Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a creative director & designer and how to become one
As a Creative Director Designer, you will guide a team that has skills and experience related to graphic design, fine arts, motion graphics, and other creative fields. You may work on visual layouts, copywriting, and brainstorming marketing campaigns. It will be our job to ensure all products are delivered on time and within budget. You must work to the highest standards of quality. Communication of the company's creative vision is vital, and the leadership of design teams is important. A Creative Director Designer must supervise the entire design process and all-important technical decisions.
To become a Creative Director Designer, you will need a bachelor's degree in journalism, advertising, or communications. You will also need to take courses in business, management, finance, computer science, and graphic design. You will need experience in creative design and have skills using technology. With this in mind, you can make an annual average salary of $130,000 depending on education and experience.
What general advice would you give to a creative director & designer?
Yash Egami
VP, The One Club
While traditional roles like art director or copywriter are on the decline, the good news is that, in an effort to reinvent themselves, agencies are seeking creatives with digital skills like UX design and programming. The rise of in-house creative departments has also meant more opportunities for job seekers within brands rather than agencies. And because of the demand for more diversity from clients and those within advertising, recruiters are making more of an effort to hire multicultural talent.
At The One Club for Creativity, we've been at the forefront of change in the industry through our diversity and inclusion, professional development and gender equality programs. We recently hosted our annual multicultural career fair, "Where Are All the Black People?" that brought together thousands of diverse talent with 40 agencies and companies looking to hire. We launched One School, a free online program for Black creatives who want to get into the industry but don't have a portfolio or the economic means to afford to go to ad school. And we're working on upskilling courses for professionals who want to reinvent themselves or keep up with the changing demands of our industry.
So if you're a recent graduate who specializes in art direction, our advice would be to keep an open mind about what kind of company you want to work for and think about expanding your skillset to include digital skills so that you can future-proof your career. Where you are isn't as important because, since the pandemic, agencies have become more comfortable with working remotely and they are more open to having a workforce not centered on the traditional agency hubs, like New York or Los Angeles.
Avg. Salary $108,589
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%
Asian 10.42%
Black or African American 3.42%
Hispanic or Latino 10.63%
Unknown 4.99%
White 70.17%
Genderfemale 38.75%
male 61.25%
Age - 37American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 37Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Creative director & designer career paths
Key steps to become a creative director & designer
Explore creative director & designer education requirements
Start to develop specific creative director & designer skills
Skills Percentages Graphic Design 10.67% Sketch 5.74% Photography 5.48% Creative Direction 5.21% Creative Concepts 4.61% Complete relevant creative director & designer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New creative directors & designer learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a creative director & designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real creative director & designer resumes.Research creative director & designer duties and responsibilities
- Manage design and layout of website as well as maintain the design through CSS & HTML
- Develop and manage business-to-business PowerPoint presentation service that create new business opportunities and increase revenue for the company.
- Create pattern tile designs and home decor with overseas vendors from sketch to final product.
- Create point-of-purchase displays/ merchandising programs, free-standing inserts, corporate and brand identities, brochures, packaging, and marketing collateral.
Get creative director & designer experience
Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a creative director & designer. The most common roles before becoming a creative director & designer include graphic designer, art director team lead and creative director.Prepare your creative director & designer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your creative director & designer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a creative director & designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable creative director & designer resume templates
Build a professional creative director & designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your creative director & designer resume.
Apply for creative director & designer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a creative director & designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first creative director & designer job
Are you a creative director & designer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average creative director & designer salary
The average creative director & designer salary in the United States is $108,589 per year or $52 per hour. Creative director & designer salaries range between $72,000 and $163,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do creative directors & designer rate their job?
Updated January 8, 2025
