Salaries//Chicago, IL//Design Director

Design Director salary in Chicago, IL

Average Base Salary in Chicago, IL

$145,864
$22,179
Additional Cash Compensation
$168,043
Total Compensation
Median: 140,000
Min: $95K
Max: $220K

How Much Does a Design Director Make in Chicago, IL?

The average salary for a Design Director in Chicago, IL is $145,864. The average additional cash compensation for a Design Director in Chicago, IL is $22,179. The average total compensation for a Design Director in Chicago, IL is $168,043. Design Director salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Design Director employees in Chicago, IL.

Design Director
Account Executive Account Manager Accountant Aerospace Engineer AI Engineer Analytics Manager Android Developer App Developer Application Engineer Art Director Associate Product Manager Automation Engineer AWS Developer Back End Developer Big Data Engineer Blockchain Developer Brand Manager Budget Analyst Business Analyst Business Development Manager Business Development Representative Business Intelligence Analyst Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Manager CCO (Chief Creative Officer) CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Chief Information Officer Chief People Officer CIO (Chief Information Officer) Client Success Manager Cloud Engineer Cloud Security Engineer CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Community Manager Content Manager Content Marketing Manager Content Strategist Controller COO (Chief Operating Officer) Copywriter CPO (Chief Product Officer) Creative Chief Officer Creative Director CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Customer Support Manager Customer Support Rep Cybersecurity Engineer Data Analyst Data Architect Data Engineer Data Engineering Manager Data Scientist Database Administrator Database Developer Design Director Design Engineer Desktop Support DevOps Engineer Digital Marketing Manager Director of Analytics Director of Customer Success Director of Marketing Director of Operations Director of Product Management Director of Product Marketing Director of Software Engineering Editor Email Marketing Manager Engineering Manager Event Planner Finance Director Financial Analyst Front End Developer Full Stack Developer Game Designer Game Developer Graphic Designer Hardware Engineer HR Coordinator HR Director HR Manager HR Specialist Implementation Manager Implementation Specialist Inside Sales Manager Inside Sales Representative Instructional Designer iOS Developer IT Engineer Java Developer Javascript Developer Junior Business Analyst Junior Data Analyst Junior Data Scientist Junior Software Developer Junior Software Engineer Junior Web Developer Lead Software Engineer Machine Learning Engineer Market Research Analyst Marketing Analyst Marketing Assistant Marketing Associate Marketing Coordinator Marketing Manager Marketing Operations Manager Marketing Project Manager Marketing Specialist Network Engineer Office Manager Operations Associate Operations Manager Power BI Developer Principal Software Engineer Product Analyst Product Designer Product Manager Product Marketing Manager Product Owner Project Coordinator Project Manager Public Relations Manager Public Relations Specialist Python Developer QA Analyst QA Engineer QA Manager Quant Developer React Developer Recruiter Robotics Engineer RPA Developer Sales Associate Sales Coordinator Sales Development Representative Sales Director Sales Engineer Sales Manager Sales Operations Analyst Sales Operations Manager Salesforce Developer Scrum Master Security Engineer Senior Accountant Senior Business Analyst Senior Data Analyst Senior Data Engineer Senior Data Scientist Senior Financial Analyst Senior Graphic Designer Senior Marketing Manager Senior Product Designer Senior Product Manager Senior Product Marketing Manager Senior Project Manager Senior Recruiter Senior Software Developer Senior Software Engineer Senior Systems Engineer Senior Technical Writer Senior UI Designer Senior UX Designer SEO Manager SEO Specialist Site Reliability Engineer Social Media Manager Software Developer Software Engineer Software Sales Representative Software Test Engineer SQL Developer Systems Engineer Tableau Developer Tech Sales Representative Technical Product Manager Technical Project Manager Technical Recruiter Technical Support Technical Writer Test Engineer UI Designer UX Designer UX Researcher Vice President of Care Vice President of Engineering Vice President of Finance Vice President of Human Resources Vice President of Marketing Vice President of Operations Vice President of People Vice President of Product Vice President of Sales Vice President of Talent Acquisition Visual Designer Web Designer Web Developer Wordpress Developer

