Creative & Media
Art Directors
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.
Median salary
$111,040
Typical range
$61k – $211k
Job outlook
+4% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Art Directors
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Art Directors Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Art Directors
Entry / Junior
$61,060
~2 yrs to advance
Art Directors
Established
$111,040
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Art Directors
Senior
$161,225
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
- •Present final layouts to clients for approval.
- •Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
- •Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
- •Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Creative & Media
Explore all- University of Southern California12% admit · $86,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
- Northwestern University7% admit · $95,000 grad pay
- University of Chicago5% admit · $91,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.