Side-by-side distribution
Creative Director
$165,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53%
- Live roles
- 353
Industrial Designer
$140,400
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 48.2%
- Live roles
- 56
Highest-paying jobs
Creative Director, Block
Creative Director, Tidal
Senior Creative Director, Marketing
Creative Director
Head of Creative, Athleta
Games Creative/Design Director
Creative Director [Contract or Full-time]
Senior Creative Director, Marketing
Group Creative Director, Art (Health)
Group Creative Director, Art and Design
Highest-paying jobs
Lead Industrial Designer
Lead Industrial Designer
Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer
Staff Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer - TeraWave
Senior Industrial Designer/Principal Industrial Designer Fully remote
Staff Industrial Designer
Monks
Directive
Dentsu
Protiviti
Adobe
Ogilvy
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Samsung Research America
|
$214,700 | 2 |
|
Formlabs
|
$132,500 | 2 |
AtkinsRéalis
|
$122,200 | 2 |
Revelyst
|
$95,000 | 2 |
CoCreativ
|
$78,500 | 2 |
|
CHAOS Industries
|
$207,500 | 1 |
| SA Skild AI | $200,000 | 1 |
|
Hims & Hers
|
$200,000 | 1 |
Creative Director salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| London | $251,621 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $217,050 | 20 |
| Seattle | $180,150 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $175,000 | 23 |
| Denver | $175,000 | 3 |
| Austin | $173,750 | 4 |
| Boston | $170,000 | 6 |
| Chicago | $167,500 | 20 |
| New York | $165,000 | 79 |
| Atlanta | $156,250 | 4 |
Industrial Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $197,050 | 4 |
| Boston | $105,000 | 3 |
Creative Director vs Industrial Designer: which pays more?
The median for Creative Director is $165,000 per year (typically $127,500–$195,000), versus $140,400 for Industrial Designer ($97,825–$172,113). That puts Creative Director about 18% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Creative Director and Industrial 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.