The starting salary for art directors depends on the type of company, their budgets and the level of complexity of the company. However, in general, it is a good rule that the higher your salary, the lower your risk of unemployment.
Your starting salary will be substantially higher than average. In fact, because of the amount of experience you can gain from working in the industry, many entry level artists are making more than most people with a couple years experience.
Depending on the company and location, art directors can earn anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 per year in their first jobs. This is considered an entry-level position. However, most positions require at least 3 years of experience.
Starting Salary For Art Director Overview
Art directors are responsible for the design of products and services. They may work with clients to develop concepts, oversee the creative process, and ensure that the final product meets their standards. They must have excellent communication skills and be able to work well with a team to meet deadlines.
Art directors usually earn an hourly wage or salary. In some cases, they may be hired as independent contractors. The average art director salary per month ranges from $3,000 to $6,000 per month. This can increase significantly depending on the experience level of the employee and location of employment.
On average, art directors earn $38 per hour in 2022. The salary increases as they gain more experience and advance through different positions within their company or industry sector.
What Are The Best States With The Best Pay For Art Directors?
Art directors develop design concepts and review material that will appear in digital media, newspapers, advertisements, books, magazines, and more. They control the overall visual direction of a project in industries from advertising and public relations to web design. Art direction requires years of experience, advanced technical skills, and advanced knowledge in the areas of art and management. As such, art director is considered a high-level position that offers many financial rewards. Professionals in this specialized field are among the highest paid artists in the creative world.
On any given day, an art director will review artist materials, select photographs, and manage the layout and production of material to be produced. They direct visual artists such as animators, illustrators, and graphic designers and they manage teams of copywriters and content writers. Many art directors help make budgeting decisions and hire and train creative staff.
Art directors work in a variety of environments such as animation, film and video production studios, creative firms, game design companies, public relations firms, newspaper and book publishers, museums, apparel manufacturing, software publishers, research and development services, and specialized design services. However, most art directors work in two industries—“advertising, public relations and related services” and “newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for art directors is $85,610. The mean annual wage is $97,850. Nationwide, the highest paid art directors average $168,040 per year and the lowest paid average $45,060 per year. It is important to note that salaries vary greatly by state, city, industry and other factors. For example, at an average salary of $132,100 per year, the top paying industry for art directors is apparel manufacturing. At $134,370 and $128,290 per year, respectively, the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division and the New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division are the nation’s highest paying metro areas for art directors.
In addition, the top 15 highest paying states for art directors are:
- New York: $124,910
- California: $117,780
- Massachusetts: $108,690
- District of Columbia: $103,070
- Washington State: $102,590
- Virginia: $99,940
- Georgia: $93,470
- Missouri: $92,550
- Illinois: $89,710
- New Jersey: $87,760
- Florida: $86,450
- Louisiana: $85,890
- North Carolina: $84,800
- Minnesota: $83,550
- Colorado: $81,090
The lowest paying states for art directors are:
- Kentucky: $67,760
- Nebraska: $65,680
- West Virginia: $61,860
- Hawaii: $61,600
- Kansas: $60,640
- Oklahoma: $58,110
- Mississippi: $59,640
- Arkansas: $51,900
- South Carolina: $50,300
So, of the states that reported figures to the BLS, the state with the best pay for art directors is New York. The worst is South Carolina.
Awesome Animation Fact: Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature film ‘Spirited Away’ was the first anime to win Best Animated Feature Picture at the Academy Awards, in 2001. The film is also Japan’s highest grossing movie of all time.
