As the days go by and we move deeper and deeper into the digital era where almost everything can now be done virtually — banking, shopping, and advertising — the demand for skilled digital artists is increasing by the day.
With the world transitioning to the virtual world, a career in digital arts sounds like a pretty sound strategy, especially for young people.
What is Digital Art?
Digital art by its simple definition is artwork created for the digital and multimedia platforms. It is a very wide category with a lot of subcategories. This includes graphic arts, character designs for video game productions, 3D animation for short films and videos, and photo retouching or enhancement for SEO-related content.
There is a demand for digital artists.
As mentioned, there is an increase in demand for digital artists today, plus it’s quite easy to land a job in the digital arts industry. You can find jobs in government, education, film, animation, digital marketing, graphic design, web design, and video game production, to name a few.
First Things First
Given the wide range of possibilities that a career in digital arts can give you, you first need to ask yourself these questions: Is a Digital Arts Degree for you? Do you have the drive and the passion to pursue it and excel in it? Do you have the aptitude for all things digital and creative?
If your answer to these questions is a resounding “yes,” then perhaps you have a bright future in it.
What are the courses you can take?
Now if you believe that a career in digital arts is for you, where do you start?
You need to first be equipped with the right knowledge about the field and industry. Just like most degrees, part of your success and longevity in an industry will depend on the quality of education you get.
Universities and colleges offer a wide range of digital arts courses and full-degree programs. A lot of community colleges in the U.S. offer vocational certificates and associate degrees in several fields related to digital arts.
And then there are also dedicated art schools that specialize in different types of arts, including digital arts.
Among the most typical courses offered in educational institutions are:
- Digital Art Production
- Design Principles
- Digital Game Production and Design
- Web Programming
- Motion Graphics
- Digital Art Technology
- Digital Music Production
- Television Production
- Broadcast Journalism
- Graphic Design
- 3D Modeling and Animation
What jobs can you do with a Digital Arts Degree?
People who graduate with a degree in digital arts don’t have a hard time finding employment. There are a lot of things they can do in different industries such as movies, animation, music production, digital marketing, and a lot more.
Here are a few notable careers that digital arts majors can have:
- Character Designer and Modeler
- Character Animation
- Environmental Modeling
- Simulations FX Technical Director
- Visual FX Director or Supervisor
- Motion Capture Technical Director
- Motion Graphics Design
- Video or Mobile Game Designer and Developer
A career in digital arts offers almost limitless possibilities for you. But don’t just do it for the money or the job security, if you’re going to jump into it, you need to have a real passion for it for you to succeed and make a name for yourself in your chosen field.