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The differences between media designers and art directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a media designer, becoming an art director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an art director has an average salary of $88,367, which is higher than the $54,018 average annual salary of a media designer.
The top three skills for a media designer include graphic design, animation and motion graphics. The most important skills for an art director are graphic design, art direction, and creative concepts.
| Media Designer | Art Director | |
| Yearly salary | $54,018 | $88,367 |
| Hourly rate | $25.97 | $42.48 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 52,989 | 11,472 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
A media designer is a marketing professional who plans, visualizes, and creates marketing materials such as printed documents, electronic or web-based media based on the business needs and guidance from team members in a company. Media designers must develop brand loyalty among customers about the company's line of products. They are required to make known the image of a given company using graphics, design, video, or interactivity to draw in users or customers. Media designers must also create a social marketing presence by establishing blogs or networking pages on a company's website.
An art director's duty will vary depending on the line of industry involved. However, most of the responsibilities will revolve in taking charge of the artistic direction and decisions in a project or campaign. Most of the time, it is an art director's call to conceptualize and bring a vision to completion and take the lead in coordinating with various artists and creative staff. Furthermore, an art director must oversee the progress of workflow and workforce, develop plans and strategies, and approve or provide suggestions in every creative output from staff.
Media designers and art directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Designer | Art Director | |
| Average salary | $54,018 | $88,367 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $73,000 | Between $57,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brookline, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | The Walt Disney Company |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a media designer and an art director in terms of educational background:
| Media Designer | Art Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between media designers' and art directors' demographics:
| Media Designer | Art Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |