Job Titles...

[YNOT]

Just wondering...can anyone provide me some job titles in the graphic art industry in some sort of ranking?

What I'm getting at is that at the place I work...in order to get a salary grade increase you need a title change. I started out as a 'Graphic Designer' and 3 years later was promoted to 'Sr. Graphic Designer'. It's now been 10 years and after a little 'prodding' I've been asked to make a suggestion for a new title for me. I don't really want to manage people (the 2 part-timers we have) unless I have to. What might be a reasonable title for me? The bottom line is that I want to be more fairly compensated for what I'm currently doing but I somehow think this will lead to me taking on more work which is fine as long as I'm well-compensated. With 17+ years of experience, I'm growing tired of hearing about job openings for 'Graphic Designers' which pay more than what I'm making after 17 years in the field.

I'm the only 'full-time' designer and my main focus is packaging graphics, but after 10 years here I pretty much do anything and everything including travel to set-up displays, some photography arrangements, logo design, literature design, mockup of sample boxes, manage UPC codes, order all packaging translations, etc. I do not do any web work though. We have one part time artist that handles web-stuff/video and another that handles fullfillment of our POP materials and then both assist me to some degree in odds-and-ends projects.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone know of any packaging related job titles?? Or what might be the next reasonable/logical title for me?

Any questions let me know and I'll answer them if it'll help to be more clear.

Thanks!
Tony

[budafist]

Titles don't mean much in terms of experience because every company is different. Being Art Director for the HQ of an international company would be different from say the Art Director of a 3 person agency.

The first might require 15 years experience while the other might need 3 years.

I had a lot of trouble figuring this all out when I was applying for jobs!

[Mynock]

Super Senior Graphic Designer? Graphic Designer Second Class? Graphic Designer Level 3?

Junior Title
Title
Senior Title

Next level I think would be Art Director. Titles only hold the power you apply to them. You could just go with Levels and just not bother coming up with a name. That way you're set for the next time as you can just increase it up one. Just don't power level or pay some kid in japan to level up your job title, because that would be cheating :P

[CkretAjint]

I think this is a big gray area in our field. My boss was just promoted (On Monday) from "Production Manager" to "Production Graphics Manager". The difference? She gets to hand more jobs off to me to work on. Go figgure, pay raise for her, more work for me.

What about 'Senior Graphics Artist"?

[YNOT]

I think this is a big gray area in our field.

What about 'Senior Graphics Artist"?

My current title is "Sr. Graphic Designer" which would basically be the same right?

I'm very content doing what I do...I love the 'creative' end of it...I just want to be more fairly compensated and if I must change my title, that's fine. I'd be content keeping my title as it is (Sr. Graphic Designer) if they'd just pay me a more fair wage for all that I do after 10 years.:rolleyes:

I'm easy.:)

[CkretAjint]

I'm easy.:)

That's what she said.

In all seriousness, If you have nothing to gain or loose and the loan 'designer' there go for gold and shoot for Art Director/Creative Director. Pay should definitly increase! Or get fancy, Graphics Director?

[YNOT]

Next level I think would be Art Director.

Without a degree..I doubt an Art Director would be fitting for me. Plus I'm guessing that an Art Director would be more of a 'sit-back-and-call-the-shots' kind of position.

And where I am at...I am the one who will still be doing all of my work even after the title change because we aren't hiring anyone new and the 2 part-timers can only do so much each week. As it stands now I work over 40 hours a week every week and only get paid for 40 because I'm 'salary'.:mad:

[CkretAjint]

So in essence your the big cheese and call the shots now, sounds like Art Director to me!!! The Art Director at my job works and goes over ever job. I guess she is like a mother hun (a bitchy one at that) that overs sees projects, delegates them and also works on some of her own.

If you don't liek that, what about Creative Director? Director of Print? :p

[dyers78]

Just a side note - How does having a degree or not qualify you for a title?

Anyways - I just went through this. An Art director does not just sit back and call the shots, I think it's more of coming up with the long terms goals and brands of a company and then making sure the idea's unfold correctly.

I went with Creative Services Manager. I figured people come to me when they need photography, graphics, brochures, interior design (it happens?) so I felt I had gone beyond the rhelm of just design and entered the rhelm of creative services and I managed the process = Creative Services Manager

:D

[budafist]

Just a side note - How does having a degree or not qualify you for a title?

I don't think a degree has anything to do with it. It might get your foot in the door, but to be an Art Director you need to have proven your skills for the job. A degree doesn't guarantee anything and lack of degree doesn't mean you won't move up to that spot either.

[YNOT]

Thanks for all of the help so far. Anyone else care to comment?

