What do Digital Artists do?

A Digital Artist would typically need to:

• Contribute aesthetic abilities such as sketching, sculpting, and designing, as well as technical abilities such as rigging and programming, to a variety of projects such as online or game design, multimedia, advertising, illustration, and animation.
• Meet with clients to go over project needs and objectives.
• Create project briefs and pitch design concepts to stakeholders.
• Create designs and images with computers, other electronic devices, software programs, and applications, or create hand-drawn sketches and scan them for editing or development.
• Convert wireframes (web page layouts that display planned interface elements on important pages as part of the interaction design process) into intuitive user interfaces.
• Maintain consistency in design and content across all platforms utilized by the client.
• Work with the team to accomplish project deadlines and client requirements.
• Monitor progress and accuracy to guarantee compliance with agreed-upon quality standards and styles; report project progress to the project manager or lead artist.
• Create, manage, and design interactive web content such as email templates and instructive booklets.
• Create social media graphics, manual illustrations, and 2D pictures for fashion design.
• Collaborate with game developers, coders, QA testers, and other game artists.
• Create high-quality 2D and 3D art assets for video games, such as textures, character sprites, icons, textures, game maps, costumes, colours, vehicles, props, and environments.
• Collaborate with editors to create visual effects for films and television.
• Contribute to the design and production of multimedia campaigns; manage budgets and deadlines
• Create online banner advertising and other digital materials such as storyboards and animations.
• Collaborate with project stakeholders, such as management and the e-commerce and marketing teams, to ensure that designs are appealing and adhere to the brand image, business aesthetic, and website standards.
• Review and revamp product positioning and online marketing content as required
• Liaise with IT experts to implement new content and coordinate production
• Assist clients with the visual components of projects and promotional efforts.
• Use constructive criticism from the art director and clients to improve your work and talents.
• Create and maintain a network of Digital Artists and solicit their feedback on the artwork as well as the industry, job vacancies, and future projects.
• Keep up with the latest technology and upgrade your abilities on a regular basis.

Standard Work Environment

Digital artists spend a significant amount of time at their workstations in their offices, studio, workshop, or home, working on computers for extended periods of time. Their work focuses on creating project interfaces, sketching and arranging images, and creating clickable buttons.

Depending on the current project, they may need to relocate and travel to conferences or networking events.

Work Schedule

Digital artists often work full-time, with traditional business hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while flexible working arrangements are conceivable. During peak periods, the workday may be extended to 12 hours to meet clients’ urgent needs. Due to time constraints, you may be required to work early mornings, late evenings, nights, and weekends.

Fixed-term or contractual roles are possible. With sufficient experience and a robust network of contacts, you may be able to pursue freelance work with greater scheduling flexibility. Part-time work is uncommon.

Employers

Finding a new job may appear difficult. Asking their network for referrals, contacting firms directly, using job search sites, attending job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies can all help digital artists improve their job hunt.

Small, medium, and big businesses in a variety of industries hire Digital Artists to develop their corporate identity using in-house promotional and advertising materials. For small projects, private clients may use freelancers.

Digital Artists are generally employed by: 

• Film & Television Production Companies
• Video Game Developers
• Cartography Companies
• The Corporate Sector
• Nonprofit & Not-for-Profit Organisations 
• Publishers
• Indie Studios

Unions / Professional Organizations

Professional organizations and associations, such as the International Digital Media and Arts Organisation (iDMAa), are essential for Digital Artists who want to further their professional growth or interact with other professionals in their sector or trade. Membership in one or more of these organizations adds value to your CV while strengthening your credentials and qualifications.

Workplace Challenges

• The complexities of photography for visual branding given the pandemic-related restrictions worldwide
• Unclear communication due to working remotely
• Rapid and continuous adaptation to changes in technology and staying receptive to innovation
• Sourcing clients who value the investment in good design
• Working within the timeline of fast turnarounds; dealing with the pressure of meeting project deadlines
• Working on computers for extended periods

Suggested Work Experience

Any academic program in which a prospective Digital Artist enrolls often involves supervised experience, such as an internship. Internships and industrial experience aid in the development of skills and a network of contacts. Look for volunteer opportunities at your campus to contribute your digital creative skills to college journals, newspapers, or other media.

