Graphic Design Industry Job Titles and Descriptions

Have you been in the design industry for many years and find it hard to keep up to date with what title means what? Are you new to the industry and confused about the various job descriptions and design career specifications? Over the years, the Creative Industry's job titles and descriptions have evolved due to new technology, new positions, or old positions that have been made redundant! As Artisan is a major supplier of candidates to fit into all sorts of job roles and titles, we are in a fabulous position to explain the current job descriptions and titles.

Although a job title can vary dramatically between one company and another, there is a rough constant that most people follow. Also remember that the design industry is always changing and evolving, especially in the New Media sector where some creative titles and job descriptions have had to be re-evaluated several times. New technology calls for new specialist roles, and so the list of job titles is in a constant state of flux.

To keep things simple, there are three main job descriptions: Graphic Designers, Mac Operators and Design Managers.

Graphic Designers design things (whether it be for print, apparel placements, textile and interior finishes or online applications). They are the core of the industry with the following titles included: Junior Designers, Middleweight Designers, Senior Designers, Art Directors, Creative Directors and Web Designers.

Junior Designers are usually considered 'junior' for around the first 2 years solid industry experience and most of the time are straight out of tertiary studies. The main role of a Junior Designer is to lay out pages, make text corrections, clean up artwork, and generally pick up the unwanted work from the Middleweight and Senior Designers.

Middleweight Designers would have been in the industry for more than 2 years and have a professional portfolio of work. Usually they would have been part of a team that works on campaigns, advertising, publications or web interface and would be given small projects to work on themselves. They typically continue to work under a senior Designer's wing, butare able to take design briefs from a client or an Account Manager and implement them from start to finish.

Senior Designers usually have around 4 to 5 years of solid design industry experience under their belt before reaching this title. As a Senior Designer, one would be experienced with client liaison, with a high level of proficiency in taking, writing and implementing a brief. They have the ability to look at the bigger picture, not simply the individual parts of a project. With sharp problem solving ability, they are able to work with and direct their junior counterparts throughout a project from start to finish.

Art Directors are as their title suggests, they direct art! It is their role to come up with ideas and lead brainstorms. They are usually hands on in directing the creative for large projects and creative campaigns. An Art Director is generally the most senior creative on a team alongside a Creative Director. Overseeing the design team's focus and production, an Art Director has an developed understanding of branding and briefing procedures. A lot of the time, they will work in conjunction with the Studio Manager.

Creative Directors have generally progressed through the design industry along side Art Directors - although with recent trends, they are moving into these positions from a marketing background, where their skills are beneficial in the corporate sector. Unlike the position of Art director, Creative Directors require a less of a hands-on approach. A Creative Director will deal mainly with the clients in generating ideas rather than sitting in front of a computer working out concepts.

Web Designers often work alongside their print designer counterparts but operate within the online environment. A lot of Web Designers have some HTML skills and are able to use WYSIWYG programs such as Dreamweaver. Others are only required to provide the creative concepts in programs like Photoshop before passing them on to a Web Developer. Web Designers usually have a close working relationship with Web Developers and should have a good understanding of interactive and /or web development principles. Understanding of usability, online branding and search engine optimisation are also valuable attributes in this role.

Mac Operators make up a large section of today's design industry, often falling under the following titles: Mac Operators, Finished Artists, Graphic Artists and Artworkers. Mac operators generally operate in a less creative manner within the design process – performing tasks like pre-press file preparation, marking up text corrections, making spell checks, formatting documents and the rolling out of print documents after they have been designed. This role is not a creative position and Mac Operators rarely become Graphic Designers. A lot of part time workers or temps with fast Quark Xpress and InDesign skills make great Mac Operators. An eye for detail in this position is obviously a major prerequisite.

Finished Artists, Graphic Artists or Artworkers perform the same tasks, but simply fall under different names. They have a high level of skill in the main design industry programs including Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, etc. Most of their work is implementing concepts based on a designer's brief and will roll these out in the form of documents, publications and stationery. Individuals with these skills are much saught after in the industry. Finished Artists, have an expectation of knowledge in design layout and the production of print-ready, pre-press files. This role requires the understanding of print production issues such as colour reproduction theory, trapping, and ink density. More and more Graphic Design students are entering the industry without this knowledge or training. Often the most effective method of learning the ins and outs of pre-press is by working for a print company, where on-the-job training leads to a firm foundation in the craft.

Design Management refers to those making the decisions within a design environment. As the title shows, they manage others in the industry and range from a hands-on-creative to completely hands-off-management. They may be referred to as Design Managers and Studio Managers.

Design Managers are responsible for the decision making process within a design environment. Usually a hands-off role, their tasks involve budgeting, scheduling and reporting for individual clients. Design Managers often look after client relationships and have an input into longer term marketing projects. Their roles are usually account handling focussed.

Studio Managers have a similar role to a Design Manager, but are more focussed on the running of the creative studio from a technical and logistical perspective. With a hands-on approach, the Studio Manager sometimes takes on the role of Art Director or Senior Designer. Usually a Studio Manager has been a Senior Designer and has a developed understanding in the design process from concept to pre-press. Like the Design Manager, they also deal with client liaison and have a say in the over-all running of the studio. Their role encompasses resource management and staff management.

There are numerous other titles out there in the industry that you will come across, such as Art Managers, Account Handlers or Head of Design. As the industry changes and evolves over time, there will be new titles and descriptions added to the list.

Whether you are looking for a freelancer for your studio or you are trying to find that perfect position in the design industry, have a look at our jobs section of the website for what's available.
Kevin Hall, Studio Manager, Artisan Creative