• Paste - up and Mechanical Artist
• Layout Artist
• Assistant Art Director

Jobs for advertising design graduates can be in either advertising or graphic design. Advertising artists may work on trade or consumer accounts in advertis­ing agencies, in-house advertising departments, or printing firms. They may work in print (magazine or newspaper) or television advertising.

Graphic designers develop "collateral material," which may consist of brochures, annual reports, packaging, logos and trademarks, corporate im­age projects, and so on. They also may work in publishing, doing editorial layout for books and magazines. Board persons do the finished art to prepare the work for the printer. They may work in either advertising or graphic design.

Paste - up / Mechanical Artist

Responsibilities. Prepares art for printer by pasting together elements of layout (type, ilustration, photography), does color separations using T-square and ruling pen. May work for advertising agency, graphic design studio, service studio, printer, publication, or in-house corporate art department.

Skills / Preparation Required. Advertising design degree or illustration degree. Must have taken course in paste-ups and mechanicals and have portfolio demonstrating precision and accuracy in executing mechanicals and color separations.

Personal Qualities Required. Ability to work quickly under pressure and meet deadlines, neatness, accuracy, recision, thoroughness, ability to follow instructions, good at details.

Layout Artist

Responsibilities. Designs layout for ads, usually under the supervision of the art director. Specifies type face, does "comp" rendering to indicate what finished ad will look like when printed. May do own mechanicals.

Skills / Preparation Required. Advertising design degree, portfolio demonstrat­ing advertising layouts, thorough knowledge of type faces, skill at "comp" rendering and mechanicals.

Personal Qualities Required. Ability to work quickly under pressure and meet deadlines, ability to take direction and criticism.

Assistant Art Director

Responsibilities. Works directly with art director. May perform any or all of the following duties depending on the size and structure of the agency or firm: assist in developing concepts for advertising campaigns, rough and finished "comp" renderings, specifying type, mechanicals, paste-ups, layout, graphic design.

Skills / Peparation Required. Advertising design degree, strong portfolio indica­ting thorough development of creative concepts through fast, crisp, "comp" renderings.

Personal Qualities Required. Poise, self-confidence, persuasiveness, thorough­ness, ability to take criticism and direction, ability to communicate ideas.

Alternate Entry Jobs for Advertising Design Graduates

Because of the highly competitive nature of most of the above jobs, graduates sometimes begin their careers by accepting nonart positions in the field, such as guy/gal friday, advertising assistant, or advertising production/traffic assistant.