Production Designer

Overview

We're an independently owned FASTSIGNS franchise in Irvine. Locally run, tight-knit, and growing. The team includes outside sales, a store manager, a production crew, and one graphic designer—the seat this posting is for. You will be the designer whose work goes out the door this week and appears on buildings, vehicles, or storefronts soon after.
We make signs, vehicle graphics, banners, wall and window graphics, ADA and wayfinding, dimensional letters, and decals for customers ranging from single retail jobs to multi-location rollouts.
What you’ll actually do day to day

Design and prepress

(most of your time): build new artwork from customer briefs or rough sketches, rebuild or clean up customer-supplied art so it prints, prep production-ready files (outline fonts, embed images, scale at output size, set bleeds, color-manage for our output devices), maintain the customer logo and art library, and inspect every job before output (right material, device settings, size, and colors).
Running print and cut production : operate the roll-to-roll printer (color management, media loading, RIP and print queue, quality checks); a desktop UV printer, a flatbed, and a second roll-to-roll are on the roadmap and you’ll be trained on and run those as well; operate the vinyl plotter (set up cut paths, load rolls, run cuts, weed, mask, and hand off or apply).
File prep for other equipment

(you won’t run these): prep files for the CNC router (clean vectors, proper tool paths, accounting for kerf, tabs, and material) and for the laser cutter (correct line weights and colors for cut vs. score vs. raster).
Light hands-on production : laminate prints when needed; mount printed vinyl or paper to substrates (foam board, ACM, coroplast, etc.); help with applications and finishing when production is slammed and you’re between design jobs.
Customer-facing when needed : occasionally hop on a quick call or email thread with a customer to clarify direction before proceeding.
What we’re looking for

Real proficiency in

Adobe Illustrator

(the workhorse),

Photoshop , and

InDesign —not just a class; we want demonstrated, hands-on proficiency.
2+ years of design experience. Sign, print, or production background is a big plus. We’ll also consider strong designers from adjacent fields if you’re willing to learn production fast.
Solid file hygiene: layered, named, organized. We need to be able to revisit files months later.
Comfort with print production realities: bleeds, color profiles, vector vs. raster, and understanding why a 72dpi logo is a problem.
Willingness to get up from the desk. This is not a pure-design seat; you’ll be on your feet part of the day, running equipment and working with materials alongside design work.
Ability to prioritize across 10 to 20 active jobs without dropping balls.
High school diploma or equivalent. Formal design training is helpful but not required if you can do the work.
Growth

Because of how the team is structured, growth here looks like what you’re good at and want to do more of. Two paths:
Depth in design : take on harder, more creative jobs, own brand work for repeat customers, and become the lead as we hire a second designer.
Breadth into production : cross-train on CNC and laser cutter to take a job from concept to finished sign without handoffs; become the person who knows every machine in the shop as we add equipment.
The basics

Full-time, on-site at our Irvine shop.
Monday through Friday, daytime hours.
Paid time off, 401(k) with match, and competitive pay. We can discuss specifics when we talk.
How to apply

Send a resume and a portfolio (link or PDF). Portfolio matters more than the resume, so show actual work. If you’ve done sign or print production, put that up front. Compensation: $25.00 - $32.00 per hour

#J-18808-Ljbffr