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The differences between creative leads and creative directors 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 takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, 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 are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.
| Creative Lead | Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $137,779 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $66.24 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 11,610 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 6 |
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.
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.
Creative leads and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $137,779 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $82,000 And $228,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a creative director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between creative leads' and creative directors' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Creative Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |