The median art director salary in the United States is around $89,760 per year. This salary can range from about $47,320 to $172,900. In Canada, an art director salary is an average of C$77,974 ($60,320.69 USD). The UK has an art director salary of around £35,000 (47,000 USD). An average Australian art director salary is AU$100,436 ($76,421.75 USD). In Switzerland, the art director salary is around CHF 74k ($76,359.51 USD). The Norway national average for an art director is NOK72,187 ($8,645.05 USD). In most countries, the national median art director salary is fairly similar.
Art Director Salary Influencers
Even though the salary for an art director varies by state, the general influencing factors and job outlook is the same throughout the profession. The following is an expansion on each determining aspect of an art director.
1. Industry
Most if not all art directors work in private advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments. Some art directors may choose to work as freelancers. Art directors may start out as freelancers, and work on a portfolio to get hired in an agency. Occasionally, art directors who have worked for a long time in agencies will switch to freelancing. Freelancing allows one to set their own work schedule, and choose projects. Income might not be as stable as it would be working in an agency. However, if the art director is popular enough and have a large client base, they can set their own rate, and maybe even earn more than they would if they were working within a company
2. Geographical Area
| Art Director Salary | Hourly Wage | Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|
| US | $45 | $89,760 |
| Canada | C$40 ($30.95) |
C$77,974 ($60,320) |
| UK | £39 ($49) |
£36,000 ($47.000) |
| Australia | AU$50 ($38) |
AU$100,436 ($76,421) |
| Switzerland | CHF36.8 ($38 USD) |
CHF 74.000 ($76,359) |
| Norway | NOK35.86 ($5.3) |
NOK72,187 ($8,645) |
Art Director Salary in the US
The average art director salary in the United States is around $89,760 per year. This salary can range from about $47,320 to $172,900. One major factor with how much an art director salary is in the United States is location. Someone in employed in Aberdeen, South Dakota may not make as much as someone employed in Huntsville, Alabama. The number of years of experience and level of education are also huge determining factors for an art director salary in the United States. Someone with a Master’s degree and ten years of experience is likely to have a higher salary than someone with a Bachelor’s degree and no experience on the job
Art Director Salary in Canada
In Canada, an art director salary is an average of C$77,974 ($60,320.69 USD). Canada’s art director salary varies by location. A person working in Toronto will likely have a higher salary than a person working in Alberta. Someone later in their career, with a lot of job experience, will also probably have a larger salary than someone just starting out. Canadians with a greater skill level are to be expected to start out with a bigger salary than those who have a lesser skill level.
Art Director Salary in the UK
The UK has a median art director salary of around £35,000 (46,000 USD). The position held has a big influence on the salary of an art director in the UK. A junior team member can be expected to make a full-time salary of around £18.000 to £25.000 annually or a freelance daily salary of £150 to £200. A senior art director will typically make something like £55k to £65k for an annual salary or £250 to £350 for a daily freelance pay. A mid-weight Art Director usually makes an annual average salary of about £30.000 to £40.000 or a daily freelance wage of £200 to £250. A junior art director will generally make anywhere from £18k to £25k annually or £150 to £200 daily as a freelance art director.
Art Director Salary in Australia
An average Australian art director salary is AU$100,436 ($76,421.75 USD). An art director salary is strongly influenced by the company an employee works for in Australia. Someone working as an art director for the company Kixeye will generally make around AU$97k-AU$104k where as an art director for the company Bauer Media will make close to between AU$62k-AU$66k.
Art Director Salary in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the art director salary average is around CHF 74k ($76,359.51 USD). The level of education of an employee is the main factor for an art director salary range. The higher level of education, the greater the salary in Switzerland. Those listed as having a higher level of education were in the top 75th percentile for art director pay whether they were on salary or freelance.
Art Director Salary in Norway
The Norway national average for an art director is NOK72,187 ($8,645.05 USD). In Norway, the size of the company is crucial the pay. Larger Norwegian companies can pay their art directors more whereas small companies generally pay art directors in the lowest 25 percent of the average salary range. Bigger companies in Norway are also much more likely to offer their employees benefits such as medical coverage.
3. Experience
As previously stated, the more experience an employee has, the higher their salary will likely be. Especially in the United States, companies prefer for their employees to have more on-the-job experience. A beginner’s salary as an art director will be on the lower end of about $47,000 where as a senior employee can earn up to around $172,000 in the United States. Art directors can typically be promoted after about two years of job experience, but it takes close to five years to become a pro at this job.
Working Hours
Each art director job has different hourly requirements. An advertising art director typically works 9-6 Monday through Friday, but often extra hours are necessary. This is a job that requires a very flexible schedule.
Bonuses & Benefit Packages
The longer an employee works as an art director, the more likely chance they have at earning a bonus. In most countries, the larger the business, the more likely they are to offer their employees benefits. Only very large companies offer benefits like medical coverage to an art director.
Job Outlook
In the United States and many other countries, becoming an art director is a very stable career. There are a few countries such as Norway where there are very few job openings as an art director, so in those countries, it is a riskier choice. In a large part of the United States, there are quite a bit of art director job openings; however, the type of job available varies by region. For the majority, it is well-worth investing in a good education to become an art director because an employee with Master’s degree will make a significantly more amount of money.
Conclusion
A career as an art director does require a lot of hours to be put in, but often times the pay reflects the number of hours. Becoming an art director is a gratifying job for those who enjoy being creative. The majority of art directors feel as though their job is satisfying because they get paid to do what they love.
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