Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 41.5%
- Live roles
- 369
Graphic Designer
$104,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.3%
- Live roles
- 624
Highest-paying jobs
Design Director, Core Experience
Director, Product Design
Art Director, Claude
Director Product Design
Sr Director, Sound Design
Director, Design Verification
Director, Product Design
Executive Director, Motion Design
Director, User Research - Product Design
Director, Product Design
Highest-paying jobs
Brand Designer
Visual Designer, Web
Principal Brand Designer
Visual/Brand Designer
Senior Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Brand Designer
Graphic Designer - AI Trainer
UI/UX Visual Designer - AI Trainer
Lead Brand / UI Designer - Automotive
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| DE DEPT® | $118,612 | 7 |
Omnicom Media
|
$115,000 | 7 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$141,811 | 5 |
SharkNinja
|
$132,400 | 5 |
Keywords Studios
|
$165,000 | 4 |
| SX SALT XC | $97,000 | 4 |
NYC Alliance Company LLC
|
$175,000 | 3 |
Highwire
|
$130,000 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Mindrift
|
$104,000 | 12 |
NoGigiddy
|
$46,800 | 12 |
|
Highwire
|
$92,500 | 6 |
IDEO
|
$90,000 | 5 |
Brex
|
$210,500 | 3 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$105,000 | 3 |
CoCreativ
|
$100,000 | 3 |
CannonDesign
|
$59,619 | 3 |
Art Director salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $229,084 | 6 |
| San Francisco | $222,804 | 10 |
| Los Angeles | $169,500 | 15 |
| New York | $162,500 | 49 |
| London | $162,250 | 8 |
| Atlanta | $140,388 | 4 |
| Chicago | $130,000 | 3 |
| Toronto | $81,500 | 7 |
Graphic Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $169,975 | 36 |
| Toronto | $117,500 | 5 |
| New York | $109,750 | 54 |
| Berlin | $108,632 | 3 |
| London | $104,000 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $80,033 | 8 |
| Chicago | $70,000 | 9 |
| Seattle | $46,800 | 3 |
Art Director vs Graphic Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $155,000 per year (typically $113,050–$208,000), versus $104,500 for Graphic Designer ($75,267–$155,750). That puts Art Director about 48% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Art Director and Graphic Designer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.