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The differences between senior art directors and associate art directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior art director and an associate art director. Additionally, a senior art director has an average salary of $103,294, which is higher than the $82,664 average annual salary of an associate art director.
The top three skills for a senior art director include graphic design, photography and creative concepts. The most important skills for an associate art director are graphic design, photography, and adobe creative suite.
| Senior Art Director | Associate Art Director | |
| Yearly salary | $103,294 | $82,664 |
| Hourly rate | $49.66 | $39.74 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 9,098 | 8,646 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior art director is responsible for monitoring the creative art department's operations, ensuring the adequacy of resources and materials, as well as high-quality outputs based on clients' specifications and business requirements. Senior art directors implement strategic project management procedures to offer deliverables within the budget goals and set timeframe. They coordinate with the clients for progress updates and inform them of any adjustments as needed. A senior art director should have a keen eye for details and knowledge of various art software applications to assist the team, especially when doing revisions.
Associate art directors are professionals who assist art directors in performing creative-driven tasks such as producing graphic design for brands, layouts, and advertisements. These associate art directors are required to stay updated on the latest techniques using computer-aided design software such as PhotoShop, AutoCAD, and After Effects. They must organize photoshoots and work with PR managers and agents to coordinate the schedules of their models. Associate art directors must also establish a graphic design studio team and provide training for their designers and interns.
Senior art directors and associate art directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Art Director | Associate Art Director | |
| Average salary | $103,294 | $82,664 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $167,000 | Between $49,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | DoorDash | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Media |
There are a few differences between a senior art director and an associate art director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Art Director | Associate Art Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior art directors' and associate art directors' demographics:
| Senior Art Director | Associate Art Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |