Learn about industry and workplace trends, backed by data, impacting creative teams and what they mean for your business and career. You'll also get the inside scoop on skills and positions in greatest demand and what they pay, as well as what the future holds for design teams.

1. And What You Need to Know to Get Ahead
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

2. of advertising and marketing executives
said it’s challenging to find skilled
creative talent today
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

3. Technological change
is accelerating
Talent is increasingly
hard to find
Retention strategies
are critical
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

4. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
1970s
Emergence of
personal computers
1990s
Emergence of
the internet
2000s
Emergence of
mobile computing and
social networks
2010s and beyond
Open APIs, blockchain

5. Cloud
computing
FinTech and
RegTech
Drones
Biometrics and
voice recognition
Social
technologies
Internet of
things
Mobile
technology
Blockchain and
virtual currencies
Robotic
automation
AI and machine
learning
Big data and
decision science
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
DRIVERS OF
THE DIGITAL
REVOLUTION

6. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
Customer experience journeys
UX research and design
Video production
Voice, AR/VR, IoT
App design and
development
Content management
systems
Marketing and business
process automation
Web/mobile products
Business intelligence
and data analytics
Cloud computing
Cybersecurity
DevOps
Internet of things
Machine learning
ITCreative

7. Break down silos Be well-rounded Pursue new skills
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

8. of creative professionals say
it’s challenging to find talent
with up-to-date digital skills
TECHNICAL SKILLS MOST LACKING
Data science, data analysis and A/B testing
Web and UX design
Content creation and content marketing
SEO, SEM and pay-per-click (PPC) marketing
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

9. of creative teams are understaffed
TOP AREAS TO HIRE
Web design and production
Print design and production
Project management
Video production and photography
Creative and art direction
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

10. HARD SKILLS
Design tools: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Sketch, Spark, XD
Video production/motion graphics: After Effects, Final Cut Pro
UX and UI
Programming languages: CSS, HTML, JavaScript
Content management systems: Drupal, WordPress, Joomla!, Magento
Customer experience
Digital strategy
Project management
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

11. SOFT SKILLS
Communication
Collaboration
Empathy
Problem solving
Creative thinking/innovation
Power of influence
Ability to attract and retain top talent
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

12. CONTENT STRATEGIST
$73,000
COPYWRITER
$66,500
DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER
$81,000
DIGITAL STRATEGIST
$91,250
FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPER
$72,750
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.
MARKETING ANALYTICS MANAGER
$93,250
UX DESIGNER
$93,000
UX RESEARCHER
$71,000
UI DESIGNER
$72,750
VISUAL DESIGNER
$81,000

13. Invest in professional
development
Network locally Pursue pilot or
passion projects
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

14. Job boards
Portfolio sites
Employee referrals
Recruiting
agencies
Colleges and
universities
NetworkingSocial media
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

15. IBM WATSON’S DESIGNERS
Each bring a different skill set to thetable
Work on small, cross-disciplinary teams that include
front-end developers, back-end developers and
project managers
Plan work around their resources and talents
“It’s extremely rare to find people
who are good at everything.”
– Carol J. Smith,
UX leader and speaker
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

16. Devise a
recruiting plan
Refine your
pitch
Conduct
situational
interviews
Move quickly
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

17. Check your “selfie”
Show off your technical expertise
Demonstrate your value
Play up your soft skills
Get out there
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

18. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

19. Limited opportunities
for career growth
Job boredom Inadequate compensation
and benefits
Excessive work Unhappiness with
management
Lack of recognition
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

20. Create a sense of purpose
Recognize individual differences
Have career path discussions
Support professional development
Pay competitively
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

21. of workers think they
deserve a raise
plan to ask for a
raise this year
would look for a new
job if their request for a
raise was declined
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

22. Do your research
Know your limit
Leave nothing off the table
Don’t gloss over signs of a badfit
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

23. Do your research
Justify your reasons
Practice
Have a back-up plan
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

24. Hard and soft skills
are critical
for success
Employers need to
work harder and faster
to land top talent
Retention
should be top
of mind
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.

25. Salary Center
creativegroup.com/salary-center
TCG Blog
blog.creativegroup.com
© 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans. All rights reserved.