Guides
Practical, opinionated guides on hiring an agency, working with one, and building a creative career, from the team behind the directory.
How to Choose an Agency
How to write a brief, build a shortlist, read a portfolio, understand pricing, and avoid the common red flags when hiring an advertising, branding, or design agency.
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How to Build a Portfolio That Gets You Hired
What to show, how many projects to include, how to write case studies, which platform to build on, and how to get your portfolio in front of agencies.
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The Types of Agencies Explained
Advertising, branding, digital product, strategy, media, social, motion, experiential, PR, and packaging agencies, what each does, and how to choose.
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What Does an Agency Cost?
The pricing models, rough cost ranges by project type, what drives the price up or down, and how to get a quote you can trust.
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How Much Does a Logo Cost?
Honest price ranges by tier, from AI tools to freelancers to branding agencies, what the money actually buys, and what must be in the package.
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How to Get a Job at a Creative Agency
The entry-level roles to aim for, how to build a junior portfolio with no client work, where the openings hide, how to apply, and how to handle the portfolio review.
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How to Build a Portfolio With No Experience
Where to get real projects when you have no clients, how to present school and self-directed work credibly, and where to build the site.
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How to Land a Creative Agency Internship
When to apply, where to find openings including the ones never posted, how to apply, what an intern portfolio needs, and how to convert it into a job.
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Agency Roles Explained: Who Does What
What a creative director, art director, copywriter, designer, and account or strategy lead actually do, how they fit together, and which role suits you.
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Agency vs. Freelancer vs. In-House
The cost, speed, range, and control trade-offs of hiring an agency, working with freelancers, or building in-house, and how to choose for your project and stage.
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Agency & Creative Glossary
A-Z definitions of agency and creative-industry terms: brief, retainer, RFP, scope creep, full-service vs. specialist, and more.
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How to Write an Agency Brief
What a working brief needs to say, what to leave out, common mistakes, and a free fill-in-the-blank template you can copy and send today.
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How to Run an Agency Pitch or RFP
How many agencies to invite, whether to pay them, what to put in the RFP, and a scoring rubric for judging proposals fairly.
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Notable Agency Work: 2026 in Review
Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners, Clio and Ad Age recognition, and identity work from agencies in the directory, updated periodically.
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We are building out more practical guides. In the meantime, the directory is the fastest way to find the right partner.
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