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The differences between senior creative directors and graphic design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior creative director, becoming a graphic design manager takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior creative director has an average salary of $141,259, which is higher than the $66,975 average annual salary of a graphic design manager.
The top three skills for a senior creative director include creative direction, brand development and graphic design. The most important skills for a graphic design manager are graphic design, project management, and customer service.
| Senior Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $141,259 | $66,975 |
| Hourly rate | $67.91 | $32.20 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 9,886 | 48,269 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
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.
A graphic design manager is primarily in charge of leading and overseeing the efforts of a graphic design team, ensuring adherence to goals and deadlines. It is their duty to learn and analyze the purpose of design, coordinate staff, liaise with internal and external parties, set goals and objectives, manage schedules, and conceptualize plans. Furthermore, as a graphic design manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Senior creative directors and graphic design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $141,259 | $66,975 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $271,000 | Between $49,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chicago, IL | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | New York |
| Best paying company | Sally Beauty Holdings | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior creative director and a graphic design manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior creative directors' and graphic design managers' demographics:
| Senior Creative Director | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7% | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |