Also called: Design Production Specialist, Junior Designer
Prepares design files for print and digital, making final adjustments so everything prints and displays correctly.
A production artist takes a finished ad design and creates 40 versions in different sizes, checks colors, and packages files for the printer. It is detail-heavy work that teaches the technical side of design. Many designers start here.
Based on BLS graphic designers (27-1024), May 2024. Production roles sit below the median.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate or bachelor's in graphic design; strong software skills.
Ways in: 2-year college, 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Graphic Design, Graphic Arts Technology.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Entry-level roles are under pressure from automation.
High risk for 10 years. Resizing, versioning and file prep are exactly what AI and templates now automate, so these entry roles are disappearing.
Classes: Graphic design CTE, Computer applications, Digital photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1024.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.