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What is a senior designer/art director and how to become one
A senior designer/art director is responsible for the graphics, pictures and overall graphics in a creative agency. They can work in magazines, publishing houses, online businesses, and even TV productions. An art director's job is to make the organization's content visually appealing for the consumers.
A day in the life involves reviewing drafts and proposed pieces, meeting with editors and graphic designers, and supervising photoshoots. Senior designers may talk with clients and bosses, brainstorm with other creatives on the best visual concepts for a project, and coordinate the creative department's activities.
Senior designers can come from a variety of backgrounds. Traditionally, they are expected to have a degree in publishing, advertising or related areas. Some of the practical skills for the job are a passion for visual design and creativity.
What general advice would you give to a senior designer/art director?
Yash Egami
VP, The One Club
While traditional roles like art director or copywriter are on the decline, the good news is that, in an effort to reinvent themselves, agencies are seeking creatives with digital skills like UX design and programming. The rise of in-house creative departments has also meant more opportunities for job seekers within brands rather than agencies. And because of the demand for more diversity from clients and those within advertising, recruiters are making more of an effort to hire multicultural talent.
At The One Club for Creativity, we've been at the forefront of change in the industry through our diversity and inclusion, professional development and gender equality programs. We recently hosted our annual multicultural career fair, "Where Are All the Black People?" that brought together thousands of diverse talent with 40 agencies and companies looking to hire. We launched One School, a free online program for Black creatives who want to get into the industry but don't have a portfolio or the economic means to afford to go to ad school. And we're working on upskilling courses for professionals who want to reinvent themselves or keep up with the changing demands of our industry.
So if you're a recent graduate who specializes in art direction, our advice would be to keep an open mind about what kind of company you want to work for and think about expanding your skillset to include digital skills so that you can future-proof your career. Where you are isn't as important because, since the pandemic, agencies have become more comfortable with working remotely and they are more open to having a workforce not centered on the traditional agency hubs, like New York or Los Angeles.
Avg. Salary $104,333
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%
Asian 7.74%
Black or African American 4.36%
Hispanic or Latino 14.35%
Unknown 5.70%
White 67.14%
Genderfemale 38.04%
male 61.96%
Age - 39American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 39Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Senior designer/art director career paths
Key steps to become a senior designer/art director
Explore senior designer/art director education requirements
Start to develop specific senior designer/art director skills
Skills Percentages Creative Concepts 7.49% Graphic Design 7.28% Web Banners 7.03% Photography 6.94% Art Direction 5.91% Complete relevant senior designer/art director training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior designer/art directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior designer/art director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior designer/art director resumes.Research senior designer/art director duties and responsibilities
- Manage new and existing assets from initial photography through final delivery.
- Develop strategic project plans managing and maintaining multiple projects from sketch to print, facilitating high-impact presentations to senior leadership.
- Design and execute many high-end brochures with complex print production enhancements.
- Design integrated campaign collateral including brochures, POS materials.
Get senior designer/art director experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior designer/art director. The most common roles before becoming a senior designer/art director include graphic designer, art director team lead and senior designer.Prepare your senior designer/art director resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior designer/art director resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior designer/art director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Apply for senior designer/art director jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior designer/art director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first senior designer/art director job
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Average senior designer/art director salary
The average senior designer/art director salary in the United States is $104,333 per year or $50 per hour. Senior designer/art director salaries range between $70,000 and $153,000 per year.
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Updated January 8, 2025
