About

Brand. Strategy. Execution.

Creative direction that connects executive vision, brand authority and measurable growth.

Brands worked with through agency partnerships in the UK and Canada, and in-house leadership roles.
Perspective

Great brands are built when strategy, narrative and creative execution move together.

Capabilities
At a Glance

20+ years

in brand & design, art direction and creative leadership.

10+ years

leading teams across design, content, PR and social.

Executive alignment

with CEOs, CMOs and senior leadership.

Six-figure budget

management across brand, multimedia and content.

Full-funnel ownership

across awareness, acquisition and conversion.

Agency & in-house

leadership across global B2B and B2C brands.

Selected Experience

Unbounce

Senior Creative Director

Uptempo

Creative Director

Earlier agency experience

Creative leadership roles at London agencies including Start JG and SapientNitro.

Independent consulting

Supporting companies across brand strategy, creative direction and marketing systems.

Operating Principles

Working with me

Good creative feels effortless. It rarely is.

My principles were shaped through years of aligning teams and moving business forward.

Alignment is designed

Alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s engineered.

Bring the right voices in early. Surface tension upfront. Use contrast to sharpen decisions.

Collaboration builds conviction, not compromise.

Creative is accountable

Brand is not decoration.
It’s leverage.

Every identity and campaign should strengthen positioning or accelerate growth.

Taste matters. So does commercial impact.

Position is claimed

Strong brands don’t drift into relevance. They claim it.

Decide what to stand for. Decide what to stand against. Decide what to be known for.

Strategy sets the ground.
Creative makes it visible.

Attention is earned

Mediocre creative doesn’t create momentum.

Every campaign competes with some of the most compelling content in the world.

If it wouldn’t interrupt the scroll, it doesn’t ship.

Judgment is tested

Testing is a tool, not a crutch.

Experience and qualitative insight shape direction.
Measurement ensures it scales.

Great creative leadership requires both conviction and accountability.

Let's talk

If you’ve got something in mind, I’d love to hear it.

jamesdavidthomson@gmail.com