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.
Stoke on Trent
Stoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, officially formed in 1910 by a federation of six towns: Hanley, Burslem, Longton, Stoke, Tunstall and Fenton.
Stoke-on-Trent has been the home of the pottery and fine ceramics industry in England since the 12th century and is commonly known as ‘the Potteries’, with the local football team, Stoke City FC, affectionately known as ‘the Potters’.
Over more recent times the area has developed from being primarily an industrial hub, to a centre for service industries and distribution centres.
Stoke-on-Trent is situated about half-way between Manchester and Birmingham, while the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands are a short drive away.
