Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$166,681
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 41.6%
- Live roles
- 642
Graphic Designer
$104,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.3%
- Live roles
- 890
Highest-paying jobs
Director, Product Design
Director, User Experience Research – Experience Design (XD)
Sr Director of Design, Firefly
Director - Intel Foundry Pre-Silicon Design Quality and Reliability
Optoelectronic IC Package Design Director
Director, Physical Design (Silicon One)
Senior Director, AI SOC Design Verification
National Design Director - Sports Architecture
Director of Data Sciences - Supply Chain Network Planning and Design
Director Product Design
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Product Designer. Brand and Experience (Contract, Hands-On)
Principal Product Designer, Brand and Experience (Contract, Hands-On)
Visual Designer, Web
Lead Brand Designer
UI / Visual Designer Specialist
Senior Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Staff Visual Designer - Design Systems
Brand Designer
Staff Visual Product Designer, Design Systems
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
VML
|
$127,500 | 17 |
Accenture
|
$146,300 | 7 |
Omnicom Media
|
$115,000 | 7 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$141,811 | 5 |
Dentsu
|
$127,213 | 5 |
|
Intel
|
$287,585 | 4 |
The New York Times
|
$132,990 | 4 |
| DE DEPT® | $121,750 | 4 |
Mindrift
NoGigiddy
Booz Allen Hamilton
Brex
Highwire
CACI
IDEO
Art Director salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $239,453 | 6 |
| San Francisco | $214,272 | 16 |
| London | $200,529 | 4 |
| Seattle | $196,325 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $192,950 | 15 |
| Denver | $190,750 | 4 |
| Atlanta | $163,825 | 4 |
| New York | $140,000 | 85 |
| Boston | $138,050 | 8 |
| Chicago | $127,500 | 17 |
Graphic Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $174,500 | 51 |
| Atlanta | $139,500 | 3 |
| Singapore | $132,130 | 4 |
| New York | $123,750 | 76 |
| Denver | $115,000 | 5 |
| London | $109,500 | 6 |
| Seattle | $92,000 | 14 |
| Chicago | $90,000 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $83,200 | 15 |
| Boston | $83,200 | 3 |
Art Director vs Graphic Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $166,681 per year (typically $124,900–$218,275), versus $104,000 for Graphic Designer ($72,800–$155,000). That puts Art Director about 60% 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.