Salaries//Design Director

Design Director salary in US

Average Base Salary in US

$151,321
$25,637
Additional Cash Compensation
$176,958
Total Compensation
Median: 143,000
Min: $43K
Max: $300K

How Much Does a Design Director Make in US?

The average salary for a Design Director in US is $151,321. The average additional cash compensation for a Design Director in US is $25,637. The average total compensation for a Design Director in US is $176,958. Design Director salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Design Director employees in US.

Design Director
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best-paying cities for Design Director

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salaries for software engineers are Orange County, San Francisco, Seattle, Remote and New York City.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
Orange County$199,967
+ 30% (140,854)
San Francisco, CA$185,137
+ 24% (140,854)
Seattle, WA$173,167
+ 19% (140,854)
Remote$170,159
+ 17% (140,854)
New York City, NY$169,157
+ 17% (140,854)
Fort Collins$167,000
+ 16% (140,854)
Boston, MA$162,795
+ 13% (140,854)
Portland, OR$161,375
+ 13% (140,854)
Los Angeles, CA$160,784
+ 12% (140,854)
Washington DC$158,889
+ 11% (140,854)

Design Director Salary by gender

The average Design Director salary for women is $165,702 and the average Design Director salary for men is $158,545.

Design Director Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Design Director with 7+ years of experience is $163,240.

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$70,449
Min: $40K
Max: $135K
Visual Designer$76,343
Min: $45K
Max: $175K
Instructional Designer$83,633
Min: $72K
Max: $111K
UI Designer$84,638
Min: $8K
Max: $185K
UX Designer$93,019
Min: $0K
Max: $300K
Web Designer$93,301
Min: $56K
Max: $168K
Art Director$95,461
Min: $0K
Max: $225K
Game Designer$99,565
Min: $79K
Max: $145K
Senior Graphic Designer$101,424
Min: $68K
Max: $200K
UX Researcher$105,263
Min: $10K
Max: $230K
Senior UI Designer$109,222
Min: $63K
Max: $200K
Product Designer$111,322
Min: $3K
Max: $330K
Senior UX Designer$121,564
Min: $48K
Max: $234K
Creative Director$143,617
Min: $0K
Max: $315K
Design Director$151,321
Min: $43K
Max: $300K
Senior Product Designer$158,080
Min: $90K
Max: $220K
CCO (Chief Creative Officer)$174,326
Min: $9K
Max: $425K
Creative Chief Officer$186,172
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 $151,321.

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

$184,709
Yearly Salary
A Director of Product Design reported a yearly salary of $184,709
5-7 Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Remote
$200,000
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $200,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
501-1,000 Employees
Boston, MA
5-10 Reports
$123,600
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $123,600 with +$3,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
Los Angeles, CA
1-5 Reports
$247,500
Yearly Salary
A VP, Digital and Physical Experience Design reported a yearly salary of $247,500 with +$24,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Female
11-50 Employees
Boston, MA
$220,000
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $220,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Austin, TX
$235,000
Yearly Salary
A Group Design Director reported a yearly salary of $235,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
201-500 Employees
Portland, OR
$235,000
Yearly Salary
A Director of Product reported a yearly salary of $235,000
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
501-1,000 Employees
New York City, NY
$100,000
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $100,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
11-50 Employees
Washington DC
$300,000
Yearly Salary
A VP of Product Design reported a yearly salary of $300,000 with +$350,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
501-1,000 Employees
New York City, NY
$260,000
Yearly Salary
A Director, Design reported a yearly salary of $260,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
201-500 Employees
Remote