How to hire a design director

How to hire a design director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step design director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a design director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new design director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a design director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the design director you need to hire. Certain design director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A design director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, design directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents design director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Design Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Design Director	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$39-101
   Graphic Artist	A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project... Show more	$16-40
   Production Artist	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... Show more	$19-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Human Centered Design
   • Product Design
   • User Experience
   • Architecture
   • UI
   • Graphic Design
   • Project Management
   • Prototyping
   • Design Process
   • Design Solutions
   • Creative Direction
   • Design Concepts
   • Design Projects

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Delegate and manage technical and cad team; fittings; and associate designers.
   • Manage and grow brand s social media outlets; Facebook, twitter and Instagram.
   • Manage product backlog and lead agile team in shipping SaaS products from ideation to delivery.
   • Design, manage, and execute development of all products, from concept sketch through production.
   • Manage the creation and implementation of new design tools, and modifications to the RF design specifications.
   • Manage REVIT models for various BIM projects including updating, cleaning, and linking arch models for MEP design.

   More design director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your design director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A design director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a design director in Oklahoma may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level design director usually earns less than a senior-level design director. Additionally, a design director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average design director salary

   $132,823yearly

   $63.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level design director salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average design director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$167,444	$81
   2	California	$159,310	$77
   3	Massachusetts	$143,443	$69
   4	Arizona	$134,441	$65
   5	Rhode Island	$130,712	$63
   6	New York	$129,926	$62
   7	District of Columbia	$129,868	$62
   8	Oregon	$128,488	$62
   9	Hawaii	$126,008	$61
   10	Texas	$125,694	$60
   11	Pennsylvania	$120,687	$58
   12	Virginia	$114,246	$55
   13	Illinois	$113,786	$55
   14	Michigan	$113,178	$54
   15	North Carolina	$112,765	$54
   16	Connecticut	$111,880	$54
   17	Colorado	$109,339	$53
   18	Maryland	$107,520	$52
   19	Ohio	$101,496	$49
   20	Minnesota	$100,694	$48

   Average design director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Proenza Schouler	$238,724	$114.77
   2	Kimco Realty	$226,618	$108.95
   3	Kellwood	$223,041	$107.23
   4	Levi Strauss & Co.	$213,872	$102.82	4
   5	Meta	$213,806	$102.79	604
   6	Twitter	$213,011	$102.41
   7	Apple	$209,902	$100.91	261
   8	ChowNow	$204,261	$98.20
   9	StubHub	$203,734	$97.95	3
   10	URBN	$198,638	$95.50	25
   11	eBay	$197,788	$95.09
   12	DoorDash	$197,592	$95.00	19
   13	PayPal	$195,768	$94.12	7
   14	Mailchimp	$194,718	$93.61
   15	The Human Race Theatre Company	$194,302	$93.41
   16	Thumbtack	$192,004	$92.31
   17	Asana	$190,888	$91.77	3
   18	Calvin Klein	$190,113	$91.40
   19	Redfin	$190,029	$91.36
   20	3.1 Phillip Lim	$188,507	$90.63

4. Writing a design director job description

   A job description for a design director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a design director job description:

   Design director job description example

   C ome work at a place where innovation and teamwork come together to support the most exciting missions in the world!
   
   Responsible for the visual expression of the Petco brand. Oversees, guides and supports designers in the creation of marketing materials across all channels with an emphasis on digital mediums.
   Principle Duties and Responsibilities: (approximate percentage of time spent)
   
   Leads the research, analysis, creation and implementation of Petco's marketing materials (e.g., campaign platforms, secondary stories, product launches, social and paid media initiatives) across all channels with an emphasis on digital mediums (e.g., eComm, mobile, e-mail, social media, display). Ensures all materials and content comply with brand guidelines, creative standards, and federal, state and local regulatory requirements. (60%) Partners with others to lead the research, analysis and identification of trends and respond to marketing briefs with creative strategies, concepts and visual approaches. Proposal elements include concepts, narratives, visual designs, layouts, photography, videography, illustrations, animations, etc., and operational elements including resources and estimated costs. (20%) Acts as strategic creative advisor and partner to marketing leaders, cross-functional leaders (with an emphasis on eComm) and external agencies on the visual expression of the company's brand and how it is displayed or expressed across channels. Co-lead the presentation of creative concepts and visual expressions with the Director, Brand, Copy and Special Projects and the Director, Studio. (10%) Provides supervision to assigned staff: includes activities such as hiring, counseling, guiding, training and delivery of disciplinary processes as required. (10%)
   
   Minimum Qualifications:
   
   15 years of experience working on the creative side of marketing with deep experience in developing concepts, graphic design, digital design and packaging design with knowledge of online user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design concepts, or an equivalent combination of education, experience and/or training. Experience at well-known retail brands and/or medium-to-large advertising agencies with knowledge of the layers and creative development process behind creative marketing and how to navigate complex organizations. Strong understanding of brand-building and brand creative. Demonstrated ability to prioritize, ideate, meet deadlines, make decisions, and change course of action quickly. Excellent interpersonal skills to ensure successful interactions, strong working relationships, and the ability to interface with varied levels of management, peers, and partners across varying teams. Highly collaborative creative sensibility, with ability to be open minded to feedback and always seek out the best idea, not just one's own idea. Understanding and open-mindedness to data and analytics helping guide creative choices. Ability to work collaboratively with multiple creative and executive stakeholders.
   
   Disclaimer:
   
   The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job (within this classification). It is not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required for employees assigned to this job.
   
   Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find design directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your design director job on Zippia to find and recruit design director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with design director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new design director

   Once you've selected the best design director candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new design director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a design director?