Art Directors
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.
What it pays
Art Directors earn a median of $55.22/hr — about $115,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $31.20/hr; the top 10% earn $102.43/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Art Directors earn a median of $55.22/hr — about $115,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $31.20/hr; the top 10% earn $102.43/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 61.9% of art directors are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are creative, take-charge and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Musicians and Singers
- Technical Writers
- Producers and Directors
- Commercial and Industrial Designers
- Editors
- Writers and Authors
Quick questions
- How much does a art director make?
- The median pay is $55.22 per hour — roughly $115,000 a year, with the real range running from about $31.20/hr (10th percentile) to $102.43/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a art director?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a art director actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.