Has anyone besides myself held the job title of DTP associate?
If so, what would you say the difference between “DTP associate” and “graphic designer” is, if any?
I suspect that it’s only a difference in pay.
DTP infers “secretary with Word.”
I’m from that era, I don’t remember DTP ever meaning “graphic designer.”
There may be cases where DTP Associate doesn’t involve creative work, but I doubt there are many that are limited to MS Word. “Desktop publishing” covers everything that graphic designers do technically. More specifically, it’s a catchall category for content development software that doesn’t have a widely known category of it’s own. It is distinct from traditionally content development methods that were not done at a desk.
My first job out of art school (a quarter of a century ago) was DTP associate. I never used MS Word unless someone wanted me to convert something generated in Word to Quark. You could call it “secretarial” whenever nobody was being asked to design a graphic or a layout. But everything I was doing would have been classified as Art Director at any ad agency or design firm. It may have even been Creative Director in cases where I was leading everyone involved in the creative process.
This maybe the way it is with most in-house art departments at medium sized or large corporations. The title “Director” is usually reserved for department heads. Graphic designers at these companies are usually under the Marketing Director of the Marketing Department. Sometimes they have a Director of MarComm (marketing communications) aside or beneath the Marketing Director.
I thought the title would have disappeared by now, but I guess it’s still out there at some companies. Has anyone else ever experienced this same responsibility with a different title in their graphic design career? Was the pay less, or the same?
Hmm, we had someone at a previous job that was a production artist, who essentially was like what is being described to a degree. I picture production artist/desktop publishers as sort of a junior designer. Someone who knows the software, that can crank things out with some direction or take a senior designers files and carry over that look and feel to other pieces.
I’d refer to yourself as a graphic designer if you feel comfortable doing so. Desktop publisher IMO would limit your opportunities.
It sounds like a title in a company that’s about 30 years behind the times. The term desktop publishing was extensively used back in the late 1980s to differentiate the new-fangled computer stuff from traditional paste-up work. There hasn’t been a need for the term for about 25 years, and I haven’t heard it used much outside of nostalgic discussions. I’d be wary of any company showing signs of being stuck so far in the past
Update: When I spell out “Desktop Publishing Associate” in the search, it yielded over 10x more hits.
That’s about what I made when I left that company in the late 1990’s
Here’s a job description from 3 years ago that is no longer accepting applications and will probably be taken down soon:
Summary: The Desktop Publishing Associate will focus on creating and updating marketing collateral for a variety of mediums in support of GW&K’s internal and external communications programs.
Job Responsibilities:
Collaborate with members of the marketing team to develop innovative marketing materials, which include pitch books, product profiles and factsheets, advertisements, investment process charts and graphics using both the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
Candidate will be a conceptual thinker with ability to transform financial data and information into a clear, readable and digestible format that will enable non-investment audiences to understand.
Assist in the quarterly update process of GW&K Marketing Materials.
Maintain GW&K image and brand messaging throughout all marketing efforts.
Manage and maintain library of all marketing materials.
Manage and maintain GW&K graphic files, including company logos, photos and artwork.
Manage the ordering process and inventory of GW&K printed collateral.Skills/Experience:
Bachelor’s degree with minimum 3-5 years of desktop publishing experience, preferably within the financial services industry.
Highly competent using both Macintosh and Windows systems.
Proficient in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.
Candidate must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and must have strong skills using Excel.
Candidate must possess an aptitude to learn technical investment concepts and to chart complex financial data.
Understanding of and experience in corporate branding, layout, color theory and typography in both print and digital media is desired.
Experience using CMS platforms; HTML knowledge is desired.Requirements:
Must be able to manage multiple tasks under tight deadlines and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
Candidate should possess solid writing skills to contribute and edit content as necessary during the creative process and strong verbal communication skills with ability to discuss business concepts with investment professionals.
Must be professional and possess the confidence to effectively work with all levels of personnel and senior management.
Work closely with Compliance team to ensure all materials meet industry regulations.
Detail oriented with desire to achieve high quality standard.
Strong team orientation but also self-motivated and able to complete projects independently.
A demonstrated desire to further develop financial industry knowledge will help candidate to be successful.