Rege Indrastudianto in Conversation with Seto Adi Witonoyo on the Evolving Role of the Creative Director

When we think about the role of a Creative Director at a design studio, a familiar image often comes to mind: a leader, a founder, a decision-maker. For many graphic designers, becoming a Creative Director represents a career milestone, the role that marks the peak of a creative journey. Yet behind the title lies a far more layered reality, not as straightforward as a job description, as glamorous as a LinkedIn profile, nor as polished as the moodboards filling our social media feeds.

As the creative industry continues to evolve, the role of the Creative Director has expanded far beyond the creative department itself. At the same time, with increasingly fluid career paths and more people launching independent studios, the relevance of the Creative Director title has also become a topic of discussion. To explore these questions, we brought together Rege Indrastudianto, Creative Director of Visious Studio, and Seto Adi Witonoyo, Creative Director of Satu Collective. Drawing from years of navigating the highs and lows of the graphic design industry, the two reflect on what it really means to lead a design studio today.

Rege Indrastudianto:

Seto, in our industry, we have founders, co-founders, and Creative Directors. I've always known you as the Creative Director of Satu Collective, but I also know you've had a long journey before stepping into that role. These days, though, we see more and more people starting their own studios and calling themselves Creative Directors, even before they've had much professional experience. From your perspective, what's the reality of being a Creative Director? What responsibilities do you think people often overlook?

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

For me, Rege, being a Creative Director is not just a title. It is the result of experience and intuition. I started my career as a graphic designer, then became an Art Director, an associate, and eventually a Creative Director. It's a long process. The job isn't just about coming up with creative concepts; it's about managing people, understanding your team on a personal level, knowing everyone's strengths and skill sets, and helping them grow. As a Creative Director, you're constantly working with different kinds of talent, so you need the instinct to recognize what each person excels at. On top of that, you also need a solid understanding of business and marketing. When you're designing, you can't only think about aesthetics, you also have to think about what the client actually needs.

Rege Indrastudianto:

How do you balance that business side of things at Satu Collective?

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

Well, at Satu Collective, I'm also the CEO, so I have to understand the business inside out; how to run it and how to shape it around the character of the studio. Every studio has its own strengths, and they're all different. As a Creative Director, my job is to connect the business with the studio's identity. 

I learned a lot from my own Creative Directors back when I worked at an agency. In many ways, I'm a product of their mentorship. I looked up to them and learned by observing how they worked. When I first started my own studio, my only goal was to build a strong portfolio. I didn't really understand what it meant to be a Creative Director. It was only after reflecting on what I'd learned in advertising that I realized the role was much bigger than making good design. It was about giving clients everything they needed. That meant expanding our services beyond branding. If advertising agencies could develop campaigns, why couldn't we? We needed to think like consultants, to help clients grow their business.

Rege Indrastudianto:

Since we're looking back at the early days, I'm curious: how did you build your team when you first started Satu Collective? How did you find the right people, or even a partner? And what were the biggest challenges you faced as a Creative Director in those early years?

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

Honestly, I think the hardest part of being a Creative Director is choosing the right people and managing a team. People are never static; they grow, they struggle, they change. Some people need to be nurtured differently before you really understand where their strengths lie. Back then, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to approach each person so they could perform at their best. Every generation works differently, so your leadership style has to evolve too. I also think communication is one of the most important skills a Creative Director can have. You need to know how to present an idea, how to convince your team, and how to gain a client's trust. Those are skills you have to master. At the same time, you need to constantly absorb references. You should know what's happening in design, but also in music, film, fashion – everything. Those things shape your perspective. I have this theory that some Creative Directors are made, while others are almost born with it. The ones I consider "natural" Creative Directors have both exceptional taste and broad knowledge. They could move into graphic design, architecture, fashion, you name it. and still produce great work. Someone like Virgil Abloh comes to mind.

Rege Indrastudianto:

And then there's the portfolio dilemma. Back then, it felt like we were chasing projects based purely on idealism, building a portfolio we'd be proud of. But eventually you realize the bigger challenge is keeping the studio alive. At Visious, we've had projects that are creatively rewarding but don't bring in much revenue. Then we've had projects that may not be the most exciting creatively, but they're financially valuable. I guess you need both to keep the balance.

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

One of my former Creative Directors had a simple rule for choosing projects: the 3Fs: fame, fortune, and fun. Every project should give you at least two out of the three. If it doesn't pay well but it's exciting and gives you exposure, then it's probably still worth taking.

