2001 production salary survey: with an average 15 percent hike, art directors collected the biggest pay raises among production execs last year

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Jan, 2002 by Bob Moseley, Caroline Jenkins

Gerry Serrano just finished converting a four-cal or marketing brochure to three-color, getting it to spec for the printer. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that as a designer for Upside, he used to spend his days designing features, meeting with editors and assigning illustrations. In other words, he strictly did design work. Now he's pinch-hitting for the marketing department, assisting the magazine's one in-house marketing designer with technical work (like compiling files) on an as-needed basis because the company cut the funds that used to pay an agency to do these chores. "Just like everyone else across the board, there's no money. We just don't have the resources," says Serrano. "There are fewer people around, so I just step in when they need me. I really don't mind."

Serrano's "expanding" job description is apparently not uncommon among art directors in today's job market Faced with an influx of competition from former dot-corn art talent and shock waves from rampant industry layoffs, many say expanding job responsibilities are now par for the course.

However, contrary to what one might believe, salaries for art directors skyrocketed 15 percent in the past year to an average of $57,737, according to FOLIO:'s 2001 production/art salary survey. After seeing flat growth in 2000, art directors were the clear winners among production personnel: They lead the way with 5.9 percent compound annual growth over the past five years. While production directors saw their pay rise as well (4.5 percent, to $73,765), the salaries of production managers were flat, up just 1.8 percent, to $49,122, on the heels of an 11 percent leap last year.

Serrano believes the 15 percent average salary increase for art directors may reflect some lingering dot-com boom-era price tags, and that the number may soon be leveling off.

Others feel the salary spike is also due to art directors taking an more responsibilities across the board. If magazine art directors aren't involved in marketing, they're branching out into Web design or other ancillary products. "I know some-one who's in charge of the look of everything--from the magazine to key chains at his company," says Gregory Atkins, art director at Golf Magazine.

"We find that, with smaller publishers, art directors are definitely wearing multiple hats. They're getting more involved because branding is critical:' says Joanne Persico, president of GCN Publishing, a consultant for Internet design. "It's a matter of, 'We'll give you more money, but we expect more.

In general, the salaries indicate that technically skilled production executives as a group are coveted--regardless of the economic climate. "Good people are harder to find," says Mark Dacey, president of Adweek Magazines. "People who have broad expertise in the new technologies--that requires a different kind of knowledge base."

Holland says that when Scholastic cut about 100 jobs by ceasing publication of its textbook reading program in the spring, editorial took the brunt of the layoffs. "Magazines really need the designers and the people in production," explains Serrano. "They're usually the last to go--who else would get the magazine out?"

The survey also found that production workers remain 61 percent female, and nearly three out of every four production managers are women. Still, male production directors are paid $15,000 mare than females, on average, and male art directors earn $9,000 more than their female counterparts. "The publishing industry always seems gender-biased against women," says Marcia Miller, president of Women in Production.

RELATED ARTICLE: METHODOLOGY

On January 26, 2001, Intertec Planning and Research mailed cover letters and questionnaires for its 17th annual production salary survey to 2,100 professionals selected on an nth name basis from the Folio: database. A follow-up mailing was sent on February 10 as a reminder for respondents to participate. A total of 436 usable surveys were returned, resulting in an effective response rate of 21.1 percent. Data were collected between February and March 2001 and analyzed by Intertec Planning and Research. The main objective was to investigate salaries among production and art professionals in the publishing industry, and to analyze trends in compensation relative to previous studies. Of the 2,100 respondents, the breakdown is as follows: production directors 600; production managers 750; and art directors 750. Results have been weighted to reflect the following industry makeup: consumer magazines with under 100,000 circulation: 16.5 percent; consumer magazines with more than 100,000 circulation: 33.5 percent; bu siness magazines with under 100,000 circulation: 33.5 percent; and business magazines with more than 100,000 circulation: 16.5 percent. Results based on fewer than 20 respondents are not reported in the article, as they are not a valid sampling. These results are denoted by an asterisk in the charts.

PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

Top production executive. May be called vice president of production. Negotiates printing contracts and other vendor relationships; establishes production schedules; oversees one or more production managers; is responsible for technical matters, internal production coordination and quality control.