How to hire a creative director & designer

How to hire a creative director & designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step creative director & designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a creative director & designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new creative director & designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a creative director & designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your creative director & designer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a creative director & designer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A creative director & designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, creative directors & designer from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of creative director & designer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Creative Director & Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Creative Director & Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$34-78
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46
   Designer/Art Director	An art director collaborates with the design and art staff for books, public relations firms, advertising agencies, or newspaper publishers. Art directors create designs and layouts that embody the organization and send the message they want the audience to get... Show more	$28-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Graphic Design
   • Sketch
   • Photography
   • Creative Direction
   • Creative Concepts
   • Art Direction
   • Creative Design
   • Video Production
   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Website Design
   • Motion Graphics
   • Product Design
   • Brand Development

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Create layout designs for various direct mail platforms (letters, envelopes, brochures, postcards, self-mailers, etc . )
   • Direct photographers in helicopters around the country in advertising and corporate photography.

   More creative director & designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your creative director & designer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A creative director & designer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, creative directors & designer' average salary in south dakota is 56% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level creative directors & designer earn 56% less than senior-level creative directors & designer.
   • Certifications. A creative director & designer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a creative director & designer's salary.

   Average creative director & designer salary

   $108,589yearly

   $52.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level creative director & designer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average creative director & designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$157,453	$76
   2	Nevada	$116,774	$56
   3	New York	$116,634	$56
   4	Massachusetts	$109,540	$53
   5	Illinois	$104,635	$50
   6	Rhode Island	$104,451	$50
   7	Texas	$103,611	$50
   8	Virginia	$101,575	$49
   9	West Virginia	$101,272	$49
   10	Oregon	$99,853	$48
   11	Maryland	$95,983	$46
   12	Colorado	$95,373	$46
   13	New Hampshire	$90,274	$43
   14	Michigan	$89,738	$43
   15	North Carolina	$89,070	$43
   16	Minnesota	$88,512	$43
   17	Ohio	$86,101	$41
   18	Georgia	$85,589	$41
   19	Wisconsin	$85,301	$41
   20	Arkansas	$83,890	$40

   Average creative director & designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$209,376	$100.66	652
   2	The Walt Disney Company	$181,058	$87.05	60
   3	Apple	$180,759	$86.90	45
   4	Sally Beauty Holdings	$169,820	$81.64
   5	Datadog	$164,942	$79.30	18
   6	MAC Cosmetics	$164,481	$79.08
   7	Nike	$163,998	$78.85	123
   8	Fox News	$155,874	$74.94
   9	Estée Lauder	$152,142	$73.15	4
   10	Luckie & Company	$130,881	$62.92
   11	Kwikee	$128,437	$61.75
   12	Papa John's International	$127,866	$61.47
   13	NVE Experience Agency	$124,598	$59.90	2
   14	K Hovnanian Companies Of New York Inc	$123,216	$59.24
   15	InvestCloud	$122,233	$58.77
   16	Jack Morton Worldwide	$121,991	$58.65	4
   17	NYU Lutheran Medical Center	$120,873	$58.11
   18	Merkle	$120,271	$57.82
   19	Chartwell	$119,685	$57.54
   20	Crispin Porter + Bogusky	$118,034	$56.75

4. Writing a creative director & designer job description

   A creative director & designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a creative director & designer job description:

   Creative director & designer job description example

   Are you passionate about designing innovative strategy and technology solutions to solve complex problems? Are you self-organizing, motivated, and client focused? We are looking for a Creative Design Director who will be responsible for conceptualizing, developing, and executing highly innovative, creative, integrated, and effective design solutions for Aleut's Federal customers. This includes leading and managing human centered design thinking workshops, developing proof of concepts, facilitating technology demonstrations, and developing scalable, flexible, and cutting-edge assets, solutions, and thought leadership pieces to support our customers on their digital transformation journey.
   This position can be located in either Reston, VA Or Colorado Springs, CO
   
   Essential Job Functions:
   
   * Conceptualize and execute highly innovative, creative, integrated, and effective design solutions
   * Interact with senior-level customers to build relations, introduce new technologies, and present opportunities for improvement
   * Lead human centered design thinking workshops with a wide array of stakeholders to achieve measurable outcomes
   * Serve as a leader and coach to Aleut employees and clients to teach and train on the essentials and principles of design excellence
   * Develop thought leadership pieces to include white papers, lead prototypes, and proofs of concepts relevant to opportunities
   * Lead solutioning for selected opportunities and technical responses
   * Understand new technology solutions to present design and implementation details to customers
   * Able to execute within the small business regulations, specifically those related to the SBA 8(a) program
   
   Qualifications:
   
   * 10+ years of overall experience involving human centered design, studio leadership, IT solutions delivery leadership, and technical proposal management across Federal agencies
   * Extensive experience in leading collaborative, iterative design process with clients and colleagues
   * Experience developing white papers, RFI responses, and proposals
   * Experience in a customer-facing role using human centered design concepts and Agile methodologies
   * Ability to obtain a security clearance
   * Bachelor's degree
   
   Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
   
   * Demonstrated design experience
   * Excellent leadership and mentoring skills
   * Great writing skills involving customer-ready presentations, proposal content, and technical documentation
   * Great presentation skills to different audience including senior-level clients, business SMEs and developers
   * Experience with developing and maintaining effective relationships with clients and industry partners
   * Ability to work as a self-starter, take initiative, and execute tasks with minimal supervision.
   * Ability to travel (up to 20%) to meet with clients and teaming partners, support proposal efforts, and attend conferences.
   
   Aleut Federal, LLC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, AF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. AF expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find creative directors & designer for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any creative directors & designer they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level creative directors & designer with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your creative director & designer job on Zippia to find and recruit creative director & designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with creative director & designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new creative director & designer

   Once you've found the creative director & designer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new creative director & designer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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