Salaries//Design Director

Design Director salary in US

Average Base Salary in US

$152,715
$25,687
Additional Cash Compensation
$178,402
Total Compensation
Median: 145,000
Min: $43K
Max: $338K

How Much Does a Design Director Make in US?

The average salary for a Design Director in US is $152,715. The average additional cash compensation for a Design Director in US is $25,687. The average total compensation for a Design Director in US is $178,402. Design Director salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Design Director employees in US.

Design Director
Art Director
CCO (Chief Creative Officer)
Creative Chief Officer
Creative Director
Design Director
Game Designer
Graphic Designer
Instructional Designer
Product Designer
Senior Graphic Designer
Senior Product Designer
Senior UI Designer
Senior UX Designer
UI Designer
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Visual Designer
Web Designer
Account ExecutiveAccount ManagerAccountantAerospace EngineerAI EngineerAnalytics ManagerAndroid DeveloperApp DeveloperApplication EngineerArt DirectorAssociate Product ManagerAutomation EngineerAWS DeveloperBack End DeveloperBig Data EngineerBlockchain DeveloperBrand ManagerBudget AnalystBusiness AnalystBusiness Development ManagerBusiness Development RepresentativeBusiness Intelligence AnalystBusiness Intelligence DeveloperBusiness Intelligence DeveloperBusiness Intelligence ManagerCCO (Chief Creative Officer)CFO (Chief Financial Officer)Chief Information OfficerChief People OfficerCIO (Chief Information Officer)Client Success ManagerCloud EngineerCloud Security EngineerCMO (Chief Marketing Officer)Community ManagerContent ManagerContent Marketing ManagerContent StrategistControllerCOO (Chief Operating Officer)CopywriterCPO (Chief Product Officer)Creative Chief OfficerCreative DirectorCRO (Chief Revenue Officer)CTO (Chief Technology Officer)Customer Support ManagerCustomer Support RepCybersecurity EngineerData AnalystData ArchitectData EngineerData Engineering ManagerData ScientistDatabase AdministratorDatabase DeveloperDesign DirectorDesign EngineerDesktop SupportDevOps EngineerDigital Marketing ManagerDirector of AnalyticsDirector of Customer SuccessDirector of MarketingDirector of OperationsDirector of Product ManagementDirector of Product MarketingDirector of Software EngineeringEditorEmail Marketing ManagerEngineering ManagerEvent PlannerFinance DirectorFinancial AnalystFront End DeveloperFull Stack DeveloperGame DesignerGame DeveloperGraphic DesignerHardware EngineerHR CoordinatorHR DirectorHR ManagerHR SpecialistImplementation ManagerImplementation SpecialistInside Sales ManagerInside Sales RepresentativeInstructional DesigneriOS DeveloperIT EngineerJava DeveloperJavascript DeveloperJunior Business AnalystJunior Data AnalystJunior Data ScientistJunior Software DeveloperJunior Software EngineerJunior Web DeveloperLead Software EngineerMachine Learning EngineerMarket Research AnalystMarketing AnalystMarketing AssistantMarketing AssociateMarketing CoordinatorMarketing ManagerMarketing Operations ManagerMarketing Project ManagerMarketing SpecialistNetwork EngineerOffice ManagerOperations AssociateOperations ManagerPower BI DeveloperPrincipal Software EngineerProduct AnalystProduct DesignerProduct ManagerProduct Marketing ManagerProduct OwnerProject CoordinatorProject ManagerPublic Relations ManagerPublic Relations SpecialistPython DeveloperQA AnalystQA EngineerQA ManagerQuant DeveloperReact DeveloperRecruiterRobotics EngineerRPA DeveloperSales AssociateSales CoordinatorSales Development RepresentativeSales DirectorSales EngineerSales ManagerSales Operations AnalystSales Operations ManagerSalesforce DeveloperScrum MasterSecurity EngineerSenior AccountantSenior Business AnalystSenior Data AnalystSenior Data EngineerSenior Data ScientistSenior Financial AnalystSenior Graphic DesignerSenior Marketing ManagerSenior Product DesignerSenior Product ManagerSenior Product Marketing ManagerSenior Project ManagerSenior RecruiterSenior Software DeveloperSenior Software EngineerSenior Systems EngineerSenior Technical WriterSenior UI DesignerSenior UX DesignerSEO ManagerSEO SpecialistSite Reliability EngineerSocial Media ManagerSoftware DeveloperSoftware EngineerSoftware Sales RepresentativeSoftware Test EngineerSQL DeveloperSystems EngineerTableau DeveloperTech Sales RepresentativeTechnical Product ManagerTechnical Project ManagerTechnical RecruiterTechnical SupportTechnical WriterTest EngineerUI DesignerUX DesignerUX ResearcherVice President of CareVice President of EngineeringVice President of FinanceVice President of Human ResourcesVice President of MarketingVice President of OperationsVice President of PeopleVice President of ProductVice President of SalesVice President of Talent AcquisitionVisual DesignerWeb DesignerWeb DeveloperWordpress Developer

