Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$155,557
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.9%
- Live roles
- 380
Motion Designer
$127,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 26.5%
- Live roles
- 136
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
Staff Motion Designer
Founding Motion Designer
Member of Creative Studio (Motion Designer)
Rive Motion Designer and Animator (Contract-to-Hire)
Motion Designer
Senior Video Producer and Motion Designer
Motion Designer
Senior Motion Designer
Motion Designer
Senior Motion 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 |
|---|---|---|
Highwire
|
$97,500 | 4 |
Wild Card Creative Group
|
$120,000 | 2 |
Chase Design Group
|
$88,750 | 2 |
| DE DEPT® | $65,000 | 2 |
|
Profound
|
$200,000 | 1 |
|
Harvey
|
$196,300 | 1 |
|
Perplexity
|
$195,000 | 1 |
|
Sierra
|
$185,000 | 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 |
Motion Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $176,000 | 6 |
| New York | $152,500 | 11 |
Art Director vs Motion Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $155,557 per year (typically $115,000–$213,500), versus $127,500 for Motion Designer ($85,000–$160,000). That puts Art Director about 22% 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.