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Senior art director vs junior art director

The differences between senior art directors and junior 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 a junior art director. Additionally, a senior art director has an average salary of $103,294, which is higher than the $86,890 average annual salary of a junior art director.

The top three skills for a senior art director include graphic design, photography and creative concepts. The most important skills for a junior art director are graphic design, adobe creative suite, and creative concepts.

Senior art director vs junior art director overview

Senior Art DirectorJunior Art Director
Yearly salary$103,294$86,890
Hourly rate$49.66$41.77
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs9,09820,105
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

What does a senior art director do?

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.

What does a junior art director do?

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.

Senior art director vs junior art director salary

Senior art directors and junior art directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Art DirectorJunior Art Director
Average salary$103,294$86,890
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $167,000Between $50,000 And $148,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOregon
Best paying companyDoorDashThe Walt Disney Company
Best paying industryProfessionalProfessional

Differences between senior art director and junior art director education

There are a few differences between a senior art director and a junior art director in terms of educational background:

Senior Art DirectorJunior Art Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Senior art director vs junior art director demographics

Here are the differences between senior art directors' and junior art directors' demographics:

Senior Art DirectorJunior Art Director
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 65.4% Female, 34.6%Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between senior art director and junior art director duties and responsibilities

Senior art director example responsibilities.

  • Manage and direct interaction designers, marketing designers, HTML production and user research teams.
  • Direct and manage all photography including composition, talent acquisition and photo manipulation.
  • Design materials including POS, mailings, brochures, posters, flyers and other collateral materials.
  • Create flyers, show cards, and prepare artwork and media files for exhibitions director.
  • Design wire frames and work on UX design issues and working with development team to ensure integration.
  • Assist in all stages of the marketing and design process, from initial brainstorm meetings to final production.
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Junior art director example responsibilities.

  • Direct and manage all photography including composition, talent acquisition and photo manipulation.
  • Lead the interactive team from concept, UX and design to implementation.
  • Key player responsible for the creation and maintenance of SEO ready web pages.
  • Develop portions of the corporate website relative to design, layout and HTML content.
  • Assist in planning and merchandising photographic shoots for large catalog projects and POS displays.
  • Provide clients with top SEO rankings and help them succeed with top-notch designs and online marketing campaigns.
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Senior art director vs junior art director skills

Common senior art director skills
  • Graphic Design, 9%
  • Photography, 9%
  • Creative Concepts, 7%
  • Sketch, 7%
  • Digital Marketing, 6%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
Common junior art director skills
  • Graphic Design, 16%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 12%
  • Creative Concepts, 11%
  • Visual Design, 8%
  • Art Direction, 5%
  • Mac, 4%

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