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.