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The differences between creative services managers 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 services manager, 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 $78,567 average annual salary of a creative services manager.
The top three skills for a creative services manager include graphic design, project management and photography. The most important skills for a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.
| Creative Services Manager | Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $78,567 | $137,779 |
| Hourly rate | $37.77 | $66.24 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 113,897 | 11,610 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 6 |
Creative Services Managers are experienced employees with a creative streak and a strong design background. They are usually assigned to workgroups or special projects related to branding and other similar concepts. They are heavily involved in the planning stage of the project or program. A Corporate Services Manager may be directly hired by the company or outsourced from an advertising agency. They are in charge of managing the branding, choosing the best design elements for the project, and creating design palettes.
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 services managers and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Services Manager | Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $78,567 | $137,779 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $115,000 | Between $82,000 And $228,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative services manager and a creative director in terms of educational background:
| Creative Services Manager | Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | 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 services managers' and creative directors' demographics:
| Creative Services Manager | Creative Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9% | 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% |