PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES 01. AREAS OF DESIGN or, what do you want to do? creativegroup.com/salary-center
IN-HOUSE a designer who maintains design and branding for a single company. FIRM a designer who works on one or multiple projects for outside companies. FREELANCE/CONTRACT an independent contractor for multiple clients or through a staffing agency. CONSULTANT independently leads creative teams and assisting in development.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
GRAPHIC DESIGN JOBS Branding Packaging Book Design Lettering Type Design Infographics Experiential Screen Printing Motion Advertising Corporate Publishing Novelty design Exhibit Design Illustration Editorial
THE FOOD CHAIN CEO/Principal Creative Director Account Executive Project Manager Freelancer Art Director (Jr/Sr) Designer (Jr/Sr) Intern
PRINCIPAL/CEO Holds an equity position and has major business responsibilities for a firm. Salary: $70-150k
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Guides all creative projects and is responsible for the overall quality of work produced by the creative department. Manages projects from concept to completion and translates marketing objectives into creative strategies. Leads and directs the creative staff in the production of all advertising and marketing collateral, and ensures that visual communication standards are met across various media. Meets with clients or upper management to explain campaign strategies and solutions. Salary: $100k+
ART DIRECTOR Oversees the artistic development of marketing and promotional pieces, including print, online, mobile, television and radio advertisements; collateral materials; and internal and external corporate publications. Supervises team of designers, photographers, illustrators, production artists and creative freelancers. Within an agency, the art director collaborates with senior-level copywriters to develop strategies for advertising campaigns, and often specializes in a particular area, such as print advertising or broadcast. Salary: $64-108k
DESIGNER Develops or acquires images used in a variety of creative projects (for example, ads, brochures, corporate identity, packaging, presentations, promotional displays, signage and websites) and oversees the design, layout and formatting of these materials. Salary: $38-56k (junior) $52-72k $66-93k (senior)
INTERN responsible for specific or miscellaneous supervised duties. Salary: $0-15/hr
PROJECT MANAGER Oversees production of creative collateral. Duties include maintaining client relationships, soliciting quotes and estimates, procuring products and services needed for project execution, and managing budgets and schedules. Serves as a liaison between creative staff and clients; helps resolve data processing, production and accounting challenges; and ensures customer satisfaction, quality control and timely delivery of final products. Salary: $58-89k
ILLUSTRATOR Conceptualizes, paints and draws images used in a variety of materials and publications. Must be able to convert complex and abstract ideas into compelling visuals. May specialize in areas such as technical, medical, architectural, scientific or cartoon illustrations. Salary: $42-81k
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION JOBS Print shop Photo editing Corporate Letterpress Screen Printing
THE FOOD CHAIN Production Director/Manager Production Coordinator Production Artist/Assistant
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR / MANAGER Oversees production of a wide variety of projects. Duties include project planning, workflow management, vendor negotiation, print buying, cost control, quality control, logistical coordination and press checks. Often supervises traffic coordinators and print buyers; may manage small design studio. Salary: $63-118k
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Provides logistical support to the creative or production department. Duties may include tracking and scheduling projects, filing summary reports, preflight formatting of collateral, archiving, communicating with vendors, and managing invoices. Salary: $43-57k
PRODUCTION ARTIST / ASSISTANT Assists design teams in production of graphic collateral, packaging, display and advertising projects. Typical duties include preflight formatting, in addition to collecting, processing, checking and uploading files. Should be adept with software applications. Must have solid knowledge of printing processes, keen attention to detail and troubleshooting skills. Salary: $37-70k
WEB + INTERACTIVE
WEB + INTERACTIVE JOB Mobile Apps Web Designer Interaction Designer UX Designer UX Researcher Visual Designer Information Architect Front-end Developer Product Designer Content Strategy Game Designer Product Design Motion Designer Experiential (EGD) Data Visualization
FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPER Develops web- and mobile-based applications and works on website maintenance and enhancements. Other duties include writing web pages in a combination of languages and assisting in the coding and testing of technical solutions. Must be proficient in web technologies, including user interface design, CSS, HTML, JavaScript and jquery. Salary: $53-100k
