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The differences between executive creative directors and graphic design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an executive creative director, becoming a graphic design manager takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an executive creative director has an average salary of $162,850, which is higher than the $66,975 average annual salary of a graphic design manager.
The top three skills for an executive creative director include sketch, graphic design and creative direction. The most important skills for a graphic design manager are graphic design, project management, and customer service.
| Executive Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $162,850 | $66,975 |
| Hourly rate | $78.29 | $32.20 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 72,952 | 48,269 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
An executive creative director is primarily in charge of directing and overseeing creative projects and campaigns. They manage a company's creative team that typically consist of writers, graphic designers, and content specialists. As an executive creative director, it is their duty to set goals and timelines, understand the client or company's needs, conceptualize plans and insights, control the budget, and develop strategies to optimize operations and outcomes. Moreover, they monitor the progress of all projects and campaigns, resolving issues and concerns should there be any.
A graphic design manager is primarily in charge of leading and overseeing the efforts of a graphic design team, ensuring adherence to goals and deadlines. It is their duty to learn and analyze the purpose of design, coordinate staff, liaise with internal and external parties, set goals and objectives, manage schedules, and conceptualize plans. Furthermore, as a graphic design manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Executive creative directors and graphic design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $162,850 | $66,975 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $300,000 | Between $49,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Estée Lauder | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an executive creative director and a graphic design manager in terms of educational background:
| Executive Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between executive creative directors' and graphic design managers' demographics:
| Executive Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.6% Female, 29.4% | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 11% | 13% |