best-paying cities for Design Director

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salaries for software engineers are San Francisco, Orange County, Remote, New York City and Seattle.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
San Francisco, CA$189,123
+ 25% (141,225)
Orange County$187,475
+ 25% (141,225)
Remote$176,370
+ 20% (141,225)
New York City, NY$172,526
+ 18% (141,225)
Seattle, WA$170,391
+ 17% (141,225)
Fort Collins$167,000
+ 15% (141,225)
Boston, MA$164,747
+ 14% (141,225)
Portland, OR$161,375
+ 12% (141,225)
Los Angeles, CA$160,298
+ 12% (141,225)
Washington DC$158,889
+ 11% (141,225)

Design Director Salary by gender

The average Design Director salary for women is $144,773 and the average Design Director salary for men is $144,000.

Design Director Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Design Director with 7+ years of experience is $150,302.

Design Director Salary ranges

The two most common Design Director salary ranges in Chicago, IL are $140k - $150k and $150k - $160k.

Average Design + UX salaries in Chicago, IL

Job TitleAverage SalarySalary Range
Graphic Designer$60,000
Min: $60K
Max: $60K
Visual Designer$71,918
Min: $56K
Max: $125K
UI Designer$81,926
Min: $53K
Max: $135K
Art Director$84,994
Min: $55K
Max: $135K
UX Designer$86,482
Min: $52K
Max: $166K
Product Designer$96,701
Min: $53K
Max: $215K
Senior UI Designer$102,988
Min: $75K
Max: $140K
Senior UX Designer$111,224
Min: $65K
Max: $205K
UX Researcher$115,598
Min: $95K
Max: $150K
Creative Director$141,910
Min: $95K
Max: $170K
Design Director$145,864
Min: $95K
Max: $220K
CCO (Chief Creative Officer)$163,000
Min: $104K
Max: $200K
Senior Product Designer$163,833
Min: $141K
Max: $176K

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 Chicago, IL is $145,864.

Career Info

Design Director jobs in Chicago, IL

Skills that affect Design Director salaries in Chicago, IL

1
Adobe Creative Suite
5% have this skill
2
Information Architecture
2% have this skill
3
Product Design
1% have this skill
4
Interaction Design
1% have this skill
5
Wireframing
1% have this skill
6
User Interviews
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 $154,667 on average.

Recent Design Director salaries in Chicago, IL

$177,000
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $177,000
3-5 Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$204,750
Yearly Salary
A Senior AVP, Senior Director, UX & Design reported a yearly salary of $204,750 with +$62,800 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
201-500 Employees
Chicago, IL
$140,000
Yearly Salary
A Associate Director reported a yearly salary of $140,000 with +$40,000 in additional cash compensation
5-7 Years of Experience
Male
11-50 Employees
Chicago, IL
$140,000
Yearly Salary
A Director of UX Design reported a yearly salary of $140,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Chicago, IL
1-5 Reports
$166,000
Yearly Salary
A Director of Product Design reported a yearly salary of $166,000 with +$18,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
Chicago, IL
1-5 Reports
$165,000
Yearly Salary
A Sr. Director of Product Design reported a yearly salary of $165,000 with +$75,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
Chicago, IL
1-5 Reports
$110,000
Yearly Salary
A Director of Product Design reported a yearly salary of $110,000
1-3 Years of Experience
Male
501-1,000 Employees
Chicago, IL
5-10 Reports
$120,000
Yearly Salary
A Director of Design reported a yearly salary of $120,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
501-1,000 Employees
Chicago, IL
1-5 Reports
$140,000
Yearly Salary
A Senior Director of Design reported a yearly salary of $140,000
7+ Years of Experience
Female
501-1,000 Employees
Chicago, IL
5-10 Reports
$164,000
Yearly Salary
A Design Director reported a yearly salary of $164,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
Chicago, IL