...I'm guessing that an Art Director would be more of a 'sit-back-and-call-the-shots' kind of position.

Oh...and for the record I in no way meant this as a slam against any Art Directors. I just assumed that this position would be a position of more power thus meaning an AD would basically tell people what they wanted and leave it up to graphic designers to do the work.

Around here I pretty much get the projects from VP's and Directors and them jump all over them to meet their tight deadlines. I do everything from concept to completion making change after change until they are satisfied.

[Broacher]

Just yesterday I was asked for a 'five word description of your job responsibilities' by my boss' secretary (we're doing a retreat next week).

I suggested 'Bippity Boppity Boo'

Also: Live. Work. Get paid. Die.'

In the end they said never mind, they would create the description themselves.

[YNOT]

Anyone else? Thanks!

[doctorfoz]

...I guess she is like a mother hun...

Ckret - was that a typo or did you mean this?

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x308/doctorfoz/hen-beak.jpg

Seriously though - what about Production Controller?

[CkretAjint]

It was a typo. I meant to type hen... oops! :p

[JgS]

you could go with.

Pixel Expert / New Identity Specialist

[Silence04]

Junior Designer
Designer
Senior Designer
Asst. Art Director
Art Director
Asst. Creative Director
Creative Director

Those are the standard titles... but like buda said, the titles aren't based upon a specific level of experience you have as a designer, the experience and duties required are different at every agency.

[Drorain]

Just yesterday I was asked for a 'five word description of your job responsibilities' by my boss' secretary (we're doing a retreat next week).

I suggested 'Bippity Boppity Boo'

Also: Live. Work. Get paid. Die.'

In the end they said never mind, they would create the description themselves.
LMAO, thank you broacher I needed that

[Danger_Mouse]

Junior Designer
Designer
Senior Designer
Asst. Art Director
Art Director
Asst. Creative Director
Creative Director

Those are the standard titles... but like buda said, the titles aren't based upon a specific level of experience you have as a designer, the experience and duties required are different at every agency.

True, but they are also different payscale minimum and maximums.

[longboy]

Hell, I got a promotion (due to a similar situation at my work) to Sr. Multimedia Designer and I'm still waiting to see my job description. I've been here 4½ years and never really had one.

At my last job at an agency, they got all fancy with the titles. I was a Visual Communications Specialist (Production artist/Illustrator/Video Editor/Animator all wrapped up in one title). The designers were Visual Design Specialists (Jr. and Sr. as well).

I, for one, don't really care that much about my title, but I do if it means I'll be limited to a salary band in my workplace's salary schedule. That was the case for me, and I pushed them hard for a promotion that I felt I had more than earned (I'm at 11 years in the business since college, and another 5 years previous to that in the industry). In the end, I got what I wanted, and even got management power over our contractor designers.

If I were in your shoes, I'd lean towards Art Director or Creative Director. Having a degree isn't necessary for those titles, IMO...especially having seen samples of your work.

[DesignStudio]

If getting a raise depends on your title changing, and you want to be in keeping with industry standards, I'd stay as familiar as possible- so that your title translates to equivalent positions of responsibility in other companies. It sounds like Art Director, or Creative Director would suit best. I don't see why changing your title automatically changes your responsibility unless that's part of the deal. If you changed your title to Janitor, would they make you clean the bathrooms? I would only choose a new or odd title if you don't plan to ever leave this company, in which case you'll never have to put it on a resume or explain it to another firm. How about executive designer?

Out of college I was being recruited by the ATF. I ended up not taking the job, and I'm happy with my choice to be a designer, but I still regret not having the job title "special agent", which is what my position would have been. That would have been awesome. I guess since I run my own company, I could make my job title anything I want, but I'd probably get strange looks handing clients a business card that said special agent.

[Ned]

You could be the Small Cheese, and your boss could be the Big Cheese.

[chris82]

You could go by...
Executive Graphic Designer

or you could just ask for a raise

[DesignStudio]

Hmm, executive graphic designer, what a great idea. Why didn't i think to suggest that? ;)

[Jimeda Fork]

last year I interviewed with Siemens, they had a staff of designers on hand. They were all Art Directors, but they directed no one and reported to the Creative Director.

Here's one:
What's the difference between Graphic Artist & Graphic Designer?

[Two-Toe Tom]

last year I interviewed with Siemens, they had a staff of designers on hand. They were all Art Directors, but they directed no one and reported to the Creative Director.

Here's one:
What's the difference between Graphic Artist & Graphic Designer?

sounds like a riddle :p

to me, graphic artist sounds like someone who is more focussed on producing art, like illustrators or painters, while graphic designer is more focussed on deciding what images/text to use and how to arrange them.