When your tasks outside of the classroom precisely align with your teachings inside, you will get the most out of them. When more experienced workers manage to turn seemingly ordinary occurrences into unique learning experiences, you may be able to hear endless stories from them and gain significant hands-on knowledge.

Practicing your talents will assist you in identifying your strengths and developing particular knowledge. Create games alongside coders and developers at game jams or in your spare time. To exhibit your experience and ability to prospective employers, create a portfolio of proof from your volunteer and paid work. You can also keep an online portfolio.

To demonstrate your devotion to course providers and future employers, read about the profession and interview or job shadow specialists working in digital art.

Recommended Qualifications

While not required, a bachelor’s degree and formal training, often obtained from an art school, boosts your resume and portfolio and gives you an advantage in the competitive employment market for computer animation, cinema, gaming, and graphic design. You may study the newest artistic and animation tools and techniques from skilled teachers while also making industry connections.

Visual or commercial art, graphic design, digital communications, web design, interactive design, computer animation, or related subjects are all possible majors. Such programs often incorporate technical parts into the training, such as programming foundations and software applications. They may also provide theoretical teaching in graphic design and animation techniques.

While experience and a portfolio are required for those interested in specializing in digital art for games, businesses also value a bachelor’s degree in game design or computer game modeling. Confirm whether or not firms in your area prefer people with credentials from authorized programs.

Take visual art, graphic design, mathematics, and computer science classes in high school.

Certifications, Licenses, and Registration

Digital Artists are not required to be certified. However, voluntary acquisition

Certification, such as the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International) Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) or Adobe Certified Associate, certifies a Digital Artist’s proficiency in a skill area, often by job experience, training, and passing an examination.

Certification from a reputable and objective organization, such as the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International), can also help you stand out in a competitive job market, carry a significant salary premium of up to 18%, increase your chances of advancement, and allow you to become an independent consultant. Successful certification programmes safeguard the public interest by adopting a Code of Ethics.

Licensing is not usually required for Digital Artists to operate in the industry. If you want to sell your artwork in a personal capacity, check the licensing regulations in your area. You will need to obtain a business license, depending on your target market and how you intend to sell. If you intend to open a physical store, you may also require extra licenses.

The licensing process is handled by individual government agencies. It usually necessitates passing an exam in addition to meeting eligibility requirements such as a certain degree of education, job experience, training, or completion of an internship, residency, or apprenticeship.

Projected Career Map

Career advancement is driven by performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional certifications. Employees who continuously demonstrate high levels of performance may be eligible for promotion every two to three years.

Design artists may begin their careers in quality assurance, rising to mid-level positions before taking on senior art responsibilities. Bachelor’s degree holders may eventually aspire to become Project Managers. To qualify for the post of Lead Artist with managerial responsibilities, you need to have at least five years of experience in the industry. You could progress to the position of Art Director from here.

Other options for professional advancement include concentrating in virtual reality (VR) or mobile games. You could also broaden your talents to include 2D or 3D art for a variety of industries or services, such as media, interactive entertainment, education, or marketing. Another possibility is to branch out into game design.

Building sufficient experience and a large network of contacts will allow you to freelance or start your own digital art or game development studio.

Job Prospects

Candidates with the required abilities, experience, and education, as well as a wide and powerful portfolio, will have the best job opportunities.

Beneficial Professional Development

CPD will assist an active Digital Artist in developing personal skills and proficiency through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning. It enables you to always improve your skills, regardless of your age, employment, or degree of expertise.

Working under or observing senior and experienced employees in the firm, digital artists often acquire on-the-job training. In-house training in software products that aid digital art may also be given.

You can further your education and improve your talents by enrolling in a master’s degree program in 3D game art, computer animation, or virtual reality game design and development.

Conclusion

As a Digital Artist, you can choose one or more of the many specializations accessible to you. However, the basis of any specialization you choose will be creativity and technology. If you compare what you produce with the conventional art, you might be amazed at how much more convenient digital art is in terms of portability, simplicity of publishing, printing, and sharing, and, most importantly, how it simplifies repairs and revisions.

Advice from the Wise

Continue sketching, whether with a pencil and paper or a stylus and tablet, to keep your skills sharp and ideas flowing. Figure drawing, portraiture, animal art, and composition will be emphasized.