When Your Art Department Isn’t In-House (And What Replaces It)
There isn’t one right way to structure a creative team. Some brands build internal teams and bring in partners to help guide and support the brand. That’s one model.
Others take a different approach. They keep their internal team focused on strategy and work with an external creative partner to handle design, content, and production.
This is what that model looks like.
What Is an External Art Department?
An external art department is a model where a creative partner handles both creative direction and execution, working alongside an internal marketing team instead of building a full in-house design team.
A Lean Team, Structured for Focus
In this setup, the internal team stays small and clear in its role.
The Director of Marketing sets direction, messaging, and priorities. The Marketing Coordinator manages the calendar, organizes requests, and keeps everything moving.
The strategy is internal. The goals are internal. The messaging starts internally.
Creative is where SPLASH comes in. Not as a vendor, but as the art department carrying that direction across everything the brand puts out.
How the System Works
The internal team defines what needs to happen and why. Campaigns, priorities, timelines, and core messaging are set.
We take that and translate it across every touchpoint: emails, digital ads, social posts, presentations, website updates, sales materials.
Each piece is built to feel connected to the next. Not just completed, but aligned.
The Gap That Can Show Up
Even in a strong internal structure, creative leadership isn’t always built in early. There may not be an art director or creative director responsible for looking across everything.
So the question becomes:
Who is making sure the email reflects the campaign?
That the campaign connects to the website?
That the presentation carries the same brand?
The work gets done. But without that layer, it doesn’t always build in a consistent way.
Where SPLASH Fits
This is the role we step into.
We’re not just producing individual pieces. We’re responsible for how everything connects.
Acting as the art department and carrying creative leadership across all outputs. So instead of each asset living on its own, the brand builds over time.
What This Looks Like Over Time
The difference shows up in the details:
Emails feel connected to campaigns.
Campaigns connect to the website.
Presentations reflect the same brand.
There’s a clear point of view behind the work. For companies like DNA, this model is already in place.
Internal marketing leadership sets direction and priorities. SPLASH carries that through across product marketing, digital, education, and ongoing content.
There’s no internal art department to manage. But there is consistency across everything the brand puts out.
Two Ways to Work Together
This is one model. SPLASH as your art department, providing both creative leadership and execution.
The other is building an internal creative team and working with SPLASH to help guide, support, and evolve the brand over time.
Both work. It comes down to how your team is structured and where you want creative leadership to live.
Work With SPLASH Creatives
SPLASH Creatives functions as an external art department, providing both creative leadership and execution. We work directly with your Director of Marketing and Marketing Coordinator to keep everything aligned and moving.
Explore more:
If you’re building an internal team → Building brands internal teams can use
If your brand is already live → What changes when a brand starts working
If you’re starting from scratch → What we consider before designing anything
Or see how we support teams → Our services