What does a senior production artist do?
Senior production artist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior production artist resumes:
- Manage production of products; custom banners, t-shirts, satin flags, from concept to final product.
- Produce PDF files for outside vendors and internal customers.
- Perform layout and pre-press of all POS, window backdrops, magalogs, and advertising.
- Eliminate printing of regional meeting line art by creating live PDF files to save 5K+ sheets of paper.
- Retouch all wedding/fashion/commercial/portrait/architecture digital photography.
- Retouch all wedding/fashion/commercial/portrait/architecture digital photography.
Senior production artist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Senior Production Artists are proficient in Adobe Indesign, Art Directors, and Adobe Photoshop. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Artistic ability, and Computer skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Production Artists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Adobe Indesign, 14%
Developed expertise in Adobe InDesign.
- Art Directors, 10%
Worked with Studio Manager and Art Directors to facilitate their creative expectations while producing materials efficiently and meeting defined departmental standards.
- Adobe Photoshop, 7%
Produced digital images in Adobe Photoshop for customers.
- Web Banners, 6%
Created logos, web banners, infomercial materials, storyboards and mock-ups of car promotions.
- Mac, 6%
Worked in a Mac environment, proficient in Abobe CS6: Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat.
- Print Production, 5%
Dedicated effort in all phases of print production and comp assembly projects with clients for Leo Burnett USA.
Most senior production artists use their skills in "adobe indesign," "art directors," and "adobe photoshop" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior production artist responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior production artist to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior production artists do because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, a senior production artist resume shows how senior production artists use analytical skills: "archived all jobs and photography upon completion and maintained a database of all archived files. "
Artistic ability. Another essential skill to perform senior production artist duties is artistic ability. Senior production artists responsibilities require that "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers." Senior production artists also use artistic ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "designed artistic signage for special corporate events. "
Computer skills. This is an important skill for senior production artists to perform their duties. For an example of how senior production artist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior production artist: "work on mac computers, design, edits & production work. ".
Communication skills. senior production artist responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." This resume example shows what senior production artists do with communication skills on a typical day: "proof, edit, process and prepare digital artwork communications with customer service for specifications related to deliverables"
Creativity. Another crucial skill for a senior production artist to carry out their responsibilities is "creativity." A big part of what senior production artists relies on this skill, since "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." How this skill relates to senior production artist duties can be seen in an example from a senior production artist resume snippet: "worked closely with sales, marketing and creative directors to produce effective brand-managed packaging. "
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what a senior production artist does. Senior production artist responsibilities require this skill because "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." This resume example highlights how senior production artist duties rely on this skill: "created and prepared embroidery and screen-print artwork to guarantee customer satisfaction and ensure quality within deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most senior production artists are:
- Crate and Barrel2 senior production artists jobs
- L3Harris1 senior production artists jobs
- Matthews International1 senior production artists jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable senior production artist resume templates
Build a professional senior production artist resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior production artist resume.
Compare different senior production artists
Senior production artist vs. Web graphic designer
A web graphic designer specializes in the aesthetics and functionality of a web platform, software, and other applications. They are primarily responsible for building a platform that adheres to the subject's purpose and the client's preferred theme while prioritizing an easy-to-use and navigate interface. They must conduct regular testing and maintenance on the platform to ensure its efficiency and significance to the brand involved. Furthermore, a web graphic designer may work independently or work for a company, usually within a team setting.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior production artist are more likely to require skills like "art directors," "print production," "color correction," and "digital assets." On the other hand, a job as a web graphic designer requires skills like "graphic design," "wordpress," "css," and "website design." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Web graphic designers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $56,507. Comparatively, senior production artists tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $93,857.The education levels that web graphic designers earn slightly differ from senior production artists. In particular, web graphic designers are 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior production artist. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production artist vs. Graphic designer
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior production artist resumes. While senior production artist responsibilities can utilize skills like "art directors," "digital assets," "style guides," and "asset management," graphic designers use skills like "adobe illustrator," "typography," "brochures," and "design concepts."
Graphic designers earn a lower average salary than senior production artists. But graphic designers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $59,067. Additionally, senior production artists earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $93,857 annually.In general, graphic designers achieve similar levels of education than senior production artists. They're 0.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production artist vs. Lead designer
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior production artist is likely to be skilled in "adobe indesign," "art directors," "web banners," and "mac," while a typical lead designer is skilled in "sketch," "human centered design," "user experience," and "html css."
Lead designers earn the best pay in the start-up industry, where they command an average salary of $118,563. Senior production artists earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $93,857.Most lead designers achieve a higher degree level compared to senior production artists. For example, they're 5.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior production artist vs. Web designer
A web designer is a creative professional responsible for creating and redesigning the content and layout of websites. Web designers are required to meet clients and users to discuss the needs and goals of their clients. To create graphics, colors, and fonts, web designers usually use HTML coding to alter the website's layout. Web designers must build their portfolio by taking on unique projects for themselves and the people they know.
Types of senior production artist
Updated January 8, 2025
