Sayaka is the Head of Graphics at Precision Record Pressing (PRP), leading a talented prepress team that transforms digital artwork into stunning physical packaging—from jackets and sleeves to labels and specialty boxes. We’re excited to spotlight someone in graphics, a rarely discussed but vital part of vinyl manufacturing.

Sayaka and her team bring expert design guidance, file setup, and art reprographics to projects for both indie and major artists. Based in Burlington, Ontario, PRP is one of Canada’s premier vinyl plants, offering full-service cutting, pressing, printing, and packaging with exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

Outside of work, Sayaka loves to cook. If she's not cooking or eating or playing fetch with her dog, she's playing music with her friends at their rehearsal space. She have been playing music since she was three with her mother being a piano teacher. Sayaka says, "I haven't had the opportunity to play with people collaboratively until about 2020. My close ones have been key motivators with respect to improv and experimentation and so far it's been nothing but great fun."

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

For many years after university I worked as a freelance graphic designer. Precision was a freelance client of mine, who offered me a permanent role during the pandemic, and after some deliberation I took the plunge. The life-style change from self-employed and dictating my own schedule to then working 9-5 structured hours was an adjustment, however, deciding to work in the music industry was a no-brainer.

I grew up listening to my parent's vinyl collection, eventually had a modest collection of my own, and the opportunity to work on the artwork of some of the greatest musicians ever known was, and still is, a dream for me. The main catalyst, however, was the Precision team itself - a truly exceptional group of people whose passion for music and making vinyl is simply unmatched.

What is a day in the life like?

No day is the same for me - on the rare occasion I'll perform a couple pre-press art checks but I'm mostly taking care of things like client file/print questions, corresponding with our printers remotely or in-person for a live press approval, assessing finished print samples for quality control, creating custom templates, and refining workflow processes and systems with the team.

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange. Amongst one of the most challenging / colour critical jobs I've done. I loved working with both the designer and printer to land the packaging vision, especially because this record is dear to my heart.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Time management might be the hardest aspect for me - specifically time I need to make for my direct team. There are no shortage of burning questions and daily fires I need to extinguish that ultimately trump the time I intend to keep for my team to nurture their development, both individually and as a group. Quieting the noise to hone in on growth is really important.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

Keep your sphere of interest and knowledge wide and you'll definitely find your groove!

My software skills are 99% self taught. My extremely talented sister introduced me to the Adobe Create Suite programs roughly 15 years ago and I never looked back. I found plenty of both paid and free resources to help me refine my skills and dive deeper into the design software (mainly Lynda.com back then).

Anyone looking to build a career in pre-press design and/or packaging design should start with a healthy curiosity of archaic print modes, go beyond what design school teaches you, and try for a tour at a local printer to get full scope of how your work could affect the end result (both digital and offset).

Keep your sphere of interest and knowledge wide and you'll definitely find your groove!

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it? If not, why the vinyl industry?

I'm not actively trying to grow my collection at the moment but my shelf is somehow getting heavier..! There are plenty of audiophiles that will say vinyl isn't the optimal way to enjoy music but it's more than the sound for me - it's about the time we necessarily spend with the medium that demands a connection. It's an attentive temporal moment, something pretty unique in a predominantly throwaway culture.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

Environmental innovation and technology has been a major theme industry-wide for years, but I'd love to see this area stabilize and flipped so the standard materials and production processes are sustainable by nature and the conventional vinyl production methods we see today cost a great deal more for all parties.

One very interesting fact, and something that directly impacts my line of work, is that only about 50% of record collectors own a record player. More than ever, vinyl records are treated as showpieces and this raises the stakes even higher for folks like me.

Overall, I'm also seeing a decline in music labels' investment in professional pre-press file set up. It's definitely a symptom of the digital era we live in, coupled with motivations to slim production budgets, but an important step not to be skipped.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

Every printer I've worked with are the ultimate teachers. They tell you exactly what they want and the quality of knowledge you can glean from them is priceless. Everyone in my department is a source of inspiration and growth for me.

Kate Dear, leading the GZNA Bespoke team, has provided a great deal of wisdom and mentorship throughout my journey and the record industry is lucky to have her.

Anything else you want to share? If not, tell us what you're listening to right now: 

Lately, a lot of Stereolab and Robert Fripp!