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The differences between creative directors & designer and associate 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 a creative director & designer, becoming an associate creative director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an associate creative director has an average salary of $141,099, which is higher than the $108,589 average annual salary of a creative director & designer.
The top three skills for a creative director & designer include graphic design, sketch and photography. The most important skills for an associate creative director are graphic design, digital marketing, and creative concepts.
| Creative Director & Designer | Associate Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $108,589 | $141,099 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $67.84 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 52,688 | 8,945 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
Creative Directors and Designers are responsible for leading the creative output and brand representation of a product, service, or organization's publication. Their duties include developing visual communication strategies across design, content, graphics, artworks, and media, implement industry benchmarks, leading creative marketing campaigns, and working with the design team to create product or service design. Besides that, they are involved in setting the creative direction and message of a brand and supervising the creative team in ensuring brand touchpoints consistency. Creative Directors and Designers also monitor project delivery and assist in creative project budgeting.
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.
Creative directors & designer and associate creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director & Designer | Associate Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $108,589 | $141,099 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $163,000 | Between $87,000 And $226,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Howard Hughes |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Media |
There are a few differences between a creative director & designer and an associate creative director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director & Designer | Associate Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between creative directors & designer' and associate creative directors' demographics:
| Creative Director & Designer | Associate Creative Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |