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The differences between creative directors and editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a creative director, becoming an editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, which is higher than the $52,107 average annual salary of an editor.
The top three skills for a creative director include graphic design, creative concepts and creative direction. The most important skills for an editor are web content, video content, and SEO.
| Creative Director | Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $137,779 | $52,107 |
| Hourly rate | $66.24 | $25.05 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,610 | 15,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
Creative directors and editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director | Editor | |
| Average salary | $137,779 | $52,107 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $228,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative director and an editor in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director | Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | English |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between creative directors' and editors' demographics:
| Creative Director | Editor | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |