créatifs

Créatifs is the plural noun form in French used to refer to professionals engaged in creative work, and as an adjective meaning relating to creation or creativity. In everyday French, créatifs describes people with imaginative or inventive capabilities, and in business contexts, it commonly designates the group of personnel responsible for developing concepts and messages in advertising and media.

In advertising and communication agencies, les créatifs form the creative department, including roles such as creative director, art director, copywriter, and designer. Their core task is to conceive concepts for campaigns, establish visual and verbal language, and shape brand identity. The process typically starts with a brief from account management, followed by brainstorming, concept development, and production, with outputs ranging from campaigns to digital content and packaging.

Outside advertising, the term also designates professionals in film, video games, journalism, and the broader arts who work on original content and stylistic direction. In French-speaking contexts, the plural term is used to refer collectively to the entire creative workforce within an organization.

Etymology: from Latin creativus via Old French, dating from the early modern period. In contemporary usage, créatif and créatifs carry both a practical sense (creative work) and a descriptive sense (creative individuals), and the term remains common in corporate and cultural discourse to denote those who conceive and execute original ideas.