Production
Production work is going in and changing the code on a website that is already set up or the text on a print document that is ready to go to press. Production work can also include typesetting forms. It can also mean you run the press or you collate and bind books in the back. All of the “production” helps get the job done.
I worked in production in the early part of my career. I ran a printing press. An old school printing press, with metal plates, I even made my own plates from negatives that I ran in the dark room after shooting artwork at a 70 line screen. Soon after, I moved up to a Graphic Design position. Learning the press and how the work flow came together really helped me in my career.
Staff Designer
A Staff designer will do some production work, but will also handle doing layouts, editing graphics & photos, and helping out other members of the team as needed. You must know the company's process and how everything works and comes together. This includes but is not limited to: sticking to deadlines, keeping track of your time, time in production for a project, and what to do with new jobs as they come in. You will work mostly on exsiting projects, just making small changes according to the customers specifications.
This is very similiar to my last job. I did a lot of this. I was given creative freedom during certain times of the year. I laid out football programs and got to create a majority of the advertisments for them, and was often given creative freedom on new brochures, graduation invitations and wedding printing.
Senior Designer
Senior designer looks at the client’s goals for a concept and advises them on how to reach their audience and pitch them ideas. Senior Designers get to create the concepts and see them come to life. They have a indepth understanding of their audience, budget and time concerns when it comes to getting a job done.
Art Director
An Art Director is more of a managerial job of the design world. In a small firm they may work a little more hands-on with a designer, but in larger firms they have designers report to them following a copywriter. They are involved in more than one project and work more with the cilent than the designer will. Since they pass on the detail work to the designer, they will discuss themselves on the campaign or another creative project at hand.
Creative Director
An Art Director reports to a Creative Director. The creative director hold the final responsibility for the firm or design team's final production. They must focus on high-end design and the relationship with the cilent, and handles setting up future task for the client's projects.
