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The differences between creative leads and senior designers 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 senior designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior designer has an average salary of $102,058, 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 senior designer are sketch, graphic design, and human centered design.
| Creative Lead | Senior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,742 | $102,058 |
| Hourly rate | $45.07 | $49.07 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 6,384 | 47,503 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
Senior designers are typically in charge of realizing design solutions that adhere to the business goals and marketing strategies of an organization. They should be comfortable managing graphics designers and making decisions. They must have extensive knowledge of styles, layout techniques, and graphic design while also managing projects and people effectively. Senior designers have a variety of duties, which include delegating tasks to junior designers, maintaining high-quality standards, and collaborating to improve digital creativity standards.
Creative leads and senior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Lead | Senior Designer | |
| Average salary | $93,742 | $102,058 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $169,000 | Between $72,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Media |
There are a few differences between a creative lead and a senior designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Lead | Senior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 senior designers' demographics:
| Creative Lead | Senior Designer | |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| 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% |