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The differences between senior graphic designers and creative directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a senior graphic designer, becoming a creative director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, which is higher than the $73,921 average annual salary of a senior graphic designer.
The top three skills for a senior graphic designer include sketch, adobe creative suite and creative concepts. The most important skills for a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.
| Senior Graphic Designer | Creative Director | |
| Yearly salary | $73,921 | $137,779 |
| Hourly rate | $35.54 | $66.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 46,310 | 11,610 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
A senior graphic designer oversees all of the designing operations in a company, from conceptualization to production. One of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that all designs produced are according to a client's preference and brand. They also encourage fresh ideas from the team, communicate with clients or representatives, and manage the schedules to meet all deadlines. Furthermore, as a senior graphic designer, they are responsible for leading and mentoring a team of graphic designers, all in the joint effort to reach project goals.
A creative director is an individual who creates and maintains a vision for a company's products and branding through digital, print, and film installations. Creative directors supervise and innovative staff team such as graphic designers and artists to discuss and plan the vision's layout and visuals. They also meet with clients or marketing and advertising departments to create designs and make the necessary changes to the systems. Most creative directors must have a bachelor's degree in fine arts and should build work portfolios while starting their careers as graphic designers or photographers.
Senior graphic designers and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Graphic Designer | Creative Director | |
| Average salary | $73,921 | $137,779 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $105,000 | Between $82,000 And $228,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Practice Fusion | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior graphic designer and a creative director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Graphic Designer | Creative Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior graphic designers' and creative directors' demographics:
| Senior Graphic Designer | Creative Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |