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The differences between senior creative directors and 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 creative director and an art director. Additionally, a senior creative director has an average salary of $141,259, which is higher than the $88,367 average annual salary of an art director.
The top three skills for a senior creative director include creative direction, brand development and graphic design. The most important skills for an art director are graphic design, art direction, and creative concepts.
| Senior Creative Director | Art Director | |
| Yearly salary | $141,259 | $88,367 |
| Hourly rate | $67.91 | $42.48 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 9,886 | 11,472 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
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.
Senior creative directors and art directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Creative Director | Art Director | |
| Average salary | $141,259 | $88,367 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $271,000 | Between $57,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | Washington |
| Best paying company | Sally Beauty Holdings | The Walt Disney Company |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior creative director and an art director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Creative Director | Art Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior creative directors' and art directors' demographics:
| Senior Creative Director | Art Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7% | Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |