Duties and responsibilities
A production artist works in the marketing department of a business to produce print, packaging, advertising, point-of-purchase and digital graphics. Their typical duties and responsibilities include:
- Collaborating closely with art directors, graphic designers and developers
- Preparing final press-ready files based on supplied specifications for several types of printing
- Making various formats of supplied artwork production-ready and resolve any artwork issues that arise during production
- Providing image retouching, clipping paths and additional image manipulation if necessary
- Packaging and preflighting files for release to printers or media partners
- Conducting press checks on images
- Preparing images for online and mobile applications
- Troubleshooting problems as they arise
Qualifications
Generally speaking, most production artists will need a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field that is accredited by The National Association of Schools of Art and Design is required. They will then need experience in a marketing team.
Skills and relevant work experience
As well as relevant work experience, production artists will need skills and talents such as:
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- Technology skills, as production artists will need to use computers and complexed software to produce their images
- Artistic skills and creativity, as production artists need to be able to great enticing and interesting graphics
- Communication skills, as production artists need to be able to communicate with directors, clients and other designers
- Time management skills, as production artists need to be able to meet deadlines
Hours
Production artists are likely to work normal full time hours, however they may have to work overtime to meet deadlines.
Salary
According to Zippia, the average annual salary for a production artist in the United States is $54,579. The lowest 10% earn less than $34,000 per year, whereas the highest 10% make over $85,000 per year.
Progression
Production artists are likely to work in teams with designers and creative directors. With more experience and knowledge, production artists may progress to have more responsibility and autonomy within the team.