Brand director vs creative director

The differences between brand directors and creative directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a brand director, becoming a creative director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, which is higher than the $123,533 average annual salary of a brand director.

The top three skills for a brand director include brand strategy, brand marketing and digital marketing. The most important skills for a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.

Brand director vs creative director overview

	Brand Director	Creative Director
Yearly salary	$123,533	$137,779
Hourly rate	$59.39	$66.24
Growth rate	10%	4%
Number of jobs	72,697	11,610
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	39	40
Years of experience	10	6

What does a brand director do?

A brand director spearheads the overall brand and marketing operations in a company. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and standards, coordinating departments, liaising with key distributors and suppliers, and overseeing the workflow and the workforce involved in the operations. A brand director must also devise strategies to attain optimal services and reach sales targets, oversee the hiring and training processes, and delegate duties when it comes to projects and programs. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a creative director do?

A creative director is an individual who creates and maintains a vision for a company's products and branding through digital, print, and film installations. Creative directors supervise and innovative staff team such as graphic designers and artists to discuss and plan the vision's layout and visuals. They also meet with clients or marketing and advertising departments to create designs and make the necessary changes to the systems. Most creative directors must have a bachelor's degree in fine arts and should build work portfolios while starting their careers as graphic designers or photographers.

Brand director vs creative director salary

Brand directors and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Brand Director	Creative Director
Average salary	$123,533	$137,779
Salary range	Between $92,000 And $165,000	Between $82,000 And $228,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	PayPal	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between brand director and creative director education

There are a few differences between a brand director and a creative director in terms of educational background:

	Brand Director	Creative Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Graphic Design
Most common college	University of Georgia	Harvard University

Brand director vs creative director demographics

Here are the differences between brand directors' and creative directors' demographics:

	Brand Director	Creative Director
Average age	39	40
Gender ratio	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	11%

Differences between brand director and creative director duties and responsibilities

Brand director example responsibilities.

Manage relationships with SEO consultants and all SEM vendors to ensure all participants are rowing the same way for maximum growth.
Develop and manage new health brand strategy including creation of healthcare professional/dietitian program.
Analyze Nielsen and research data to understand consumption trends and target consumer.
Maximize effectiveness and impact by harnessing data to drive predictive, consistent results, make better decisions and maximize ROI.
Measure, analyze and report to executive leadership on marketing programs and campaign performances against predetermine KPI s and ROI.
Launch CRM programs leveraging digital platforms that engage high net worth consumers in Russia and hard-to-reach trend-setters in the UK.

Creative director example responsibilities.

Manage designers and lead entire in-house healthcare creative department.
Manage all social media outlets and create Youtube channel.
Create, direct, and produce engaging videos and manage Instagram page.
Manage staff including designers, producers, HTML designers, creative writers, and developers; interview and select candidates.
Manage multiple social media profiles (corporate twitter accounts and blogs) to strategically increase readership and draw website traffic.
Develop and manage business-to-business PowerPoint presentation service that create new business opportunities and increase revenue for the company.

Brand director vs creative director skills

Common brand director skills

Brand Strategy, 10%
Brand Marketing, 9%
Digital Marketing, 8%
Brand Management, 8%
Integrated Marketing, 5%
Marketing Campaigns, 4%

Common creative director skills

Graphic Design, 6%
Creative Concepts, 6%
Creative Direction, 6%
Video Production, 5%
Photography, 5%
Digital Marketing, 4%

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Brand Director
Brand Director vs Creative Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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