Design manager vs design director

The differences between design managers and design directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a design manager, becoming a design director takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a design director has an average salary of $132,823, which is higher than the $102,637 average annual salary of a design manager.

The top three skills for a design manager include sketch, project management and visualization. The most important skills for a design director are sketch, human centered design, and product design.

Design manager vs design director overview

	Design Manager	Design Director
Yearly salary	$102,637	$132,823
Hourly rate	$49.34	$63.86
Growth rate	2%	3%
Number of jobs	61,273	48,337
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	48	38
Years of experience	-	12

What does a design manager do?

A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.

What does a design director do?

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.

Design manager vs design director salary

Design managers and design directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Design Manager	Design Director
Average salary	$102,637	$132,823
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $150,000	Between $82,000 And $212,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Meta	Proenza Schouler
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between design manager and design director education

There are a few differences between a design manager and a design director in terms of educational background:

	Design Manager	Design Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Graphic Design
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Design manager vs design director demographics

Here are the differences between design managers' and design directors' demographics:

	Design Manager	Design Director
Average age	48	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% 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	9%	13%

Differences between design manager and design director duties and responsibilities

Design manager example responsibilities.

Help achieve status of medical device manufacturer through the FDA.
Manage several consultants preparing contract documents on the various NYC let and NYS let projects.
Manage and collaborate with ASIC library/memory vendors.
Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.
Design blueprints, bills of materials, FEA as required.
Include producing FDA and ISO-9000 level documentation of the project.

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Design director example 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.

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Design manager vs design director skills

Common design manager skills

Sketch, 8%
Project Management, 8%
Visualization, 5%
User Experience, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
Design Process, 4%

Common design director skills

Sketch, 12%
Human Centered Design, 8%
Product Design, 6%
User Experience, 5%
Architecture, 5%
UI, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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