But you've been a Creative Director longer than I have, Rege. Every generation faces different challenges. The industry used to be much smaller, and now it's expanded in so many directions. From your perspective, what's the biggest difference between being a Creative Director back then and being one today?

Rege Indrastudianto:

I pretty much learned how to become a Creative Director on my own. I think our experiences were different because you had the chance to work closely with Creative Directors when you were an Art Director. When I was at an agency, Creative Directors felt distant. They had their own rooms. You'd only see them every now and then, maybe during a production or a photoshoot. So I never really got to learn much from them directly. When I became a Creative Director at Visious, I had to learn everything from scratch. What I've realized is that being a Creative Director isn't just about setting the concept and moving on. You have to stay involved throughout the entire process. From building the presentation deck and coaching the team on how to pitch the work, to reviewing the implementation, checking the final output, and sometimes even selecting the right production vendors. Because if you miss even one step, the result can fall apart. Even when you have Art Directors on the team, the Creative Director still needs to be there. You're guiding the team, supporting them, making financial decisions, and ultimately taking responsibility for the outcome. And honestly, I still obsess over the details: typography, print quality, color accuracy. I don't think Creative Directors who come from a graphic design background can ever completely let go of those technical aspects. No matter how strategic the role becomes, you'll always care about the smallest details.

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

I think a Creative Director has to stay involved all the way through. You have a vision, and naturally, you want to see how far that vision is actually realized. By staying close to the process, you can make sure the work remains true to what you set out to achieve.

Rege Indrastudianto:

Exactly. It's not as simple as, "You set the direction, then move on to the next project." You really have to stay with it until the very end.

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

One thing I genuinely worry about is whether my creativity and my ability to absorb new ideas will still be able to keep up in the future. We're in the “business of taste”, and taste is constantly evolving. Trends change, technology changes, the industry changes. Sometimes I wonder, will I still be able to keep up ten years from now, when I'm 60? But I also believe that, as a principal, what lasts isn't just your personal taste; it's the principles you build the studio on. That's why one of my biggest goals is to nurture the next generation of Creative Directors who can carry those principles forward.

Rege Indrastudianto:

I can relate to that. At Visious, I have my partner, Derrie. But I still have the same concern. Even with Derrie beside me, I keep asking myself: who's next? Who's going to continue what we've built? As a Creative Director and as a principal, our responsibility isn't just developing a team to deliver great projects. It's also about making sure the studio can outlive us by preparing the next generation. I'd hate to see a future where younger designers can't learn from our generation. We were fortunate enough to learn from studios like Pentagram. Even though they're on the other side of the world, we can still study how they've evolved over decades. We can still look at someone like Paula Scher and learn from her body of work. That makes me think about our own generation of Creative Directors. How do we pass down what we've learned? How do we make sure that knowledge doesn't stop with us, but continues to be shared with the people coming after us?

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

Exactly. Nobody becomes a Creative Director overnight. It's a journey. A process. You need a vision for where you want to go. What shapes you, first and foremost, is your instinct, and instinct is something that's sharpened over time through projects, challenges, failures, rejection, and setbacks. Honestly, the more you fail, the stronger your instinct becomes. To me, a Creative Director is not just someone who executes creative ideas. It's someone who creates impact across the board. You can develop that through self-learning, through mentorship, and by learning from other Creative Directors. The role covers such a broad territory that your knowledge also has to be broad. Creativity, ideas, business, marketing, they're all part of the job. So the learning never really stops. You have to keep updating yourself and keep growing.

Rege Indrastudianto:

And you have to genuinely love graphic design. If that passion is there, you'll keep doing it no matter what. As long as you still care about the profession, I don't think that enthusiasm ever really fades. It reminds me of Pak Hermawan (Tanzil)'s book, Ditanggoeng Tida Loentoer – "never fading" in a way, hahaha.

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

But here's a question: do you think the title Creative Director is actually important?

Rege Indrastudianto:

Hahaha. If someone asks me what I do, I usually just say, "I'm a graphic designer." Even though my business card says Creative Director.

Seto Adi Witonoyo:

Yeah, I think Creative Director is ultimately a structural title. It's something organizations need. In advertising agencies, there are usually multiple Creative Directors because of the organizational structure. In design studios, well, it really depends. Hahaha.