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What is a production artist/designer and how to become one
Production artists specialize in graphic design and use their engineering and programming skills to ensure that the product meets the standards of the consumer. Production artists, also known as graphic artists, use advanced computer tools to import and ensure the consistency of design files in the later stages of development. Artists may work in the film, advertisement, or computer systems design industries.
Usually, production artists are the last people to work on the project until it is released. They use their experience in architecture and programming applications to analyze finished prototypes and layouts. In finalizing the items, artists can recommend changes and change formats to improve the quality of production and ensure that standards are met.
Most companies choose applicants that have a graphic design background. Applicants may possess a certificate or an associate's degree in fine arts or graphic design to be considered for the role. However, it is preferable to have a Bachelor's degree that focuses primarily on the skills and duties of production artists.
What general advice would you give to a production artist/designer?
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.
Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida
Avg. Salary $48,776
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%
Asian 10.42%
Black or African American 3.42%
Hispanic or Latino 10.63%
Unknown 4.99%
White 70.17%
Genderfemale 47.83%
male 52.17%
Age - 37American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 37Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Production artist/designer career paths
Key steps to become a production artist/designer
Explore production artist/designer education requirements
Start to develop specific production artist/designer skills
Skills Percentages Adobe Illustrator 10.80% Adobe Photoshop 10.45% Graphic Design 9.40% Layout Design 6.80% Adobe Indesign 6.09% Complete relevant production artist/designer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New production artist/designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a production artist/designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real production artist/designer resumes.Research production artist/designer duties and responsibilities
- Work closely with physicians and nurses to achieve quality results of brochures, flyers, posters, and other publications.
- Code HTML and CSS into existing websites.
- Create and maintain PowerPoint templates that will be distribute company wide.
- Design / production for corporate PowerPoint presentations for biotech, computer, financial clients, incorporating animation and video
Prepare your production artist/designer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your production artist/designer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a production artist/designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable production artist/designer resume templates
Build a professional production artist/designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your production artist/designer resume.
Apply for production artist/designer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a production artist/designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first production artist/designer job
Are you a production artist/designer?
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Average production artist/designer salary
The average production artist/designer salary in the United States is $48,776 per year or $23 per hour. Production artist/designer salaries range between $34,000 and $69,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do production artist/designers rate their job?
Production artist/designer reviews
There is so much to like about working as Graphic Designer ... the seeing how all the elements of words, space, colors, visuals (photos, graphics, charts,...) come together on a page...sharing info with others to learn and use
When working with others who can not make up their minds as deadline approaches nor take responsibility and blames others for their own "misdoings".
Working in the production/preflight realm of work is great because I am able to execute the concept that the designer comes up with. I have a very technical role that requires a lot of attention to detail, which is something I enjoy. Also, the competition is stiffer considering most designers are not trained to do production work
A lot of companies and hiring directors don't understand the importance of the role and how much technical skill it requires, therefore a lot of employers tend to pay less, when they should be paying more. This role takes more training.
The ability to communicate with letters and images for to me its the loudess means of communication.
I dislike being un-informed or not being informed on time, For information and time is a essential to me. My time is precious.
Updated January 8, 2025
