Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 41.5%
- Live roles
- 369
Motion Designer
$125,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 26.8%
- Live roles
- 142
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
Staff Motion Designer
Senior Creative Motion Designer (Short Term)
Founding Motion Designer
Rive Motion Designer and Animator (Contract-to-Hire)
Motion Designer
Motion Designer
Motion Designer, Paid Social (Contract)
Senior Motion Designer
Motion Designer
Senior Motion Designer
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Highwire
|
$97,500 | 4 |
Wild Card Creative Group
|
$120,000 | 2 |
|
SharkNinja
|
$117,750 | 2 |
| DE DEPT® | $65,000 | 2 |
|
Roblox
|
$207,740 | 1 |
|
Profound
|
$200,000 | 1 |
|
Harvey
|
$196,300 | 1 |
|
Sierra
|
$185,000 | 1 |
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 |
Motion Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $145,000 | 7 |
| New York | $144,000 | 9 |
| Toronto | $65,000 | 3 |
Art Director vs Motion Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $155,000 per year (typically $113,050–$208,000), versus $125,000 for Motion Designer ($86,250–$155,000). That puts Art Director about 24% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Art Director and Motion 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.