01Creative compensation · 2025 edition
Salary 2025: where the bands sit.
Median base pay for the six disciplines we place most — drawn from first-party Halftone placements, rounded to the nearest $5k, framed as a starting point for the conversation rather than a verdict.
02Methodology
Where the figures come from.
All ranges below are drawn from first-party Halftone placements — the salaries we have actually put candidates into the room for over the past twelve months, not a survey pulled off a job board.
They are advisory midpoints, rounded to the nearest $5k to encourage the downstream conversation a real offer requires. Use them as the opening frame, not the closing one — comp varies with seniority, stage, geography, and the equity on the table.
The figures are intentionally rounded to $5k increments. A figure like $112,485 would imply a precision we do not have; the bands below name the midpoint conversation, not a quoted offer.
03The figures
Median base pay range, by discipline.
Annual base, USD. Seniority moves you through the band.
| Role | Discipline | Median base pay range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Director | Art Direction | $95k–$140k | Senior AD runs the higher end; junior ADs sit at the floor. |
| Copywriter | Copywriting | $85k–$130k | Head of copy / ACD commands the top of the band. |
| Designer | Design | $90k–$135k | Brand, product, and motion all sit in the same band — seniority is the lever. |
| Executive Creative Director | ECD | $200k–$300k | Agency-side ECDs; in-house principal creative leads run slightly lower. |
| Chief Marketing Officer | CMO | $250k–$400k | Wide spread reflects company stage and equity weighting. |
| Senior Frontend | IT / Technology | $130k–$160k | Creative-stack frontend (React, Webflow, motion) sits in the band. |
| Backend | IT / Technology | $140k–$180k | API + platform roles cluster in the middle of the engineering band. |
| DevOps | IT / Technology | $145k–$185k | Scarcity premium over frontend and backend at equivalent seniority. |
| Engineering Manager | IT / Technology | $175k–$220k | People-leads sit one band above the IC track. |
| CTO / VP Eng | IT / Technology | $250k–$400k | Wide spread reflects company stage and equity weighting, mirroring the CMO band. |
04Take it further
Numbers open the conversation. The desk closes it.
Whether you're a candidate pricing yourself against the band or a hiring manager trying to land the offer inside it, the desk reads every message and responds within two business days.
ClosingA note on the numbers
Comp varies with seniority, stage, geography, and the equity on the table. The bands above sit inside the room we actually do the work in — for a figure that fits your specific mandate, the desk is one message away.
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