Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$155,557
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.9%
- Live roles
- 380
Industrial Designer
$139,113
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.4%
- Live roles
- 35
Highest-paying jobs
Design Director, Core Experience
Director, Product Design
Design Director, Visual Systems
Art Director, Claude
Director Product Design - Structured Modes
Sr Director, Sound Design
Director, Design Verification
Director, Product Design
Executive Director, Motion Design
Director, User Research - Product Design
Highest-paying jobs
Lead Industrial Designer, Robotics
Lead Industrial Designer
Industrial Designer - AI Trainer
Staff Industrial Designer
Staff Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer/Principal Industrial Designer Fully remote
Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer - San Francisco
Industrial Designer
Senior Industrial Designer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Omnicom Media
|
$115,000 | 7 |
| DE DEPT® | $146,000 | 5 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$141,811 | 5 |
Ogilvy
|
$100,000 | 5 |
Filevine
|
$125,000 | 4 |
VML
|
$122,927 | 4 |
| SX SALT XC | $97,000 | 4 |
The New York Times
|
$132,990 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Aurora Innovation
|
$188,500 | 2 |
KiwiCo Inc.
|
$103,670 | 2 |
|
Handshake
|
$260,000 | 1 |
|
OpenAI
|
$258,500 | 1 |
| SA Skild AI | $200,000 | 1 |
|
Applied Intuition
|
$170,000 | 1 |
|
Plaud
|
$160,000 | 1 |
|
DoorDash USA
|
$153,750 | 1 |
Art Director salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $214,304 | 14 |
| Seattle | $214,304 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 13 |
| New York | $156,423 | 54 |
| Atlanta | $155,000 | 3 |
| London | $125,498 | 9 |
| Chicago | $115,000 | 7 |
| Denver | $95,000 | 3 |
| Toronto | $80,855 | 7 |
Industrial Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $188,500 | 5 |
Art Director vs Industrial Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $155,557 per year (typically $115,000–$213,500), versus $139,113 for Industrial Designer ($112,500–$170,000). That puts Art Director about 12% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Art 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.