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The differences between associate creative directors and senior creative 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 associate creative director and a senior creative director. Additionally, a senior creative director has an average salary of $141,259, which is higher than the $141,099 average annual salary of an associate creative director.
The top three skills for an associate creative director include graphic design, digital marketing and creative concepts. The most important skills for a senior creative director are creative direction, brand development, and graphic design.
| Associate Creative Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $141,099 | $141,259 |
| Hourly rate | $67.84 | $67.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 8,945 | 9,886 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An associate creative director helps the creative director in creating design concepts and directions for multiple design projects, marketing materials, and campaigns. Other tasks include researching marketing trends and strategies and overseeing multiple design projects. The skills that an associate creative director should possess to accomplish his/her or her responsibilities include good interpersonal skills and knowledge of social media platforms and trends. The requirements to qualify for the job including possessing a degree in advertising, fine arts, or related fields and experience in supervising staff.
A senior creative director spearheads the visual aspects of a company's marketing and advertising departments. They manage creative teams and lead the efforts from conceptualizing to executing projects and campaigns. As a senior creative director, their responsibilities typically include setting goals and budgets, establishing guidelines, coordinating departments, delegating tasks to managers, researching new business opportunities, liaising with internal and external parties, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. Furthermore, they must serve as a mentor to junior directors and staff, promoting and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Associate creative directors and senior creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Creative Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $141,099 | $141,259 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $226,000 | Between $73,000 And $271,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | California | Illinois |
| Best paying company | The Howard Hughes | Sally Beauty Holdings |
| Best paying industry | Media | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an associate creative director and a senior creative director in terms of educational background:
| Associate Creative Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between associate creative directors' and senior creative directors' demographics:
| Associate Creative Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4% | Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |