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The differences between creative directors & designer and head designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a creative director & designer and a head designer. Additionally, a head designer has an average salary of $116,986, 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 head designer are product design, UI, and sketch.
| Creative Director & Designer | Head Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,589 | $116,986 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $56.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,688 | 53,876 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
The Head Designer is the overall command over the creative team's design and the entire company. The heads of the organization look toward the head designer to provide insights into the artistic path the company will take to achieve a unique brand in the market. The head designer is highly-creative, good in management, and can articulate abstract ideas clearly and relay them to company administrators, customers, and clients. A head designer's responsibilities are to handle the creative team, train each member, and provide guidance in every part of the designing process.
Creative directors & designer and head designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director & Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average salary | $108,589 | $116,986 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $163,000 | Between $71,000 And $191,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a creative director & designer and a head designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director & Designer | Head Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between creative directors & designer' and head designers' demographics:
| Creative Director & Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |