Art Directors: Career Overview
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.
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What Do Art Directors Take On?
Typical responsibilities of art directors span:
- Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
- Present final layouts to clients for approval.
- Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
- Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
- Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
- Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.
- Review and approve art materials, copy materials, and proofs of printed copy developed by staff members.
- Create custom illustrations or other graphic elements.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful art directors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Art Directors Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Art Administrator (Art Admin)
- Art Coordinator
- Art Director
- Art Manager
- Art Supervisor
- Artistic Director
- Brand Creative Director
- Creative Art Director
Job Outlook
There are about 104,079 art directors working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +1.0% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Art Directors
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $103,285 |
| Hourly median | $49.66 |
| 10th percentile | $72,024 |
| 25th percentile | $87,655 |
| 75th percentile | $118,916 |
| 90th percentile | $134,547 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Art Directors Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $148,410 |
| Washington | $143,490 |
| New York | $136,610 |
| California | $133,930 |
| Georgia | $131,620 |
| Massachusetts | $131,050 |
| District of Columbia | $126,520 |
| New Jersey | $126,030 |
| Hawaii | $108,420 |
| New Hampshire | $101,890 |
| Connecticut | $101,050 |
| Illinois | $100,530 |
| Maryland | $100,230 |
| Indiana | $98,560 |
| Minnesota | $98,330 |
| Delaware | $97,320 |
| Virginia | $95,680 |
| Vermont | $94,720 |
| Missouri | $94,000 |
| Florida | $93,630 |
| Colorado | $93,550 |
| Ohio | $92,370 |
| Utah | $91,020 |
| Pennsylvania | $89,990 |
| Nevada | $89,710 |
| North Carolina | $89,570 |
| Michigan | $86,720 |
| Arizona | $85,470 |
| Wisconsin | $85,370 |
| Iowa | $80,560 |
| Texas | $79,930 |
| Maine | $78,200 |
| Montana | $77,240 |
| Alabama | $77,140 |
| Tennessee | $75,820 |
| Nebraska | $75,010 |
| Idaho | $74,990 |
| Oklahoma | $72,740 |
| Kansas | $69,840 |
| Kentucky | $68,420 |
| Arkansas | $67,320 |
| South Carolina | $66,130 |
| Louisiana | $66,030 |
| Rhode Island | $65,270 |
| Alaska | $60,980 |
| Puerto Rico | $60,940 |
| New Mexico | $59,740 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for art directors shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $135,055 | 31.2% | 1.99 |
| Middle Atlantic | $129,886 | 22.5% | 2.18 |
| New England | $118,086 | 5.7% | 1.33 |
| Great Lakes | $94,882 | 11.6% | 0.98 |
| Southeast | $91,597 | 13.9% | 0.61 |
| Plains States | $89,741 | 5.5% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $89,171 | 2.7% | 0.71 |
| Southwest | $79,831 | 6.6% | 0.55 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Art Directors
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $170,760 | 850 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $158,690 | 2,050 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $155,350 | 900 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $143,490 | 1,460 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $136,850 | 8,760 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $134,280 | 880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $133,550 | 6,930 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $132,340 | 1,490 |
Which Industries Hire Art Directors
Most art directors are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23,440 | $110,950 |
| Information | 10,410 | $126,940 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,930 | $127,790 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 2,510 | $80,350 |
| Retail Trade | 2,170 | $113,800 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2,160 | $123,620 |
| Manufacturing | 1,580 | $104,400 |
| Educational Services | 1,550 | $88,370 |
Art Directors work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: AJAX (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Network conferencing software: Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of art directors reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Time Pressure
- Spend Time Sitting
How to Become Art Directors
Typical art directors positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Project Management Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Web and Digital Interface Designers (Supplemental)
- Video Game Designers (Supplemental)
- Information Technology Project Managers (Primary-Long)
- Craft Artists (Supplemental)
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (Supplemental)
- Special Effects Artists and Animators (Primary-Short)
- Fashion Designers (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring art directors commonly pursue programs in:
Visual and Performing Arts
3 programs across 3 majors
References
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-1011.00 (Art Directors).
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