Design Director salary in California
A real-employer view of Design Director pay, clustered from DOL OFLC certified filings. Variants like Senior, Lead, and II/III titles fold into this cluster — the wage range below reflects all of them.
Design Director in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 3 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $180,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 1 | $86,571 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 1 | $265,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Design Director in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings. Click a company for its full H-1B salary breakdown.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| MATTER OF PRACTICE INC | DESIGN DIRECTOR | 1 | $86,571 |
| Qualia Labs, Inc. | Design Director | 1 | $265,000 |
| TBWA Worldwide Inc. | Design Director | 1 | $180,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- DESIGN DIRECTOR at MATTER OF PRACTICE INC$86,571LOS ANGELESWage Level IDecided Mar 20, 2026I-203-26075-703976
- Design Director at Qualia Labs, Inc.$265,000BerkeleyWage Level IVDecided Feb 24, 2026I-200-26048-644898
- Design Director at TBWA Worldwide Inc.$180,000Los AngelesDecided Nov 5, 2024I-203-24303-439750
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.