For Creatives: Common Design Job Titles And What They Really Mean

Image via Thomas Fodor

The creative industry is diverse, with people wielding different skill sets and having various specializations. As such, you may have worked with, or get to work with people whose job titles may confuse you.

To help you understand these positions better, Creative Bloq has come up with a guide detailing the various types of roles in the creative industry, and what they really mean.

Do note that these terms are still subject to interpretation, and may tend to overlap.

Designer / Graphic Designer / Web Designer

These roles include actual designing on a daily basis. Designers typically use software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for graphic design, InDesign for print design, ScotWeave for fashion design, and HTML, CSS and JavaScript for web design.

Art Director / Creative Director

An art director is a step above "graphic de signer". Instead of executing a piece, the art director sets the overall look and feel of the work—from choosing color palettes, graphic approaches to overarching themes.

At the top of the design tree is the creative director, someone who can "build an environment and ethos where the very best ideas can be born and thrive". They are able pick and choose the best ideas in an agency, and make good of its brightest talents.

Web Developer

Unlike the "web designer" role, a web developer typically does not do any visual designing. Instead, it focuses on coding—the "back end" of the website—with languages like PHP, Ruby, and C#.

UI Designer / Interaction Designer

A user interface (UI) designer defines how user interfaces function. They put together different elements in ways that convey meaning intuitively, while also providing feedback to users to fit their needs.

This is slightly different from an interaction designer, who focuses on the areas that require direct user interaction, such as forms, menus, and media playback.

SEO Specialist

A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist ensures that a website's content is optimized to rank highly on search engines.

Their main goal is to analyze how well a website does on a search engine like Google, and make changes to improve their position. They may also be involved in running pay-per-click campaigns .

For the full list of design job titles and what they mean, head here.

[via Creative Bloq]

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Source: For Creatives: Common Design Job Titles And What They Really Mean