Senior Designer

The Senior Designer manages the entire customer experience; manages his/her projects by communicating directly with the customer, writes up estimates, executes the work, and bills the job. This person understands all Production Pre-Press tasks required after design approval, directs/ coordinates through various personnel and departments. Also serves as backup to Senior Creative Production Manager and the Creative Director when they are out.

Essential Functions:

1. Communicate with customers about expectations on new projects via Phone/ E-Mail.
2. Generate project estimates for customer review, upon approval, create job jacket and schedule the job.
3. Assimilate all information in the job jacket before creating the designs.
4. Creation or modification of design art to provided specs, meeting timelines and within budgeted time.
5. Create Photography using in-house studio, set up lights, take shots, process images in post, deliver to designers for insertion into creative projects.
6. Create Prototype Art for print, print paper proof first to make sure the template is correct, Rip, Print and direct interns to produce prototype projects.
7. Generate 3D E-Commerce Renderings (IC3D), and Photography (Iconasys) Spinners using 360° software
8. Inspect all Intern projects for correctness and total quality.
9. Inspect & revise art elements received from outside sources to ensure specs are met.
10. Keep accurate record of time (daily – Goal 6 billable hours per day) and materials per job for billing purposes
11. Proof your own as well as other artists’ work to ensure 100% fit for use from the Design department.
12. Supply customer with color proofs, PDFs, or mocked-up samples for approval.
13. Supply electronic files that are clear and concise as well as meet the customer’s printer specs to the Production Art department or outside Pre-Press companies.
14. Create and modify departmental S.O.P.s to improve total quality.
15. Organize and distribute new S.O.P.s & requirements to ALL artists in the Creative department.
16. Cross Train in Art Department - Make note of new procedures that affect our file prep and delivery of digital assets to other Cyber and or outside Pre-Press departments downstream.
17. Make sure you are meeting the daily schedule, perform overtime if necessary, trouble shoot problems or handle/delegate getting files fixed.
18. Perform other duties as assigned.
19. Manage intern projects; keep them on track, busy and follow-up with progress reports to upper level manager.
20. Manage more Customer Service projects that are handed off to J.W. for production.
21. Other duties as assigned

Education & Experience:

· Must hold Degree in Design, related field or the equivalent in 5 – 10 years of experience.

· Minimum 5 years of DESIGN experience & required experience with pre-press separations, trapping and output of computer graphic files.

· Program knowledge should include Illustrator, Photoshop, (as well as other Adobe products).

· Printing experience preferred

Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics:

· Effective in completion of multi-faceted projects in conjunction with daily activities.

· Ability to effectively interact with diverse personalities, tactful, mature, flexible.

· Excellent verbal/written communication skills.