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The differences between associate designers and senior creative directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an associate designer, becoming a senior creative director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior creative director has an average salary of $141,259, which is higher than the $56,770 average annual salary of an associate designer.
The top three skills for an associate designer include sketch, CAD and customer service. The most important skills for a senior creative director are creative direction, brand development, and graphic design.
| Associate Designer | Senior Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $56,770 | $141,259 |
| Hourly rate | $27.29 | $67.91 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 47,571 | 9,886 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
An Associate Designer helps in developing sketches on paper and in graphic design software. They usually are supervised by the junior staff and interns.
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 designers and senior creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Designer | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $56,770 | $141,259 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $80,000 | Between $73,000 And $271,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Illinois |
| Best paying company | Apple | Sally Beauty Holdings |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an associate designer and a senior creative director in terms of educational background:
| Associate Designer | Senior Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between associate designers' and senior creative directors' demographics:
| Associate Designer | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 13% | 11% |