Ben Atkins

• My role is to establish new leads via marketing strategies and design and quote to the clients specifications. It’s a very broad role dipping my hand into the unknown but finding a way. As this role has evolve I’ve been the sole content creator for the brand with photography and videography also revamping and establishing a strong identity to reach out to specific target audiences. Along side the marketing sales and procurement have been a major part of the responsibilities, securing deals and economically sourcing materials to increase margins.
• Consistently exceeded revenue targets through new account penetration and development.
• Contacted and converted potential customers via telephone, email and in-person enquiries.
• Collaborated with cross-company departments, developing new strategies to capitalise on emerging customer trends.
• Maintained client records in bespoke CRM systems, ensuring streamlined data processes for maximum efficiency.
• Attended prominent industry trade shows, exhibitions and events across UK.
• Launched new product lines with strong retail and marketing strategy.
• Closed complex, lucrative deals with new customers.
• Drew on understanding of key markets to push development of business strategies.
• Applied digital styling techniques to enhance photo colour and quality, editing to align with brand guidelines.
• Photographed high-quality images for both print and internet distribution.
• Strengthened profit opportunities through targeted customer relationship development, continually meeting sales objectives.
• Effectively handled daily customer meetings, sales calls and account management tasks, improving sales team efficiency.
• Gathered quotes from subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers to compare and choose best offers.
• Analysed designs and performed accurate cost analysis.
• Calculated labor, material and duration costs to determine amounts needed for projects.

• My role in this employment saw me as part of a 8 man Artwork and Origination Team. A major part of our ethos was too continually improve and evolve the old hat and rudimentary processes. We achieved this with efficiency via Esko WorkFlows and research and development into new software, This voyage of discovery found us operating with a far more effective and efficient process. During this employment I pioneered the way to establishing the use of Artpro + this super seeded the old Artpro platform. This role was very photoshop intensive due to the 8 colour process and no transparency to the inks, all images were manually separated using the 8 most dominant colours, At this stage negative channels are applied to compensate for ink spread / gains. A keen eye for detail during this employment was crucial as we serviced the whole of Europe with repro and down time due to incorrect files was not a option, we had meticulous first check and second check procedures to hit a 99.9 % accuracy, standards were high and maintained to eliminate down time of costly manufacturing line production. Design and artwork manipulation / creation were also key aspects of the role alongside the many technical expertise required.
• Adobe creative suite, Artpro, Esko
• Used in-line finished systems to produce standardised printed products.
• Followed schedule and worked efficiently to meet production targets.
• Checked print quality standards against proofs and detected sub-standard output.
• Selected appropriate printing technique to achieve specific final results.
• Generated digital print images in line with client expectations.
• Artwork Separation
• Concurred with engineering staff to evaluate software hardware interfaces and produce specifications and performance requirements.
• Compare print samples to templates to meet established requirements.
• Used computer applications to generate images, text and print layouts.
• Evaluated printed proofs, checking and correcting to meet quality standards.
• Created single or multi-coloured test prints to verify adherence to standards.
• Liaised with external designers and printers to ensure deadlines were met and materials met strict quality standards.
• Created quality, high-res digital image files for use in digital and traditional printing methods.

• Produced accurate [Type] printing proofs in line with detailed design briefs with exceptional results.
• Safely and responsibly set up and operated [Type] machinery in line with [Type] regulations.
• Ensured the swift, accurate delivery of various printing tasks, from [Task] to [Task].
• Demonstrated excellent troubleshooting skills to effectively diagnose and swiftly fix issues with press or print quality.
• Liaised with external designers and printers to ensure deadlines were met and materials met strict quality standards.

My first new role as a bonafide Art worker / Designer / manager. Here I went on to learn about large format screen & digital print and working in a highly pressurised print environment. Helping design and develop the graphics studio from the ground up inventing innovative work flows and work arounds for age old problems. And really getting an opportunity to develop my graphic design skills further in a professional environment. Also taking briefs pricing jobs and liaising with clients on a daily basis to get the job done.

This is where I started my working career in the print industry. As a apprentice I started out making photo mechanical proofs grasping a rudimentary understanding of the print process. Over the 10 years I went on to experience every facet of print reproduction. Once exposed to the desktop publishing side this is where I found my calling and excelled in using work flows and virtual every DTP program. Adobe, Freehand, quark express. This is where my POS journey began art-working for FSDUs and going all the way to creation of large format film using a dot projection camera.