What's a Mac Artist good for anyway?
In an industry where designers and art directors are adequately knowledgeable about the software used, such as QuarkXpress and Photoshop, some may wonder what role the production artist plays in the creation process. What follows is a job description of sorts, and a primer for those interested in working in the production area of the advertising industry.
There are many freelance designers who do their own production, of course, but for the purpose of this article, we will focus on the role of the production artist within an agency workflow.
The creative teams begin the process by producing layouts of ads, posters, etc., to a fairly finished stage, usually in QuarkXpress or Illustrator. After the creative material is approved by the client, it moves into production stage. Since the layouts are already in the appropriate programs, why not simply send the files to the printer to be produced?
From a technical point of view, files sent to a printer or filmhouse need to:
- be built to RIP or print to presses with the least amount of trouble
- be built to separate correctly to the appropriate plates, such as cyan, magent, yellow, and black, as well as any required spot colours
- contain all necessary elements, in formats that are appropriate for the target presses
- be built to the correct sizes according to the exact specifications provided by media companies
- be checked for consistency in layout, text formatting, and other minutiae
Designers are better served by spending their valuable time perfecting the visual and strategic layout of the creative. The free-thinking, open, and unrestrained frame of mind necessary to do this well is somewhat in contrast to the needs of the production stage, where precision, careful attention to detail, and organized efficiency are the traits in demand.
But Mac artists don't merely work in a technical capacity. We happen to work in a trade that has had a great impact on the evolution of print: Before Mac artists, there were Typesetters. These were the individuals who painstakingly set each letter of type with metal casts, adjusting the spacing between letters to create the most appealing and readable type.
A Mac artists takes great pride in being a good typographer. It is nothing less than craftsmanship. Therefore, a design background, or at least a working knowledge of basic design principles is a great asset to Mac artists. The approach to treating type with as much care and detail as a designer would with any other element of layout is what defines a good typographer.
So, in the final analysis, Mac artists provide the critical elements of precision, quality control, and craftsmanship to the process. Armed with a disciplined sense of efficient, organized workflow, Mac artists play an essential role in creating the best possible product in the advertising and design industries.
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