How much does a Creative Director make in the United States? The average Creative Director salary in the United States is $148,945 as of October 01, 2024, but the range typically falls between $127,875 and $172,840. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. 

Creative Director Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Creative Director Salary $108,692 US October 01, 2024
25th Percentile Creative Director Salary $127,875 US October 01, 2024
50th Percentile Creative Director Salary $148,945 US October 01, 2024
75th Percentile Creative Director Salary $172,840 US October 01, 2024
90th Percentile Creative Director Salary $194,596 US October 01, 2024
25% $127,875 10% $108,692 90% $194,596 75% $172,840 $148,945 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What skills does a Creative Director need?

Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.

Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.

2.

Photography: Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing (e.g., photolithography), and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication. Typically, a lens is used to focus the light reflected or emitted from objects into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure. With an electronic image sensor, this produces an electrical charge at each pixel, which is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file for subsequent display or processing. The result with photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later chemically "developed" into a visible image, either negative or positive depending on the purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing. A negative image on film is traditionally used to photographically create a positive image on a paper base, known as a print, either by using an enlarger or by contact printing.

3.

Digital Design: Ability to use tools and software to create and present information or a product through a digital interface.

Leadership 8.89%
Photography 2.23%
Digital Design 1.36%
Others 87.52%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain skills can make the compensation of a Creative Director higher. Salary.com's Real-time Job Posting Salary Data provides you the latest highly compensated skills to help you get a higher pay. For example, if you master Partnering, you can get a 4% salary raise. If you are good at UI, your salary will increase by 3%. If you are expert in Insight, your salary will rise by 3%.
Skill Salary Demand
Partnering
$154,903
4%
UI
$153,413
3%
Insight
$153,413
3%
Leadership
$151,924
2%
Client Relationship
$151,924
2%
Collaboration
$151,924
2%
Last Updated on October 01, 2024
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Job Description for Creative Director

Creative Director provides leadership and direction for all phases of creative development work from concept to completion. Designs and implements policies and standards that reinforce the organization's branding strategy and goals. Being a Creative Director promotes excellence in design thinking and a creative strategy for services, products and programs. Interprets stakeholder requirements to produce effective creative concepts and designs. Additionally, Creative Director recruits and develops a team of designers, copywriters, project managers and vendors. Develops creative briefs and design concepts to meet the business objectives of the organization. Studies current trends and technologies to adopt the most effective tools and techniques across all media. Typically requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to top management. The Creative Director typically manages through subordinate managers and professionals in larger groups of moderate complexity. Provides input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility. May give input into developing the budget. To be a Creative Director typically requires 3+ years of managerial experience. Capable of resolving escalated issues arising from operations and requiring coordination with other departments. (Copyright 2024 Salary.com)... View full job description

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Job Openings for Creative Director
  • Job Title:Creative DirectorRole Overview:We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Creative Director of Consumer Marketing to join our team to lead our Crea...
    - 1 Day Ago
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    - 2 Days Ago
  • At Sonos we want to create the ultimate listening experience for our customers and know that it starts by listening to each other. As part of the Sonos tea...
    - 2 Days Ago
  • At Sonos we want to create the ultimate listening experience for our customers and know that it starts by listening to each other. As part of the Sonos tea...
    - 2 Days Ago
  • Global company first of its kinds for digital assets security and operationsCompany has raised over $1B since being foundedAbout Our ClientEasy-to-use plat...
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Those that have already made the climb...
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Netflix, Inc. provides entertainment services. It offers TV series, documentaries, feature films, and games across various genres and languages. The company also provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of internet-connected devices, including TVs, digital video players, TV set-top boxes... More
Fiscal Year Ended in 2021
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Creative Director salary varies from city to city. Compared with national average salary of Creative Director, the highest Creative Director salary is in San Francisco, CA, where the Creative Director salary is 25.0% above. The lowest Creative Director salary is in Miami, FL, where the Creative Director salary is 3.5% lower than national average salary.

City, State Compared to national average
City, State San Francisco, CA Compared to national average
+ 25.0%
City, State Washington, DC Compared to national average
+ 11.3%
City, State Miami, FL Compared to national average
-3.5%
City, State Chicago, IL Compared to national average
+ 4.9%
City, State Boston, MA Compared to national average
+ 12.1%
City, State New York, NY Compared to national average
+ 16.8%
City, State Dallas, TX Compared to national average
-1.3%

Take just three simple steps below to generate your own personalized salary report

Step 1 of 3

Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Creative Director, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
127875
172840
148945

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
138578
194448
162551
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Creative Director in the United States. The base salary for Creative Director ranges from $127,875 to $172,840 with the average base salary of $148,945. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $138,578 to $194,448 with the average total cash compensation of $162,551.
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127875
172840

 

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How much should you be paid?

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Skills associated with Creative Director: Creative Management, Concept Development, Adobe Creative Suite, Strategic Planning ...More

Recently searched related titles: Director Of Creative Design, Director Of Creative Operations, Head Of Creative

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Salary estimation for Creative Director at companies like : Bergen County Dept of Health Services, Southeast Emergency Response Systems Inc, Amana Colonies Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jobs with a similar salary range to Creative Director : Photography Director, Senior Creative Director, Assistant Creative Director

Creative Director Salary in United States
Creative Director Salary Graph, Regional Distribution and Summary