Whether you’re a user experience designer or marketing director, specialists with in-demand skills and experience have many job opportunities in the current employment market.
Take a look at 14 high-paying creative jobs, according to the latest Robert Half Salary Guide for marketing and creative professionals.
Find the midpoint salary (or median national salary) for each of these marketing and creative roles in the Salary Guide, and use our salary calculator to access data and accurate pay ranges for your location.
User experience (UX) director
UX directors oversee user experience for an organization, designing and evaluating user experience studies to improve applications or software products. UX directors maintain customer satisfaction and brand loyalty by making the user experience positive.
Developing design specifications and working with internal teams or customers to create cohesive concepts are also part of the job. Overseeing and training a team of designers and user experts is essential as well, as is tracking metrics to change user experience for the better.
Creative director
Creative directors ensure the quality of all creative department projects, managing the creative process from beginning to end. They lead and direct the creative staff in the production of all advertising and marketing collateral and ensure that visual communication standards are met across various media. These creative pros need a lot of experience — five to eight years at least — and the ability to create clear creative objectives from marketing goals. A strong design or copywriting background is preferred.
Creative directors with this level of experience also must work well with different project teams, especially IT, as well as meet with clients and upper management to explain strategies and solutions.
Marketing director
Whether it’s targeting specific customers or running marketing campaigns, marketing directors are in demand and can expect a competitive salary. They direct market messaging activities and supervise a marketing team responsible for developing promotional communications strategies and materials for a company or product. Marketing directors prepare long- and short-term marketing plans, budgets and pricing policies. Communication skills are key, as is knowledge of the creative side of marketing and design. Some companies require an MBA as well.
Information architect
Information architects work to shape the flow and feel of a website to ensure it’s easy to use and navigate, from constructing pages to defining content strategy, design features and user paths. These professionals need a solid understanding of site design and user interface design processes and methodology, as well as experience with information architecture software. Most companies look for an advanced degree in human-computer interaction or a related field, and expertise with user experience is always a plus.
Front-end web developer
Front-end web developers help bring UX and web design ideas to life, making them key players in digital marketing and design. To develop functional and appealing online experiences for consumers, these professionals write code for web- and mobile-based applications and must understand the entire web development process, from design to development and deployment.
Front-end web developers should be wizards with coding programs, like CSS, HTML, JavaScript and jQuery. Employers also look for professionals who have experience with content management systems and software programs, like the Adobe Creative Suite.
Advertising account director
Problem-solving, creativity and business sense are just a few of the qualities necessary for a successful advertising account director. They typically lead multiple accounts within an advertising agency and make sure the creative work is addressing the client’s needs.
Advertising account directors need the ability to lead and inspire others on their own team, as well as outside of the firm. They also ensure the accounts they manage are profitable and often pitch new business to prospective clients. A bachelor's degree and seven or more years of work experience in an advertising environment are required.
Content strategist
Content strategists are high-level thinkers, standout idea generators and first-rate problem solvers, as their job is to develop an effective content strategy across all channels that will engage customers and drive revenue. Their goal is to develop content that is relevant, engaging, easy to find, actionable and sharable across digital platforms.
These professionals should have extensive project management experience and a solid grasp on user experience. Many employers will also look for candidates who know how to lead a team of employees and freelancers, all while managing a budget. Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) skills are also a major plus.
User experience (UX) designer
As the lines between design and technology continue to blur, demand for UX designers is high. These creative pros determine the architecture and wireframes that help users navigate a product or website. UX designers address users’ needs to create the best user experience.
It’s a job that requires creative, technical and problem-solving skills — as well as some psychology and storytelling. Responsible for the full design process, from research, ideation and concept development to prototyping and evaluation, the role requires the ability to collaborate with business, customer service, design and technology teams. UX designers should possess an expert understanding of design principles and wireframing tools, such as Axure RP, Balsamiq, InVision and Sketch.
Marketing analytics manager
Marketing analytics managers develop ways to effectively analyze and report data key to a firm’s business objectives that the marketing team can use in their plans. They also typically define a company’s metrics and data sources to implement analytics solutions. Marketing analytics managers require experience in both data analysis and reporting, CRM software and a background in market research. Most have a college degree in computer science, statistics or a related area.
Digital strategist
Drawing on creativity and a solid understanding of their customer, digital strategists are responsible for developing digital marketing strategies that align with a company’s or client’s goals, usually to promote products or services. Conducting market research is a main priority for these professionals, and they use web analytics software to gain insight into user behaviors and may lead or participate in SEO and SEM efforts. Candidates should also possess knowledge of different digital media channels to successfully create strategies to connect and engage with customers, as well as know how to analyze data and measure a campaign’s effectiveness.
Interactive art director
This is a job that encompasses design and execution, so interactive art directors must be comfortable in both roles. They deliver digital solutions for a company’s business or brand.
Interactive art directors have a keen understanding of concept development, copywriting and storyboarding, as well as an ability to work cross-platform with various presentation devices. They should know ActionScript, Adobe Create Suite and some coding languages. Interactive art directors also must have a working knowledge of online design, copywriting, SEO and information architecture.
Product manager
These marketing pros are responsible for the development and launch of campaigns designed to promote new or improved products. To help shape a product’s “story,” strong communication, collaboration and organizational skills are key to working with a variety of teams and engaging with target customers. Part of a product manager’s role includes knowing their audience very well, researching and creating buyer personas to figure out how to meet their customers’ needs or support their goals. Because of this, some employers may seek product managers with specific knowledge of or experience in their company’s industry.
User experience (UX) researcher
Mix a sociologist, anthropologist and marketer together and you get a UX researcher. These creative pros figure out what motivates people to buy a product and how they use it — information that helps market research teams. They’re responsible for designing, conducting and analyzing user design research and usability testing.
UX researchers must have excellent analytical and communication skills to interpret data and work with users to gather that data. They also need experience with various research methods and tools, as well as a thorough understanding of the business to inform and conduct their research studies, develop recommendations and drive results.
Mobile designer
Mobile designers create compelling interactive experiences on mobile devices that most of us have today, which is why they’re in demand. These pros collaborate with user experience and other cross-functional teams to make content engaging. Mobile designers must know both graphical and functional aspects of web and mobile design and work across platforms, including HTML5, iOS and Android.
While a specific degree isn’t usually required for the job, most employers prefer candidates have a degree in graphic, interactive or interaction design. Mobile designers also must know responsive design, UX and programming.
