Side-by-side distribution
Creative Director
$162,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.3%
- Live roles
- 275
UI Designer
$112,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 22.6%
- Live roles
- 358
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
Visual Designer, Web
Senior UI/UX Designer
UX/UI Designer – Fleet Command & Robot Management
UI / Visual Designer Specialist
Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Senior Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Staff Visual Designer - Design Systems
Staff Visual Product Designer, Design Systems
Senior UI/UX Designer
Senior Visual Designer
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 |
Konrad
MetroStar
Accenture Federal Services
IDEO
CoCreativ
LOOP®
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 |
UI Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | $181,060 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $132,500 | 7 |
| New York | $106,250 | 12 |
| Seattle | $92,500 | 3 |
| Toronto | $85,653 | 5 |
Creative Director vs UI Designer: which pays more?
The median for Creative Director is $162,500 per year (typically $130,000–$189,280), versus $112,500 for UI Designer ($85,000–$170,038). 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 UI 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.