Santosh

Graphic Designer – Publishing Production

Aptara • Part-time

May 2022 - Present • 4 yrs 4 mos

Role Overview At Aptara Technologies, a global leader in publishing services, I work as a senior-level graphic specialist on high-priority journal and book production projects. My work directly supports major international STM publishers, requiring an exceptional standard of accuracy, speed, and adherence to complex style guidelines. Key Responsibilities & Achievements • Produce 100+ journal and book illustrations per month, consistently meeting strict publisher guidelines for Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley, with a turnaround time averaging 24–48 hours per batch. • Execute complex redraw and relabeling of scientific figures across disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine, ensuring complete content accuracy and visual clarity. • Handle diverse illustration types: line art, half-tones, flow charts, schematics, anatomical diagrams, molecular structures, and statistical graphs. • Prepare press-ready and digital assets in full compliance with CMYK, DPI (300–600 dpi), bleed, and trim specifications for both print journals and online publication platforms. • Maintain a sub-1% error rate across all production batches through rigorous self-QC and preflight checks using Adobe Acrobat Pro. • Collaborate with project coordinators and editors to interpret and apply publisher-specific house style guides, adapting quickly to frequent guideline updates. • Support onboarding of new team members by sharing best practices and publisher-specific nuances gained through years of experience.

Senior Executive – Graphic Design

MPS Limited • Full-time

Dec 2013 - May 2022 • 8 yrs 5 mos

Role Overview MPS Limited is one of India's foremost publishing services companies, serving global academic and educational publishers. Over 8.5 years in this role, I grew from a graphic designer to a Senior Executive, taking on increased responsibilities in quality leadership and workflow management. Key Responsibilities & Achievements • Converted thousands of PDFs, scanned images, and low-resolution figures into clean, publication-ready vector illustrations using Adobe Illustrator, maintaining scientific accuracy throughout. • Specialized in redraw and relabeling of highly complex STM figures for ACS, IOP Publishing, and Cambridge University Press, handling figures with intricate chemical structures, multi-panel layouts, and dense labeling requirements. • Managed large-scale production workflows spanning multiple simultaneous projects, prioritizing tasks effectively to meet all client deadlines without compromising quality. • Served as a point of contact for quality escalations, reviewing flagged artwork and providing corrective guidance to junior team members. • Developed deep familiarity with the house styles and submission requirements of 6+ major international publishers, reducing revision cycles and improving first-pass acceptance rates. • Recognized for consistent delivery of high-quality output over 8.5 years, earning senior-level designation and expanded project responsibilities. • Contributed to process improvement initiatives that reduced average figure turnaround time by streamlining the redraw workflow.