Mid / Senior Artworker + Retoucher

Butterfly Cannon is an independent brand and packaging design agency in central London. We're known for the craft that turns an idea into a real, physical thing on shelf: the finishes, materials and production detail that make a pack feel right in the hand. As more images are generated, that craft matters more, and our Production team is central to it.

We’re a chatty, friendly, inclusive bunch and have a supportive studio culture that is constantly looking to elevate our team and the client work we produce. We highly encourage portfolios/CVs from anyone of any background, age or gender, BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ to apply for roles at Butterfly Cannon.

The role

We're looking for an Artworker with solid retouching skills to join our Artwork & Production team. This is a hands-on role: you'll turn our designers' work into accurate, print-ready and screen-ready artwork across packaging and brand materials, and make sure every image is retouched to a high standard and colour-accurate before it leaves the studio. You'll report to the Production Director and take artwork briefs from our Design Directors.

What you'll do

• Turn approved designs into accurate print-ready artwork for labels, cartons, shippers, pouches, POS and other print collateral
• Build artwork to printer specifications, including substrates, colour separations, spot colours, foils, embossing, varnishes, cutter guides and trapping etc
• Prepare digital and screen assets, such as retailer pack shots, social, web and digital display, to each platform's sizes, formats and specs
• Retouch and prepare images to a high standard for print and screen, using colour-managed workflows
• Adapt master artwork across range extensions, pack formats, languages and regulatory copy
• Preflight and output final files, and check proofs against artwork
• Follow and maintain our file naming, version control and archiving standards

What you'll bring

• Proven artworking experience in a design agency, artwork studio or prepress environment, ideally including some packaging work
• Ability to lead on retouching and image comping as a craft in its own right: creating hero pack shots, building composites from photography, CGI and stock, and refining images to a polished, believable finish
• Expert in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat Pro, on Mac
• Strong retouching and image comping skills, with a portfolio that shows both
• Solid working knowledge of litho, flexo, digital and gravure print, and how to set up artwork for each
• Good understanding of colour management for both print (CMYK, spot) and screen (RGB, web output)
• Close attention to detail and a methodical approach to checking your work
• Able to handle several jobs at once and meet tight deadlines without losing accuracy

Nice to have

• Working knowledge of Figma
• Drinks, spirits or premium FMCG packaging experience
• Familiarity with cutter guides, dielines and structural/CAD files
• Sensible, production-aware use of AI image tools in retouching