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The differences between creative directors & designer and senior graphic 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 senior graphic designer. Additionally, a creative director & designer has an average salary of $108,589, which is higher than the $73,921 average annual salary of a senior graphic designer.
The top three skills for a creative director & designer include graphic design, sketch and photography. The most important skills for a senior graphic designer are sketch, adobe creative suite, and creative concepts.
| Creative Director & Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,589 | $73,921 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $35.54 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,688 | 46,310 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
A senior graphic designer oversees all of the designing operations in a company, from conceptualization to production. One of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that all designs produced are according to a client's preference and brand. They also encourage fresh ideas from the team, communicate with clients or representatives, and manage the schedules to meet all deadlines. Furthermore, as a senior graphic designer, they are responsible for leading and mentoring a team of graphic designers, all in the joint effort to reach project goals.
Creative directors & designer and senior graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director & Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $108,589 | $73,921 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $163,000 | Between $51,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Practice Fusion |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative director & designer and a senior graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director & Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 senior graphic designers' demographics:
| Creative Director & Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% |
| 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% |