Level |
Title |
Function |
Skills |
Software |
I |
Illustrator |
Creates
illustrations from scratch; or, more commonly, integrates
illustrational, photographic, and navigational elements. |
Can
draw well from photos, life, or without any reference.
Can draw and paint directly onscreen. Knowledge of both
paint and draw software. |
Photoshop
/ Painter
Illustrator / FreeHand
|
II |
Icon Illustrator |
Creates
small, tight, polished illustrations for buttons and other
design elements. Cross between illustration and logo design.
Hard to do well because of need for clarity in very small
space. |
Same
as above, but perhaps less emphasis on personal style and
spontaneity, more emphasis on clarity, precision, and economy. |
Photoshop
Illustrator / FreeHand |
III |
Digital
Video
Producer |
Creates
movies in QuickTime or other formats. Typically these are
small, short, and highly focused. Often brief clips rather
than highly produced pieces. |
Knowledge
of general video issues, but especially of compression
and file-compatibility issues (for example, codecs and
mime types). |
Premiere
/ After Effects
Proprietary Software |
IV |
Music Composer |
Creates music for site—either background music or soundtrack
to be synchronized with animation (the latter is unusual
on the Web at this time). |
Ability
to write or play music. Probable knowledge of midi. |
Performer
Master Tracks Pro |
V |
Sound Engineer |
Records
and optimizes background sounds or soundtracks. |
Knowledge
of codecs (compression / decompression methods), file formats,
streaming, and conversion issues. Probable knowledge of midi. |
As
above, plus:
Pro tools, Sound Designer, Deck II, Soundedit 16 |
VI |
2-D
Animator |
Creates
cartoons or other cel animation. May work in pixmap (bitmap)
form, with vector animation, or both. |
Drawing,
motion study, and anatomy / animation skills. Knowledge of
file type and compression issues. |
Director
/ Flash
Gifbuilder or Gifmation
|
VII |
3-D
Animator |
Creates
3-D or virtual-reality animation, such as tumbling logos,
rotating “block” type, imaginary worlds,
etc. |
Knowledge
of modeling, animation and related timing issues, procedural
shading, texture maps, bump maps, rendering, file-format
conversions and optimization, streaming, and plug-ins. |
VRML.
Various operating systems, Web server
software,
application development
environments,
and database systems |
VIII |
Technical Advisor |
Advises
creative director or project manager on feasibility and tradeoffs
inherent in different Web technologies. Evaluates programmers’ proposals
or work. This is really a catchall category for any technical
oversight that doesn’t fall into any of the other categories. |
Knowledge
of operating system that server runs on, HTML, advanced Web
technologies, database connectivity, etc. Exact skill set
depends on nature of the Web site. |
Various
operating systems, Web server software, application development
environments, and database systems |
