Art and Design

Artists and designers are involved in designing and creating almost everything we buy – and create works of art in many different forms, from paintings and textiles to animation and photographs. They plan and produce artwork for all sorts of goods:

• from DVD covers or book jackets to t-shirts or high fashion
• from flatpack furniture to cars or washing machines
• from comic illustrations to animations for computer games and special effects for films and TV.

There is a huge amount of competition for full time work in the art and design world. Art and Design graduates often find it takes time, and relevant work experience, to build up a portfolio and develop the contacts for freelance or commissioned work. So, it's not always easy to make a living, and many artists take on other jobs with a steady income so they can survive when freelance work is in short supply. In 2012, although around 74% of Art and Design graduates in the UK entered employment, only a third of these went into jobs directly related to arts, design and media. The most common job titles included artist, graphic artist and clothing designer. However, many graduates enter a wide range of other jobs, with some 30% entering catering, retail jobs or clerical occupations. Design graduates from 2012/2013 had a higher level of employment at 79.5% with over a third (37.6%) going into design related roles, compared to fine art graduates at 69.7% with around 23.8% in arts related roles. Fine arts graduates were also more likely to be self-employed or working freelance with 33.9% in full time jobs, compared to 53% of design graduates in full time work. To be an artist or designer you need real creative flair. Imagination and originality are extremely important for most jobs in this career area. However, in some sectors, where you are producing work for customers to a specific design remit, you may find that there is little scope for your own creative ideas! In general, you need to be determined, confident and motivated, to compete and sell your work. If you work freelance you need good business sense. Most artists and designers must be able to design on a computer – a lot of design is carried out this way. Why not take a look at the Creative Choices website at http://ccskills.org.uk for information on getting into the arts? You will find information specifically about visual arts and crafts careers. You can also find detailed information about entry into the creative industries relating to photography, publishing and textile design careers by visiting the SkillSet UK website at http://creativeskillset.org/nations/scotland.

Talent is important for working in art and design, but it is not usually enough. You probably need to take a college or university course before looking for a job. There are courses at all levels from a 1-year National Certificate (NC), through Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) to a 4-year degree. There are courses in a lot of artistic subjects – search our 'courses' database to find out more. For entry to most art and design related courses you need to have a relevant portfolio of work to show at the interview. We’ve split the jobs and courses in this career area into 5 sectors:

• 3 dimensional design
• Fashion or textile design
• Fine art or graphic design
• Interior design or display
• Photography.

Sources

What do graduates do? (September 2013) Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities, HECSU/AGCAS in association with UCAS

Artists Information Company website http://www.a-n.co.uk/.

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