Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between design directors and production artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a design director and a production artist. Additionally, a design director has an average salary of $132,823, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.
The top three skills for a design director include sketch, human centered design and product design. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.
| Design Director | Production Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $132,823 | $61,870 |
| Hourly rate | $63.86 | $29.75 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 48,337 | 59,103 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A design director spearheads and oversees design projects in a company or organization. They typically have the authority to lead the creative and design teams, make significant decisions, delegate responsibilities, set goals and schedules, manage budgets and resources, and direct the project's cycle from planning to execution. They also coordinate with clients and solve issues when any arise. Additionally, a design director leads and encourages teams to reach goals, all while implementing standards and policies, developing new ones when necessary.
A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
Design directors and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Director | Production Artist | |
| Average salary | $132,823 | $61,870 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $212,000 | Between $40,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Proenza Schouler | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a design director and a production artist in terms of educational background:
| Design Director | Production Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design directors' and production artists' demographics:
| Design Director | Production Artist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 13% | 13% |