative processes at scale (Design Systems, Ops, Strategy)
● Setting performance metrics and creative KPIs
● Coaching and mentoring junior creatives
● Personal branding as a creative leader
● Building a 6-month development plan to continue growing after the course
Activities:
● Capstone Project: Team-based final presentation of a creative concept
● Personal reflection: Draft your Creative Leadership Growth Plan