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The differences between creative leads and creative directors & designer can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a creative lead, becoming a creative director & designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a creative director & designer has an average salary of $108,589, which is higher than the $93,742 average annual salary of a creative lead.
The top three skills for a creative lead include sketch, project management and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a creative director & designer are graphic design, sketch, and photography.
| Creative Lead | Creative Director & Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $108,589 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $52.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 52,688 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 12 |
A creative lead is responsible for leading a team of creative staff in conceptualizing designs according to project requirements and client specifications. Creative leads must have excellent technical and critical-thinking skills for utilizing various software tools and applications to generate designs and adjust initial outlines as needed. They also assist the creative staff with the documentation and submission of layouts that meet quality standards and budget limitations. A creative lead works closely with the creative director to establish creative solutions that would attract the audience and enhance the brand's image on market platforms.
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.
Creative leads and creative directors & designer have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Creative Director & Designer | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $108,589 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $72,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Internet |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a creative director & designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Creative Director & Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between creative leads' and creative directors & designer' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Creative Director & Designer | |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 10% | 13% |