What does a design and production assistant do?
A design and production assistant is an individual who is responsible for refining, managing, and executing simultaneous design and production projects to provide deliverables on time. Design and production assistants create PowerPoint presentations to promote their merchandise as well as create site banners. They should acquire experience in business administration and manufacturing products that includes managing staff members. Design and production assistants must also collaborate with graphic designers and photographers to elucidate brand standards.
Design and production assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real design and production assistant resumes:
- Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
- Sketch daily and brainstorm with creative director on new styles.
- Sketch designs on illustrator, update sketch and trim information to PLM.
- Create PowerPoint presentations for merchandising meetings.
- Create site banners and design Facebook promotional applications.
- Assist creative director in producing print publications, videos and PowerPoint presentations.
- Develop strategies to deliver a complete well-coordinate project among not only MEP subcontractors but also architectural and structural subcontractors.
- Make invoices, bank deposits and payment processes in Quickbooks.
- Utilize Quickbooks to maintain customer and vendor lists, retrieve Internet orders for processing and shipping.
- Supervise production staff that used embroidery machines.
Design and production assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Design And Production Assistants are proficient in Auto CAD, Design Library, and Adobe Illustrator. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Writing skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Design And Production Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Auto CAD, 11%
Create, Develop, and Execute project work plans, specifications, and Auto Cad drawings.
- Design Library, 10%
Completed a total re-organization of the design library and contacted sales representatives for multiple companies for samples and product information.
- Adobe Illustrator, 7%
Created technical flat sketches in Adobe Illustrator as templates for custom order process.
- Adobe Photoshop, 6%
Created concepts for packages, folding cartons, displays, and products utilizing Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and polygonal modeling.
- Tech Packs, 5%
Assisted Production Manager with tech packs, sending fabrics to China, and checking in samples when received.
- Graphic Design, 4%
Produced all graphic design of internal propaganda.
Most design and production assistants use their skills in "auto cad," "design library," and "adobe illustrator" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential design and production assistant responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. The most essential soft skill for a design and production assistant to carry out their responsibilities is organizational skills. This skill is important for the role because "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Additionally, a design and production assistant resume shows how their duties depend on organizational skills: "work with quickbooks and dream draper software assist with client needs fabric and materials selections in-office organizational upkeep hand rendering window concepts"
Writing skills. Another essential skill to perform design and production assistant duties is writing skills. Design and production assistants responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Design and production assistants also use writing skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "executed design concepts under the supervision of senior designers assisted in copywriting and translation costed project estimates and scope"
Interpersonal skills. design and production assistants are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to design and production assistant responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." A design and production assistant resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "helped develop new packaging and pop displays developed excellent interpersonal skills developed skills in auto cadd performed astm testing protocols. "
The three companies that hire the most design and production assistants are:
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Design and production assistant vs. Assistant designer
Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a design and production assistant are more likely to require skills like "design library," "graphic design," "purchase orders," and "design projects." On the other hand, a job as an assistant designer requires skills like "plm," "technical design," "concept boards," and "design details." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Assistant designers really shine in the construction industry with an average salary of $57,526. Comparatively, design and production assistants tend to make the most money in the media industry with an average salary of $45,522.On average, assistant designers reach similar levels of education than design and production assistants. Assistant designers are 0.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Design and production assistant vs. Assistant operator
The duties of an assistant operator depend on one's industry of employment or the kind of machine that they are operating. Typically, their tasks may revolve around coordinating with operators and other staff, handling and managing documents, understanding blueprints, and adhering to the directives of operators and supervisors. Furthermore, as an assistant operator, it is essential to perform support tasks, such as preparing tools and conducting regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency of machines and maintain a safe work environment.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, design and production assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "auto cad," "design library," "adobe illustrator," and "adobe photoshop." Meanwhile, an assistant operator has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "ladders," "safety procedures," and "cash control." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, assistant operators earn a lower salary than design and production assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, assistant operators earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $43,976. Whereas design and production assistants have higher pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $45,522.In general, assistant operators achieve similar levels of education than design and production assistants. They're 0.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Design and production assistant vs. Finance assistant
A finance assistant is responsible for supporting the financial department with daily operations by doing administrative and clerical tasks as needed. Finance assistants' duties include sorting financial records, updating account spreadsheets, assisting on bank statements reconciliation, processing payments, generating an invoice, auditing financial statements, escalating financial discrepancies for review, and reviewing cost analysis reports. A finance assistant must be knowledgeable of the financial industry and accounting processes, as well as have strong analytical and organizational skills.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, design and production assistants are more likely to have skills like "auto cad," "design library," "adobe illustrator," and "adobe photoshop." But a finance assistant is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "data entry," "payroll," and "financial assistance."
Finance assistants earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $39,521. Comparatively, design and production assistants have the highest earning potential in the media industry, with an average salary of $45,522.When it comes to education, finance assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to design and production assistants. In fact, they're 3.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Design and production assistant vs. Staff assistant
A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.
Updated January 8, 2025











