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The differences between junior art directors and lead graphic designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a junior art director, becoming a lead graphic designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a junior art director has an average salary of $86,890, which is higher than the $76,009 average annual salary of a lead graphic designer.
The top three skills for a junior art director include graphic design, adobe creative suite and creative concepts. The most important skills for a lead graphic designer are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and design concepts.
| Junior Art Director | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,890 | $76,009 |
| Hourly rate | $41.77 | $36.54 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 20,105 | 46,260 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
The job of a junior art director is to plan, assist, and execute the design and creative projects, including websites, emails, magazines, and ad campaigns. Duties may vary but typically include creating presentations and layouts, working closely with other departments on current projects, and organizing and conducting training on branding and design concepts. Additionally, you will be responsible for creating logos, brand standards, and corporate marketing. You are also responsible for creating graphic standards and communication guidelines.
A lead graphic designer is responsible for creating, designing, and updating the company's visual aspects. The lead graphic designer works closely with the branding department alongside the advertising and marketing team. It is essential for the lead graphic designer must be creative, willing to think outside the box, and brave to dare novel ideas. The lead graphic designer is also responsible for leading the creative department in accomplishing assigned tasks from management.
Junior art directors and lead graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Art Director | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $86,890 | $76,009 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $148,000 | Between $44,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior art director and a lead graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Art Director | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between junior art directors' and lead graphic designers' demographics:
| Junior Art Director | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |