What can a person with digital arts degree do?
Whether you are holding your digital arts and sciences diploma in one hand and searching for what’s next with the other, or you’re contemplating if you should pursue a digital arts degree because even though it sounds super cool, it is not the most traditional parent-pleasing department — we are here to tell you that a person with a digital arts degree can pursue a wide array of career options in various industries!
A digital arts degree opens the door to a diverse and dynamic range of creative and technical opportunities in today's digital-centric world. Graduates in this field possess a unique skill set that blends artistic vision with technological proficiency, allowing them to make significant contributions across various industries.
Digital arts encompass a wide range of disciplines, including graphic design, web development, animation, game design, digital marketing, film production, illustration, and more.
Therefore, with your acquired creative and technical skills, you can find opportunities in a large array of creative, technical, and commercial fields. Here is 10+ career paths for digital artists!
What can a person with a digital arts degree do?
What can you do with a digital arts degree?
Freelancing and Self-Employment: Many digital artists choose to work as freelancers, offering their services to clients on a project basis. They can create custom artwork upon commissions, design assets, or provide creative services to a variety of clients.
Make sure you create multiple income streams for yourself so you can generate sustainable and consistent revenue as a digital artist even if you’re just starting out!
Online Teaching: Sharing your knowledge and teaching digital art skills not only generates you income, but also establishes you as an authority in your field and possibly leads to growth on social media. Keep in mind that Skillshare Teach Lab Residency gives you free coaching as you make your first class.
What jobs can you get with a digital arts degree?
Graphic Design: Digital artists can work as graphic designers, creating visual content for print and digital media. Think logos, brochures, websites, and advertisements for businesses and organizations.
In the realm of graphic design, individuals with a digital arts degree are adept at crafting visually compelling content for both traditional and digital platforms. They excel in creating impactful icons, media assets, websites, and advertisements that resonate with audiences and convey the desired message effectively.
Getting familiar with digital collage art can greatly help digital artists succeed in this field!
Web Design and Development: Digital artists can specialize in web design and development – they may take on roles as web designers, front-end developers, or UX/UI designers, contributing to the seamless integration of design and functionality.
For those inclined towards the ever-evolving landscape of web design and development, a digital arts background provides a solid foundation. These professionals specialize in creating aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly websites, ensuring an engaging online experience for visitors.
If you’re a generative artist with coding skills, this may be a high-paying career path for you! Take Artemii Lebedev, a talented UX/UI designer and art director, as an inspiration.
Animation: Digital artists can work in animation studios, creating 2D or 3D animations for movies, television, video games, and other media. They may specialize in character design, storyboarding, or visual effects. For instance, a lot of 3D artists create mesmerizing concert visuals for musicians.
In the realm of animation, digital artists bring characters and stories to life through 2D or 3D animations. Working in animation studios, they play a pivotal role in the creation of captivating content for movies, television, video games, and other digital media. Their expertise extends to character design, storyboarding, and visual effects, contributing to the magic of animated storytelling.
For your inspiration, Stefan Große Halbuer is a freelance artist known for his cyberpunk animations he creates mainly using Procreate and After Effects.
Game Design: Digital artists can become game designers, creating artwork, characters, environments, and user interfaces for video games. This field combines artistic and interactive design skills.
The intersection of digital arts and game design opens doors to a realm of interactive creativity. Game designers with a digital arts background contribute to the visual elements of video games, including character design, environmental art, and user interfaces. This field demands a synthesis of artistic prowess and an understanding of interactive design principles.
While this path usually requires the digital artist to have coding skills to set up the interactivity of the game, digital illustrators and 3D artists can help design teams visualize surreal and creative characters and environments for the game.
For your inspiration, Seerlight is an artist, animator, and game developer who not only creates wonderful designs for video games, but also has cultivated a big group of fans on social media doing so.
Digital Marketing: Digital artists can find roles in digital marketing agencies, creating visual content for online advertising, social media campaigns, and email marketing. They can also work on content creation for blogs and websites.
Digital marketing agencies benefit from the talents of digital artists who contribute to visually striking online campaigns. These professionals create eye-catching content for digital advertising, social media, and email marketing, helping businesses connect with their target audiences in the digital space.
Similar to graphic design, strengthening your digital collage skills would help you immensely when working in this field. Take Jess Pemberton’s stunningly creative and lively visuals as inspiration — she is also a collage artist!
Digital Fashion Designer: If you’re a digital artist who thinks outside the box and has a passion for fashion, using your talent and imagination to design virtual clothes may be an excellent way to gain exposure as a digital artist, get featured in fashion exhibitions, and do collaborations with renowned brands.
Digital fashion designers create virtual clothing that’s designed using computer technologies and 3D software to be worn in virtual environments like online games, apps, and virtual events. Customers can style their own avatars, or place augmented reality clothing to their photos to be shared on social media.
For your inspiration, artist Natalie de Groot uses AI to design her looks and works as a fashion brand consultant, and the digital fashion design app Stylist3D has a platform that connects brands or individuals with 3D designers to purchase their works.
Film and Video Production: Digital artists can work in film and video production, specializing in visual effects, motion graphics, and post-production editing. They help bring visual elements to life in movies and television shows.
I was just thinking about this at the Apple Store the other day — have you seen their ads for the new titanium iPhone? It depicts a mesmerizing closeup of the device to show its features and texture – a 3D motion design artist created that!
In film and video production, digital artists specialize in visual effects, motion graphics, and post-production editing. Their work enhances the visual storytelling of movies and television shows, bringing imagination to reality on the screen.
For instance, check out the video art by new media artist Sophie Capshaw-Mack (Magnetic Space Bubble) — her work is featured in Digital Arts Blog’s exhibition at The Wrong Biennale!
Illustration: The versatility of digital arts extends to illustration, where artists contribute to various forms of media. Digital artists can work as illustrators for books, magazines, comic books, and children's media. They create visual narratives and storytelling through their artwork.
Think creating visually appealing designs for print and digital media, like book cover design and illustration. Or, illustrating children’s books or comic books to bring stories to life through captivating visuals.
You can be an editorial illustrator who produces artwork for magazines, newspapers, and online publications, or a digital painter who craft intricate digital artworks for galleries and exhibitions.
Read our full guide to digital illustration if creating visual narratives and storytelling elements to a wide range of projects sounds like something you’d love to do!
10+ career paths for digital artists: Digital Illustration
User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design: Digital artists can focus on creating intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for websites and applications. They ensure that digital products are user-friendly while being aesthetically pleasing.
UX and UI design require a combination of creative skills and an understanding of user behavior. Digital artists like yourself often possess a strong creative flair, so it may come easy to create visually appealing and functional designs.
Generative artists who are comfortable working with various digital tools and software can excel in this field as designers need to stay updated on the latest design tools and trends.
“True design is storytelling. We’re thinkers, designers, and storytellers.”
3D Modeling and Visualization: Digital artists can work on 3D modeling and rendering, creating architectural visualizations, product designs, and virtual environments. This is commonly used in architecture, product design, and simulation industries.
A 3D artist builds 3D models of products, characters, sculptures, environments, and more. They use their ability to create photo realistic materials, lighting, and rendered images for the sake of art, or sometimes for brand marketing and advertisements.
Read our beginner’s guide to 3D art and motion design if creating compelling visual content, from crafting eye-catching commercials and special effects in movies to developing immersive virtual reality environments, enhancing storytelling and engagement across diverse multimedia platforms sounds fun to you!
Extended Reality Industries: Extended Reality (XR) is the umbrella term for Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies as they both “extend” and expand our reality. With the growth of VR and AR technologies, digital artists can work in creating immersive experiences, 3D models, and interactive content for these platforms.
As technology advances, the demand for digital artists in emerging fields like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is on the rise. Professionals in this domain create immersive experiences, 3D models, and interactive content, pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology.
Some AR artists create designs for fashion companies so customers can “try on” items using this technology before purchasing them. Jiatong Yao, for instance, is a digital artist who works as a technical artist in XR and the game industry.
“I like this job because it is the bridge between a developer and 3D artist, and I need to find solutions for both sides and gain knowledge for both sides. I like flexibility in this role and that I can learn from the structure and industry of how to manage and balance art and technology.”
Creative Direction: Digital artists can take on roles as creative directors, guiding the artistic direction of projects, campaigns, or organizations. They provide creative vision and oversee the work of other artists and designers.
This is all about making high-level creative decisions and overseeing the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos to make sure that they reflect brand identity. Being a creative yourself, directing and translating the creative people whom produce the end results can be an excellent path for you.
Check out BLACKSTACIE’s work for inspiration – a creative director and digital artist who supports and works with neurodivergent creatives.
What can I do with an MFA in digital arts and new media?
If you’re wondering what to do with your master’s in digital arts, you have all the options above and then some!
Education: Some digital arts graduates go on to become educators, teaching art and design at schools, or through online courses. Your MFA degree will help you land teaching positions at higher education institutes like colleges.
It's important to note that the job market for digital artists may vary depending on the specific skills they acquire and their willingness to adapt to evolving technology and design trends. Building a strong portfolio and networking within the industry can be crucial for success in the digital arts field.
Whether working as freelancers or in educational institutions, digital arts graduates have the flexibility to tailor their careers to their interests and strengths. A digital arts degree not only equips you with the skills needed for specific roles but also fosters adaptability and a keen awareness of evolving design trends.
Ultimately, success in the digital arts field often hinges on the ability to build a robust portfolio, stay up-to-date of industry advancements, and forge connections within the vibrant and ever-expanding digital arts community.
Read next:
14 Income Stream Ideas Every Digital Artist Should Know About
Social Media Growth Hacks: Proven Tips for Digital Artists
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