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The differences between senior art directors and senior creative 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 senior creative director. Additionally, a senior creative director has an average salary of $141,259, which is higher than the $103,294 average annual salary of a senior art director.
The top three skills for a senior art director include graphic design, photography and creative concepts. The most important skills for a senior creative director are creative direction, brand development, and graphic design.
| Senior Art Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $103,294 | $141,259 |
| Hourly rate | $49.66 | $67.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 9,098 | 9,886 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| 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.
A senior creative director spearheads the visual aspects of a company's marketing and advertising departments. They manage creative teams and lead the efforts from conceptualizing to executing projects and campaigns. As a senior creative director, their responsibilities typically include setting goals and budgets, establishing guidelines, coordinating departments, delegating tasks to managers, researching new business opportunities, liaising with internal and external parties, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. Furthermore, they must serve as a mentor to junior directors and staff, promoting and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Senior art directors and senior creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Art Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $103,294 | $141,259 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $167,000 | Between $73,000 And $271,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | California | Illinois |
| Best paying company | DoorDash | Sally Beauty Holdings |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior art director and a senior creative director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Art Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior art directors' and senior creative directors' demographics:
| Senior Art Director | Senior Creative Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% | Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7% |
| 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, 14.7% Asian, 7.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |