Side-by-side distribution
Art Director
$155,557
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.9%
- Live roles
- 380
UI Designer
$107,100
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.6%
- Live roles
- 304
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
UX/UI Designer – Fleet Command & Robot Management
Senior UI/UX Designer
Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
Senior Staff Visual Designer, Design Lab
UI/UX Visual Designer - AI Trainer
Lead Brand / UI Designer - Automotive
Web/Brand/Visual Designer
Senior UI/UX Designer
Senior Visual Designer
Visual Designer, Product Creative
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
VML
|
$60,320 | 7 |
VML Enterprise Solutions
|
$60,320 | 7 |
Konrad
|
$87,000 | 6 |
IDEO
|
$90,000 | 5 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$126,750 | 4 |
|
Datadog
|
$261,000 | 2 |
Sierra
|
$189,035 | 2 |
Armada
|
$156,600 | 2 |
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 |
UI Designer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $155,000 | 11 |
| New York | $121,250 | 18 |
| Toronto | $84,293 | 5 |
| London | $60,320 | 10 |
Art Director vs UI Designer: which pays more?
The median for Art Director is $155,557 per year (typically $115,000–$213,500), versus $107,100 for UI Designer ($74,000–$155,900). That puts Art Director about 45% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Art 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.