Art & Design

Bring your imaginations to life with careers in Art and Design

Do you need to be good at drawing to be a designer? The answer is no. Of course, it will be nice to be able to sketch out your ideas before putting them into action, but even if you cannot, it would not stop you from excelling in the Art and Design industry. While being an illustrator or a fine artist requires you to be skilful at drawing, painting and sketching, what matters more for a designer is the ability to place things together to present an appealing and meaningful message to the target audience.

The best thing about Art and Design are the endless possibilities. Take the evolution of animation as an example. Back in the 1900’s, animations were created using manual techniques like stop-motion with objects, puppets, or cutouts, as well as hand-drawn or painted animation. A number of animation devices were also invented, such as the kineograph (more commonly known as a flipbook) and zoetrope, both of which create an illusion of motion by rapidly displaying a sequence of drawings or images. Today, a long list of modern computer software is available for animators to bring arts to life: Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, Moho, Blender and many more.

This is just a small example of the changes that have occurred over more than a century and even more exciting developments are coming through. Before we jump right into that, we will first look into the career opportunities and challenges in this dynamic industry.

What jobs are there in the artistic field?
Most creative artworks today does not exist in isolation. Consider the bag of potato chips sitting in your pantry. Behind its production is a collaborative effort by a group of artists: a photographer who takes photos of the chips, an illustrator who creates design elements like the brand logo, a graphic designer who puts them together, and finally the packaging designer who develops prototypes of the packaging before the marketing team launches it. This shows how broad the spectrum of careers is.
Some of the highest paying jobs in Art and Design are:
  • Art Director
  • Multimedia Artist
  • Industrial Designer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Interior Designer
  • Product Designer
  • User Interface Designer
  • Fine Artist
  • Web Developer
  • Illustrator
What skills do you need?

Creativity, needless to say, forms the foundation of career success in Art and Design. While this ability runs in the genes for some people, creative skills can be developed over time through lifelong learning and experience. Innovation coach, Phil Mckinney once said in his Killer Innovations podcast: “We are all born highly creative,” and we could not agree more.

Being creative does not mean you have to be an expert in drawing, painting or even sculpting (unless you are looking to be a fine artist.). It is more about bringing the right elements together to convey messages in the most appealing way possible. This takes a clear understanding of various artistic concepts such as colour, tone, texture, and placement. While an eye for aesthetics is by all means important in this field, employers highly value designers and artists with a good sense of practicality. That pretty much explains why user interface designers are one of the most sought-after talents today.

Nevertheless, having a creative mind is not enough to get you on board. Your artwork can be one-of-its-kind, but if it is done way past the deadline or far from requirements set by your client or employer, they will probably reconsider having you in the team. This increasingly tech-driven industry also requires you to master a number of design software programs and technologies.

Some often-overlooked skill sets include:
  • Communication Skills
  • Time Management Skills
  • Computer Skills
  • Analytical /Problem Solving Skills
  • Awareness of Current Trends
  • Business Skills
  • Flexibility and Adaptability
  • Collaborative Skills
  • What to expect?
Be prepared to squeeze your creative juice! But there is much more to anticipate if you are starting a career in Art and Design. The best thing about it is the chance to turn your imaginations into something meaningful, or even life-changing to others’ life.
Get ready to take up these job scopes:
  • Communicate and propose creative ideas to internal teams or external clients.
  • Fulfill design or artwork requirements set by employers or clients.
  • Work closely with other team members, designers or artists to create collaborative and functional artworks.
  • Work with colours, layouts, textures and other aesthetic elements.
  • Apply arts to an array of media including social media, books, magazines, packagings, posters, billboards, signs and more.
  • Develop and follow a well-established schedule.
  • Keep up to the latest trends and adapt designs or artworks accordingly.
  • Work with sophisticated design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Lightwave 3D, Spark AR, and more.
What is new?

Ever imagined testing out home furniture without having to visit the stores? How about travelling to your dream destination without being physically there? Companies worldwide are exploring new ways to bridge the real and virtual worlds through Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies.

Furniture giant IKEA is among the first companies to adopt AR, by launching the IKEA Place app in 2017. Users get to digitally place 3D models of furniture in their spaces via phone camera. To bring it a step further, a revamped version of the app is now in the works, with new features introduced by IKEA’s dedicated research and design lab, SPACE10. Known as IKEA Studio, the goal of this overhaul is to help users design an entire room, by capturing complete 3D room plans with measurements, as well as by detecting existing furniture in the space.

Virtual reality (VR) is another exciting technology for designers to explore. With interactive platforms like Google Arts and Culture, you can now travel around the world without buying expensive flight tickets. The Colosseum, Taj Mahal, or Hollywood Boulevard – take a tour through the site’s 360° street view. If you are looking for some fine arts for inspiration, their 3D effects do an amazing job in giving you a close look at vast collections of artefacts and art pieces gathered from historical places worldwide. What if you are able to work out this same concept in a tourism company? You will be a few steps ahead towards the top of the ladder.

Regardless of what purposes they serve – business or recreation, these innovations are a perfect representation of how arts and technology can come together to bring change to the way people live. Thus, mastering software skills in these areas will definitely add shine to your portfolio.

In a Nutshell
The world of Art and Design is truly exciting, with limitless breakthroughs waiting for you to make them happen. From minimalist monochrome or duotone, to sophisticated retro futurism, there is no exact rule of what makes a good art. This is a safe space for you to discover your signature design styles and turn your very own masterpieces into valuable business assets.
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