How to hire a senior designer/art director

How to hire a senior designer/art director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior designer/art director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior designer/art director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior designer/art director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior designer/art director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior designer/art director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior designer/art director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior designer/art directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of senior designer/art director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Designer/Art Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Designer/Art Director	Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. They create the overall design of a project and direct others who develop artwork and layouts.	$33-73
   Graphic Design Manager	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... Show more	$23-43
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Creative Concepts
   • Graphic Design
   • Web Banners
   • Photography
   • Art Direction
   • Sketch
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Digital Marketing
   • Visual Design
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Photo Shoots
   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • Website Design
   • Animation

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Base on strategic marketing input, package branding is developed using compelling illustration, photography and copy.
   • Develop strategic project plans managing and maintaining multiple projects from sketch to print, facilitating high-impact presentations to senior leadership.

   More senior designer/art director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior designer/art director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior designer/art director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior designer/art director in Texas may be lower than in California, and an entry-level senior designer/art director usually earns less than a senior-level senior designer/art director. Additionally, a senior designer/art director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior designer/art director salary

   $104,333yearly

   $50.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior designer/art director salary

   $70,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average senior designer/art director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$133,243	$64
   2	Illinois	$106,115	$51
   3	New York	$104,164	$50
   4	Connecticut	$87,894	$42
   5	North Carolina	$82,462	$40
   6	Alabama	$78,074	$38
   7	Wisconsin	$74,597	$36

   Average senior designer/art director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$160,283	$77.06	54
   2	Avon Product	$139,839	$67.23
   3	Moody's	$123,828	$59.53
   4	Crate and Barrel	$114,405	$55.00	61
   5	Penguin Random House	$113,064	$54.36
   6	The Travelers Companies	$107,157	$51.52
   7	Fetch Rewards	$104,378	$50.18
   8	Bertelsmann	$99,028	$47.61	5
   9	bareMinerals	$98,274	$47.25
   10	Home Run	$97,057	$46.66
   11	The Independent Traveler	$96,565	$46.43
   12	Little Diversified Architectural Consulting	$88,319	$42.46

4. Writing a senior designer/art director job description

   A good senior designer/art director job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior designer/art director job description:

   Senior designer/art director job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Marketing
   
   + 8+ years of ad agency experience.
   
   + The ideal person has a portfolio that demonstrates strong strategic thinking, generating big ideas, and executing filmic ideas with a high level of craft and attention to detail.
   
   + Interested in making advertising, product films, reveals, other short and long form Apple films.
   
   + Passion for the Apple brand and for contributing incredible creative work.
   
   **Description**
   
   Art direct, design, review, and guide campaign work Present work to senior creative staff and product marketing managers. Collaborate with copywriters to concept ideas. Work across teams to coordinate strategies and messaging for social media, online, retail, channel, events, advertising and new mediums of communication. Work with project managers and associate creative directors to ensure that schedules are accurate and realistic and that deadlines are met. Apple is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We also take affirmative action to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior designer/art director for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior designer/art director job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior designer/art director candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior designer/art directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior designer/art director

   Once you've selected the best senior designer/art director candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a senior designer/art director?