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Boston Career Explorer

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.

Also called: Art Director, Art Supervisor, Creative Director (CD Director), Creative Manager, Creative Services Director, Creative Services Manager

Median pay in Greater Boston
$151,820
$72.99/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,550
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.3%
410 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
5 years or more of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$80,680$105,330$151,820$169,710$218,270

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure70 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 73
  • Language-model AIOE 67
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 69

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, and observed AI use is already substantial. AI tools can help generate design ideas, rough layouts, and project schedules. Talking with clients, presenting work for approval, and guiding a creative team rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Generating concept ideas and draft layouts
  • Tracking budgets and project schedules

Still relies on people

  • Meeting clients to understand goals
  • Directing and guiding creative teams

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

19 programs near Boston (plus 3 graduate)

Related occupations

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