◆ Design

What a typographer
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
197,830in the US (2025)
$62,960median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
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Plan visual communication projects
Draft the creative brief and visual strategy for the spring packaging …3 sources agree

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work16
Plan visual communication projects+
Draft the creative brief and visual strategy for the spring packaging campaign, map audience and messaging priorities, sketch three concept directions, and prepare a two-page presentation for the brand lead meeting on Tuesday.
escojdwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Adjust and refine visual designs+
Polish the headline kerning, adjust optical spacing in the hero type, test three weight and tracking combinations on the product splash, and export a client-ready proof for Marisol by Wednesday morning.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Design layouts and select typography+
Lay out the four-page brochure, choose primary and secondary type systems, set hierarchy rules for headings and captions, and produce a print-ready PDF to hand to production on Friday.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Use software to create visual elements+
Create the hero icon set and background textures for the landing page, optimise SVGs for web use, supply colour tokens and usage notes to the front-end engineer by Wednesday afternoon.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Prepare digital files for printing.+
Prepare print-ready digital files from the final typography sketches: convert hand drawings to editable vector masters, embed fonts legally cleared by legal, set CMYK color profiles, flatten transparencies, and export press-ready PDFs with trim and bleed for the Heidelberg press by Wednesday.
onetwiki2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Produce still and animated graphics for on-air and taped portions of television news broadcasts, using electronic video equipment.+
Produce still and animated graphics for tonight's on-air and taped news blocks: convert the producer's sketches into broadcast-ready title cards, lower thirds and a 15-second animated opener timed to two commercial breaks, deliver files by 17:00.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Prepare rough drafts based on briefs+
Prepare three rough typographic draft layouts from Marcus's brief for Monday's morning segment: two vertical nameplates and one horizontal chyron, each showing hierarchy, color notes and two typeface options, send for editorial review by Friday noon.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Keep up to date with design trends+
Survey the latest broadcast title treatments and type trends this week, collect five strong examples with notes on weight, tracking and on-air readability, and propose two ideas we can prototype for next month's package.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice3
Watch and assess1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
8 tasksAdobe InDesignassembles multi-page visual briefs and presentation-ready layouts with art and copy
7 tasksAdobe Illustratorrefines vector type, precise kerning and spacing, and exports proofs suitable for client review
3 tasksAdobe Photoshopprepares and cleans bitmap assets for the comps
2 tasksAdobe After Effectscomposes and renders timed animated broadcast graphics for on-air use
2 tasksAdobe Creative Cloudprovides access to industry portfolios, fonts and shared libraries for trend reference and quick prototyping
2 tasksApple macOSruns the workshop materials, preview files and records notes during hands-on sessions
2 tasksAdobe Acrobatshares and annotates print-ready PDFs, collects confirmations and markups
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Teach the whole rule-set in one sitting
  • Answer every 'how do I' question you have

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Do the thing for you once you know the rule
S · R4 of R7This job sits on printing · tattooing · typing — real theory, real diagnosis, but reality still holds the grading pen.

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $62,960 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $39,520; the top tenth near $104,910
  • 197,830 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹38,298 a month — the median for Professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job10 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register3 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild12 of these tasks WikipediaHow the world describes this work8 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS PRODPP711Design and produce creative colour artwork for printnational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
DesignUx Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignUi Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignVisual Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignInteraction Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignService Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignPackaging Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignMotion Designer22 evidenced tasks DesignInformation Designer22 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

Mornings often start by checking briefs and client emails, then opening Adobe InDesign or Illustrator to set up page and type grids. You’ll pick fonts, adjust spacing (kerning/tracking), and place images from your archive or Adobe Photoshop files.

Afternoons go to proofing: export PDFs in Adobe Acrobat, send to printers or a production team, and test how designs look on screen and print. Some days include briefs for motion work using Adobe After Effects for on-air or animated graphics.

Start with Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator—InDesign for multi-page layouts, Illustrator for vector work and precise type control. Learn Adobe Photoshop for image fixes, and Adobe Acrobat to build print-ready PDFs.

Also get comfortable with Adobe Creative Cloud on Apple macOS, since studios use those. Basic After Effects skills help if you’ll do animated graphics for TV or web.

Export a press-ready PDF from Adobe InDesign with crop marks, bleed (usually 0.125 inch), and embedded fonts or outlined type. Use Adobe Acrobat to preflight: check color mode (CMYK for print), resolution (300 dpi for photos), and embedded images.

Communicate with the printer—confirm bleed, color profile, and paper specs. Keep a clear archive of final files and linked images in case the printer requests changes.

AI can speed rough drafts and generate font-pairing suggestions, but always check results manually. Use AI to convert scribbles into cleaner digital sketches, then refine them in Illustrator or InDesign.

Don’t use AI to output final type or copyrighted logos without permission. Keep editable source files and document which elements came from AI in case of client or legal questions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 197,830 employed in this field (SOC 27-1024.00). Median annual pay is $62,960; the lowest tenth is $39,520 and the top tenth is $104,910. Those figures come from BLS occupational data for design-related roles.

Pay varies by industry, experience, and skills (InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects, motion work, and liaison with production teams raise rates).

Typographers focus mainly on type: choosing fonts, spacing, legibility, and consistent typography across materials. Graphic designers handle broader visual concepts—color, imagery, branding, and layouts. Desktop publishers focus on putting those elements into page-layout software.

In practice you’ll overlap: typographers use InDesign and Illustrator too, and may prepare print files like a desktop publisher or design motion graphics like a graphic designer using After Effects.

Learn precise type controls: kerning, leading, tracking, grid systems, and how type behaves in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. Practice creating layouts, and prepare print-ready PDFs in Adobe Acrobat.

Also build a simple archive of images and previous work, learn basic Photoshop retouching, and get comfortable sending assets to printers or production teams. That combination makes you useful on day one.

km/h RPM

How far can AI take you?

one question
Be honest — how far can a language model take you on typing?
There is a real answer, and it is not the flattering one.