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The differences between creative directors & designer and 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 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 $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 a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.
| Creative Director & Designer | Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $108,589 | $137,779 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $66.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 52,688 | 11,610 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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.
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.
Creative directors & designer and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director & Designer | Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $108,589 | $137,779 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $163,000 | Between $82,000 And $228,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative director & designer and a creative director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director & Designer | Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between creative directors & designer' and creative directors' demographics:
| Creative Director & Designer | Creative Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% |
| 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, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |