Creative directors oversee and direct the design of marketing concepts for an organization. This can include Internet sites, advertisements, brochures and other information used to assist marketing efforts. After the design concepts are completed and approved, these professionals oversee the execution and production of the design. In March 2011, salary survey site PayScale reported average salaries based on 1,349 individuals in this occupation reporting their wages.
Starting Salary
Many creative directors are promoted into this role after a successful career in marketing, graphic design or related disciplines. Creative designers starting in this occupation, with less than one year of experience in the job, earned average salaries ranging from $35,000 to $65,000 a year, according to PayScale. All of PayScale's salary ranges are for the 25th to 75th percentile of those responding to their surveys.
Bonuses, Commissions and Profit Sharing
Because this occupation directly relates to the success and profitability of products, services or brand of an organization, many employers offer bonuses, profit sharing and commissions. Among those with all levels of experience as creative directors, average bonuses ranged from $1,992 to $11,515. Average profit sharing ranged from $1,526 to $11,613 per year. Average commissions ranged from $1,100 to $19,000 per year.
Industries
Creative directors can work in a variety of industries, some of which have high levels of employment. These industries include advertising agencies, marketing, advertising and media management firms, web development, graphic arts and design firms, and Internet and new media industries. The highest salaries were in the Internet and new media industries, where creative directors earned average salaries ranging from $56,666 to $100,840 per year. In advertising agencies, creative directors earned $54,001 to $97,280 per year. In the web development industry, average salaries ranged from $55,676 to $90,647 per year.
Geography
The highest levels of employment were in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Dallas. The highest salaries were in San Francisco, where creative directors earned average salaries ranging from $79,882 to $139,575 per year. In New York, average salaries ranged from $77,323 to $131,457 per year. In Chicago, average salaries ranged from $55,955 to $102,107 per year.
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