Side-by-side distribution
Creative Director
$162,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.3%
- Live roles
- 275
Graphic Designer
$113,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35.7%
- Live roles
- 681
Highest-paying jobs
Creative Director, Block
Creative Director, Tidal
Creative Director
Head of Brand Creative
Creative Director
Creative Director
Head of Creative Design
Creative Director, Marketing
Head of Product Creative
Senior Director, Brand Strategy & Creative Studio
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
|
$165,000 | 12 |
Braze
|
$175,250 | 4 |
Highwire
|
$130,000 | 4 |
Ogilvy
|
$127,500 | 4 |
Code and Theory
|
$192,500 | 3 |
Monks
|
$175,000 | 3 |
The New York Times
|
$159,000 | 3 |
| SX SALT XC | $157,500 | 3 |
Mindrift
NoGigiddy
Brex
IDEO
TP-Link Systems Inc.
Creative Director salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $180,000 | 15 |
| Austin | $179,500 | 5 |
| New York | $165,000 | 60 |
| Chicago | $165,000 | 10 |
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 12 |
| Boston | $130,500 | 3 |
| Toronto | $84,713 | 6 |
Graphic Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $174,500 | 49 |
| New York | $137,500 | 68 |
| Singapore | $132,130 | 4 |
| Denver | $115,000 | 5 |
| London | $109,500 | 6 |
| Seattle | $92,000 | 10 |
| Chicago | $84,250 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $82,100 | 10 |
| Toronto | $59,027 | 4 |
Creative Director vs Graphic Designer: which pays more?
The median for Creative Director is $162,500 per year (typically $130,000–$189,280), versus $113,000 for Graphic Designer ($79,760–$170,000). That puts Creative Director about 44% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Creative 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.