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Art supervisor vs senior art director

The differences between art supervisors and senior art 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 supervisor and a senior art director. Additionally, a senior art director has an average salary of $103,294, which is higher than the $66,352 average annual salary of an art supervisor.

The top three skills for an art supervisor include visualization, brainstorming and user experience. The most important skills for a senior art director are graphic design, photography, and creative concepts.

Art supervisor vs senior art director overview

Art SupervisorSenior Art Director
Yearly salary$66,352$103,294
Hourly rate$31.90$49.66
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs5,0009,098
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

What does an art supervisor do?

An art supervisor focuses on designing a commissioned project or a creative marketing campaign focused on graphics and artistic visuals. The art supervisor determines the course of action and an innovative plan that will fit the customer's requirements. Experience is essential for an art supervisor. This person will base decisions on both previous artistic successes and test new concepts and ideas that will maximize the reach to people and improve the visibility of the customer's business or the supervisor's studio.

What does a senior art director do?

A senior art director is responsible for monitoring the creative art department's operations, ensuring the adequacy of resources and materials, as well as high-quality outputs based on clients' specifications and business requirements. Senior art directors implement strategic project management procedures to offer deliverables within the budget goals and set timeframe. They coordinate with the clients for progress updates and inform them of any adjustments as needed. A senior art director should have a keen eye for details and knowledge of various art software applications to assist the team, especially when doing revisions.

Art supervisor vs senior art director salary

Art supervisors and senior art directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Art SupervisorSenior Art Director
Average salary$66,352$103,294
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $111,000Between $63,000 And $167,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyRiot GamesDoorDash
Best paying industryMediaProfessional

Differences between art supervisor and senior art director education

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

Art SupervisorSenior Art Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Art supervisor vs senior art director demographics

Here are the differences between art supervisors' and senior art directors' demographics:

Art SupervisorSenior Art Director
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 51.0% Female, 49.0%Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between art supervisor and senior art director duties and responsibilities

Art supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead 4 brands in Alcon's eye care portfolio and supervise digital and print for ECPs and consumers.
  • Manage art assistant, including scheduling and quality control of art photography and certificates of authenticity.
  • Brand development, and stewardship.Multiple new business pitches, including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, hepatitis.
  • Conceptualize and successfully develop numerous creative visual concepts for online sites, print materials, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Collaborate with CEO on product definition and execution of social 3D chat application for Facebook.
  • Manage translation and localization for Facebook game into Spanish and Portuguese.

Senior art director example responsibilities.

  • Manage and direct interaction designers, marketing designers, HTML production and user research teams.
  • Direct and manage all photography including composition, talent acquisition and photo manipulation.
  • Design materials including POS, mailings, brochures, posters, flyers and other collateral materials.
  • Create flyers, show cards, and prepare artwork and media files for exhibitions director.
  • Design wire frames and work on UX design issues and working with development team to ensure integration.
  • Assist in all stages of the marketing and design process, from initial brainstorm meetings to final production.
  • Show more

Art supervisor vs senior art director skills

Common art supervisor skills
  • Visualization, 26%
  • Brainstorming, 23%
  • User Experience, 12%
  • Concept Development, 11%
  • Art Direction, 7%
  • Creative Concepts, 6%
Common senior art director skills
  • Graphic Design, 9%
  • Photography, 9%
  • Creative Concepts, 7%
  • Sketch, 7%
  • Digital Marketing, 6%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%

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