Artworker
Artworkers are an extremely important part of any creative team. An Artworker is not be expected to have much creative input, but crucially is responsible for taking creative design concepts from the art director / designer, tidying up the design files, reworking them as necessary, to correct colours, typography, leading, kerning and so on, to ensure files are 100% accurate and ready to go to print. Artworkers are essential in ensuring the creative work retains its integrity and reaches its full potential both in print and also across digital channels.
Strong Mac skills are essential, as are a high level of expertise with all the common Adobe Creative Suite products (Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator in particular). An extremely sharp eye for detail and a methodical approach are also important to ensure design files are accurate and error free.
Artworkers also need to be able to work with design that spans all types of formats from large scale outdoor advertising and hordings, to exhibition graphics, press ads, brochures, POS, direct mail, corporate literature etc. Employers will also want to see that you’ve got strong retouching skills – that ability to retouch images to ensure they meet print and web standards.
It’s essential that artworkers have a strong understanding of print processes – both in terms of pre-press and post-production – so that files are set up accurately for print and costly mistakes are avoided.
Traditionally, artworker jobs were focused around printed media. While that still forms the majority of an artworker’s work, artworkers are increasingly required to work with digital media, now that it is such an integral part of all creative campaigns. Experience with setting up digital files such as banners, email templates, web safe images and so on, is therefore an important skill. Any experience with HTML and CSS is increasingly advantageous, though not essential.
Salary wise outside of London the role generally pays between £18,000 to £35,000 depending on regional variance and level of experience.
Northampton
Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire in the East Midlands and lies on the River Nene. Archaeological evidence in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. During the Middle Ages, the town saw the establishment of Northampton Castle, an occasional used royal residence that regularly hosted the Parliament of England. Rebuilt after the devastating Great Fire of Northampton in 1675, Northamptonshire's county town was one of the prettiest in the Midlands before WWII bombers and then post-war urban planners wreaked architectural havoc. However, the heart of the town retains some grand buildings that emphasise its significant role in England’s Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. After the creation of the Grand Union Canal and the railway in the 19th century, Northampton became internationally famous for manufacturing fine quality leather footwear. Unsuccessfully applying for unitary status in 1996 and city status later in 2000, the town continues to expand, undergoing large-scale urban renewal.
