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The differences between design directors and production designers 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 designer. Additionally, a design director has an average salary of $132,823, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a design director include sketch, human centered design and product design. The most important skills for a production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Design Director | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $132,823 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $63.86 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 48,337 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 designer is responsible for monitoring the visual presentation of a media or theatre production, ensuring the set's adherence to the theme, and presenting visual elements according to the production requirements. Production designers research the current industry trends for creative ideas that would attract the audience, creating outstanding visual pictures throughout the production. In most cases, production designers also operate software systems and tools to suggest graphic effects and support the artistic team for deliverables. A production designer develops all visual plans within the budget goals and discusses adjustments to the production management team as needed.
Design directors and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Director | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $132,823 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $212,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Proenza Schouler | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Internet |
There are a few differences between a design director and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Director | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 designers' demographics:
| Design Director | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| 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% |