If visual expression appeals to you, here’s advice from a veteran creative director who has created several major advertising campaigns over the past two decades.

Krid Asvanon

Creative director, McCann Erickson Thailand

Education: Master’s degree in visual

communication, California Institute of the Arts

Current Accounts: Vaseline White UV, Boots, Wall’s Ice Cream and Tops Supermarket.

“A creative director’s job is hard, but it’s fun. Sometimes you have to go several days without sleep to meet deadlines,” says Krid, who has 20 years’ experience in advertising.

His latest television commercials are for Vaseline White UV and Boots’ skincare products. A 30-second commercial on TV takes at least a month from conception to completion, he says.

Krid oversees all McCann Erickson’s projects in Thailand and supervises four staff members. He manages projects from beginning to end, translates marketing objectives into innovative strategies and is responsible for the maintaining the quality of work produced by his creative departments.

“The job is how to translate three pages of a client’s needs into catchy sentences and

visuals,” he says.

A creative director in an advertising agency must be a good communicator, with a strong ability to design. A copywriting background is a must, says Krid, who scaled the career ladder from junior account director and senior group head.

Krid says that an advertising agency’s job isn’t to sell products but to create demand – to make people reach out for more information.

“If I can draw prospective customers to shops or showrooms, I consider myself

successful,” he explains, citing a successful Apple Computer television commercial, done for an investment of Bt40 million. It appeared only once on TV, but became the talk of the town, drawing plenty of phone calls from across the country.

A good, visually creative commercial doesn’t necessarily make a good ad, says Krid. “So, a good creative director must have a balanced attitude, taking into consideration the visual and social aspects of each ad.”

The first step to be a creative director, he says, is to know yourself. “You may not be good in mathematics or science, but if you find graphics and images appealing, this career may be for you,” says Krid, who moved into

advertising, his passion, after spending a year studying medicine to fulfil his father’s wishes.

AREE CHAISATIEN

The Nation

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Visual thinker

Here’s what it takes to be a creative director:

- You’re a keen observer of people and trends in every sphere.

- You understand human nature.

- You’re creative. You easily solve problems when they arise.

- You’re able to come up with ideas when your staff is stuck and/or when two or more agencies want to see your portfolio at the same time.

- Your way with graphics and images can move people to take action.

- You have experience and leadership, communication and project-management skills.

Paths to careers in communication design

Search the Web for programmes in communication arts at public and private universities around Thailand. Other programmes include:

- A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in communication design with the first two years of study at Vajuravudh College in Thailand and the second two years at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in the US state of Wisconsin. The application deadline is the end of August. No TOEFL or IELTS scores are required. Scholarships are available. Visit www.vajiravudh.ac.th and www.miad.edu

- A certificate and bachelor’s degree at the Bangkok Code of King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thonburi. For more information, log on to www.arch.kmutt.ac.th/CityCenter/class.html.