best-paying cities for Design Director

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salaries for software engineers are Orange County, San Francisco, Remote, Seattle and New York City.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
Orange County$199,967
+ 29% (141,290)
San Francisco, CA$190,596
+ 26% (141,290)
Remote$182,553
+ 23% (141,290)
Seattle, WA$173,167
+ 18% (141,290)
New York City, NY$169,157
+ 16% (141,290)
Fort Collins$167,000
+ 15% (141,290)
Boston, MA$162,795
+ 13% (141,290)
Portland, OR$161,375
+ 12% (141,290)
Los Angeles, CA$160,784
+ 12% (141,290)
Austin, TX$159,576
+ 11% (141,290)

Design Director Salary by gender

The average Design Director salary for women is $166,432 and the average Design Director salary for men is $163,915.

Design Director Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Design Director with 7+ years of experience is $165,077.

Design Director Salary ranges

The most common Design Director salary in US is between $150k - $160k.

Average Design + UX salaries in US

Job TitleAverage SalarySalary Range
Graphic Designer$72,420
Min: $40K
Max: $135K
Visual Designer$76,682
Min: $45K
Max: $189K
UI Designer$84,956
Min: $8K
Max: $185K
Instructional Designer$90,644
Min: $72K
Max: $121K
UX Designer$93,195
Min: $0K
Max: $300K
Web Designer$93,301
Min: $56K
Max: $168K
Art Director$95,674
Min: $0K
Max: $225K
Senior Graphic Designer$103,068
Min: $68K
Max: $200K
UX Researcher$105,767
Min: $10K
Max: $230K
Senior UI Designer$109,564
Min: $63K
Max: $200K
Game Designer$109,579
Min: $79K
Max: $200K
Product Designer$112,931
Min: $3K
Max: $330K
Senior UX Designer$122,318
Min: $48K
Max: $234K
Creative Director$144,441
Min: $0K
Max: $315K
Design Director$152,715
Min: $43K
Max: $338K
Senior Product Designer$163,015
Min: $90K
Max: $250K
CCO (Chief Creative Officer)$174,326
Min: $9K
Max: $425K
Creative Chief Officer$187,675
Min: $140K
Max: $425K

FAQ

Q:

What does a design director do?

A.
Design directors oversee the design details of physical and digital products. Directors lead the design process and articulate their visions to creative teams.
Q:

How to become a design director?

A.
Most design directors have a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, graphic design, marketing or a related field before starting in an entry-level role, such as graphic designer. It typically takes at least five years for professionals to navigate to a design director position.
Q:

How much does a design director make?

A.

The salary range for a design director is $55K-$305K. The average salary for a Design Director in US is $152,715.

Career Info

Design Director jobs in US

Skills that affect Design Director salaries in US

1
Adobe Creative Suite
5% have this skill
2
Information Architecture
1% have this skill
3
Product Design
1% have this skill
4
Interaction Design
1% have this skill
5
Wireframing
1% have this skill
6
Visual Design
1% have this skill

Average Design Director Salary by Company Size

People with the job title Design Director make the most at companies with 201-500 employees, earning $159,472 on average.

Recent Design Director salaries in US

$185,000
Yearly Salary
A Senior Director of UX & Product Education reported a yearly salary of $185,000 with +$37,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Chicago, IL
$215,000
Yearly Salary
A Head of Design reported a yearly salary of $215,000 with +$21,000 in additional cash compensation
5-7 Years of Experience
Male
11-50 Employees
Austin, TX
$155,600
Yearly Salary
A Senior Director, eCommerce Design - UI/UX reported a yearly salary of $155,600
7+ Years of Experience
Other
1,000+ Employees
Greater Denver Area
$288,750
Yearly Salary
A Senior Director, Product and Design reported a yearly salary of $288,750
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
Remote
$184,709
Yearly Salary
A Director, Product Design reported a yearly salary of $184,709
7+ Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Remote
$145,000
Yearly Salary
A Founding Designer reported a yearly salary of $145,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
11-50 Employees
Chicago, IL
$175,000
Yearly Salary
A Director, Design reported a yearly salary of $175,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
501-1,000 Employees
Remote
$215,000
Yearly Salary
A Director, Product Design reported a yearly salary of $215,000
5-7 Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
51-200 Employees
Remote
$260,000
Yearly Salary
A Director, User Experience reported a yearly salary of $260,000
5-7 Years of Experience
Female
501-1,000 Employees
Remote
$338,000
Yearly Salary
A VP Design reported a yearly salary of $338,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
San Francisco, CA