Art Directors
Also called: Art Administrator (Art Admin), Art Coordinator, Art Director, Art Manager, Art Supervisor, Artistic Director, Brand Creative Director, Creative Art Director
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film.
What art directors do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.
- Review and approve art materials, copy materials, and proofs of printed copy developed by staff members.
- Create custom illustrations or other graphic elements.
- Attend photo shoots and printing sessions to ensure that the products needed are obtained.
- Review illustrative material to determine if it conforms to standards and specifications.
- Hire, train, and direct staff members who develop design concepts into art layouts or who prepare layouts for printing.
- Research current trends and new technology, such as printing production techniques, computer software, and design trends.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Art Directors salary
The median annual wage for art directors is $114,850 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $64,900 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $213,050. The mean annual wage is $129,440.
The mean hourly wage of $62.00 is 8.6× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Art Directors (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $114,850 → in 3 years $124,400 → in 5 years $131,300 → in 10 years $150,100 (10-year range $129,000–$174,200). The model assumes pay growth of +2.7% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Art Directors
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Art Directors? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Art Directors
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Art Directors United States | アートディレクター Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $114,850 | ¥5.83M ≈ $37,094 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $150,100 | ¥7.42M |
| Outlook score | 69 | 53 |
| AI replacement risk | 60% Moderate | 58% Moderate |
| Workers | 53K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Art Directors
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 4 — considerable preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become art directors
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as art directors
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.