Post job

Art director vs artistic director

The differences between art directors and artistic directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an art director and an artistic director. Additionally, an art director has an average salary of $88,367, which is higher than the $72,755 average annual salary of an artistic director.

The top three skills for an art director include graphic design, art direction and creative concepts. The most important skills for an artistic director are artistic vision, community outreach, and non-profit organization.

Art director vs artistic director overview

Art DirectorArtistic Director
Yearly salary$88,367$72,755
Hourly rate$42.48$34.98
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs11,4727,019
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

Art director vs artistic director salary

Art directors and artistic directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Art DirectorArtistic Director
Average salary$88,367$72,755
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $135,000Between $36,000 And $143,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonAlaska
Best paying companyThe Walt Disney CompanyBoston Public Schools
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between art director and artistic director education

There are a few differences between an art director and an artistic director in terms of educational background:

Art DirectorArtistic Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorGraphic DesignTheatre
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityDuke University

Art director vs artistic director demographics

Here are the differences between art directors' and artistic directors' demographics:

Art DirectorArtistic Director
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 57.4% Female, 42.6%Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between art director and artistic director duties and responsibilities

Art director example responsibilities.

  • Manage a small group of graphic artists for PC/Mac catalog.
  • Lead the conception, design and execution of cross channel initiatives for healthcare and pharmaceutical clients.
  • Monitor the day-to-day activities on projects working with editorial, design and technical teams to execute and achieve project goals.
  • Collaborate on marketing strategies and concept creation for sketch presentations, and photo shoots with talent.
  • Utilize working knowledge of HTML, CSS and PHP in the creation of web sites and social media campaigns.
  • Perform vast typesetting and paste-up duties.
  • Show more

Artistic director example responsibilities.

  • Manage and develop the art & photography school programs along with maintaining the retail art gallery.
  • Manage content effectiveness, ROI, media orders, ad confirmations, production requests and discrepancy notices.
  • Choreograph and produce contemporary dances in NYC and Albany venues.
  • Recruit mid-career and establish artists to curate a collection for the gallery.
  • Plan and coordinate all competitions, public performances, venue, costumes, and ticketing.
  • Serve on ad hoc committee for creation and development of a new cabaret theater space.
  • Show more

Art director vs artistic director skills

Common art director skills
  • Graphic Design, 11%
  • Art Direction, 7%
  • Creative Concepts, 7%
  • Sketch, 7%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%
Common artistic director skills
  • Artistic Vision, 21%
  • Community Outreach, 12%
  • Non-Profit Organization, 8%
  • Press Releases, 6%
  • Public Speaking, 6%
  • Costume Design, 4%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs