Occupations · Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Art Directors
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 27-1011.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 78% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $136,850 | 8,760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $133,550 | 6,930 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $102,380 | 2,260 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $158,690 | 2,050 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $132,340 | 1,490 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $143,490 | 1,460 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $79,170 | 1,110 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $103,090 | 930 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $155,350 | 900 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $134,280 | 880 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $112,400 | 860 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $170,760 | 850 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Mark up, paste, and complete layouts and write typography instructions to prepare materials for typesetting or printing.
- 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.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2023-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2023-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 2 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 27
No longer listed 13
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| art director | 2166.4 | exact |
| technical director | 2166.4.7 | close |
| creative director | 2431.7 | broader |
| production designer | 2166.4.5 | broader |
| video and motion picture director | 2166.4.8 | broader |
| animation director | 2166.4.1 | broader |
| flying director | 3435.9 | broader |
| stage manager | 3435.20 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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