WEB DESIGNER Designs Internet and intranet sites that accurately reflect an organization s goals, objectives and identity. Creates the concepts, artwork and layout for sites and other online projects based on creative briefs and client meetings. Uses web and design software such as Adobe Creative Suite applications. Should be familiar with web protocols such as CSS, HTML, JSP and XML. Understanding of web design issues, including browser usability and crossplatform compatibility, is necessary. Salary: $55-113k
USER EXPERIENCE (UX) DESIGNER Creates satisfying or compelling experiences for users of a product, often drawing on results from user research and workflow analysis. Areas of focus may include content, controls, visual design, packaging, customer/technical support, branding and other aspects of user experience. Also responsible for producing personas, usage scenarios, site maps, taxonomies and wireframes. Salary: $49-130k
VISUAL DESIGNER Develops digital design content, including websites, online campaigns, banner ads, email blasts and motion graphics. Uses web and design software such as Adobe Creative Suite applications. Should be familiar with web protocols such as CSS and HTML. Must have knowledge of design principles and the latest digital and interactive technologies, as well as an understanding of different digital channels, functionality and user experience requirements. Salary: $63-94k
INFORMATION ARCHITECT (IA) Works with clients to help define content strategy and design features for their websites. Analyzes audiences and their needs in order to improve architecture and navigation. Creates wireframes, site maps, schematics, process maps, feature lists, mockups, visual specifications, working prototypes and other tools to describe the intended user experience. Salary: $90-137k
INTERACTION DESIGNER (IXD) Designs visual components for the Web and software applications. Other duties include evaluating designs based on usability and influence, creating working prototypes of customized web applications, and serving as the liaison between design and development teams. Salary: $58-120k
PRODUCT DESIGNER Designs the whole solution as part of a team or as an indivivual, taking on the roles of UX Designers, Interaction Designers, Visual Designers, Motion Designers, Researcher, Analysts, Prototypers and Business Strategists. Product Designers are often found in start-up companies where development teams tend to be smaller. Salary: $50-115k
CONTENT STRATEGIST Develops content strategy based on a company s or client s business objectives and a customer s or end user s needs. Also responsible for overseeing content requirements and creating content strategy deliverables (including content audits, gap analyses, taxonomies, metadata frameworks, style guides, content migration plans and editorial calendars) across a project life cycle. Strong search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) skills are often preferred. Salary: $77-109k
VIDEO EDITOR Creates polished video by editing raw camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. May work closely with a director to achieve the desired vision. Must be proficient with video editing software such as AfterEffects, Final Cut Pro, Media Composer, Premiere Pro or Vegas. Salary: $56-85k
MOTION DESIGNER Creates animated and video artwork for the Web, television or film. Projects may include commercials, movie clips, stand-alone presentations, trailers, title sequences and post-production work. Should be proficient in all or some combination of After Effects, Cinema 4D, Final Cut Pro, Flash, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Salary: $66-99k
MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER Develops and produces multimedia for electronic and interactive communication on the Web, multimedia presentations, and interactive displays and exhibits. Also collaborates with marketing and public relations teams to determine appropriate visual, textual and animated elements of projects, and prepares artwork and media for final approval and distribution. Salary: $61-91k
ADDITIONAL RELATED AREAS Account Manager/Executive Advertising/Marketing Animation Game design Film Printing Industrial Design Experiential Graphic Design (EGD) Museum Curator Fashion Design Handmade culture Studio Art Computer Science/programmer
THE JOB HUNT
2016 HIRING TRENDS 1. Job seekers have the upper hand 2. Highest demand is digital 3. Employers are adding more perks (flexible schedule, remote, open vacation policies, day care, etc.) 4. Companies are willing to sharpen employee skills 5. Companies are making bigger counteroffers to retain talent 6. Full-time and contract-to-hire positions are on the rise 7. Freelancers are in demand
80% of today s design jobs are landed through networking
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