Illustrator Designer Needed for Historical Print Reconstruction
Project Overview We are building an archive of old advertisements. These materials are being carefully reconstructed so they can be printed at large scale (up to 24 × 36 inches) while remaining historically faithful. This isn’t a modern redesign or a “vintage-style” project. It is a typographic and graphic reconstruction project. What You’ll Be Doing • Working from provided clean raster reference scans of old ads. • Re-typing and reconstructing layouts in Adobe Illustrator (not auto-tracing text) • Preserving original: • spacing • hierarchy • abbreviations • alignment quirks • Preparing scalable, print-ready vector artwork • Using controlled ink tone (near-black, not pure black) • Keeping type live and editable (no outlining unless requested) Some pieces are type-only (directory pages); others include simple illustrations or borders. If your instinct is to “clean things up nicely,” this project is probably not a fit. Required Skills • Strong experience with Adobe Illustrator • Excellent typographic sensitivity • Comfort re-setting text manually rather than tracing • Understanding of historical print behavior (letterpress, ink density, spacing) • Ability to work carefully from visual reference • Willingness to ask questions instead of guessing Nice to Have (but not required) • Background in book design, editorial design, or archival work • Experience with historical or non-english languages • Familiarity with preparing files for fine art / poster printing Deliverables For each piece: • Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file • All type live and editable • Clearly labeled layers • Print-ready PDF (size specified per piece) Time & Compensation • Paid hourly to start • Typical pieces range from: • ~30–90 minutes (type-only pages) • ~1–3 hours (ads with simple illustration) • Long-term collaboration possible for the right fit To Apply Please include: 1. A short note on how you approach historical typography 2. An example or two of work where restraint and typographic judgment mattered 3. Confirmation that you do not rely on auto-trace for text Apply tot his job