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What’s the difference between fine art and commmercial art?

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:05:52 +0000

The Oxford Dictionary describes art as,”The expression of creative skill through a visual medium such as painting or sculpture. The product of such a process; paintings, drawings, and sculpture collectively.” Some argue that the line between Fine Art and Commercial Art is very definite, but really, it is only the intentions that seem to separate the two.

In one example, that a lot of you will know of is by the now legendary artist, Michelangelo. Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo was commissioned by at that time one of, if not the most powerful, global organizations in the world, the Roman Catholic Church. Taking over four years to complete, this artwork was a commissioned job and therefore is actually Commercial Art, although it is considered one of the artists finest pieces of artwork and one of the world’s greatest and most famous fine art achievements!

Basically, any artist pursues their own conceptual goals and ambitions through expressing their creative skill in their own artwork. However a Commercial Artist is under commission to produce a creative fine art piece for a commercial art project. The Commercial Artist can still use their creative skills but to the clients needs and ambitions for the project. Some tend to see this as a hindrance to the artists creativity. This is not always the case as it only shifts the meaning of the artwork. The Artist still needs to employ their creativity, conceptual and compositional skills to create the artwork.

Sometimes a Commercial Artist’s creativity can be stifled by the client, in the instance of a client taking on certain aspects of the project. The client may be involved in or in complete control of the conceptualisation and direction of the project by supplying to the artist their own creativity and conceptual problem solving abilities. This can a lot of the time hinder the artist as the client may not actually be able to communicate their ideas easily or feel their own view is the correct view rather than that of the audience the project is aimed at. This can produce artwork, that when presented to the audience in the form of advertising, product packaging, etc, misses it’s target and seems to fail for the client.

However, on some occasions, the client has done the research and has a correct feel for their audience. The conceptual ideas they then discuss and present to the artist to follow work perfectly and gives the artist a firm foundation to apply their creative ability to the project at hand and hence producing a very successful piece of artwork.

How Do I Become a Graphic Designer?

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:05:40 +0000

What is a graphic designer?

When asked, “how do I become a graphic designer,” most people would ask you what a graphic designer is. Though the career has been around for a number or years now and many have heard of it, a lot of people still do not know what a graphic designer is an what a graphic designer does.

A graphic designer or graphic artist presents information through a visual, digital source to enhance a service, product, philosophy or entity.

Why do you hear so much about graphic artists? Well, graphic artists are now needed for everything. Graphic artists create logos for companies, design websites, design movies (Wall-E and Avatar are entirely the work of graphic artists), music videos, even video games. Graphic designers design newspaper, newsletters, pamphlets, and producing advertisements.

Because a graphic designer has so many options and so many companies need them, many decide to go into this career path. Many people who studied art decide to go into graphic design because it puts their skills to a more practical use.

How do I become a graphic designer?

The best way to become a graphic designer is to go to school and educate yourself. Most companies will not hire graphic designers who have not attended school.

Most teenagers decide to be graphic designers and go to a four-year college to earn a degree in graphic design. This is unnecessary, however. Four-year colleges are only good for teenagers. They take a long time to finish, cost a lot of money, force you to take classes that do not relate to your field of study and often have few job opportunities.

There are many technical schools that specialize in graphic design. Students in those schools learn by doing and sitting behind a computer rather than listening to a lecture. Schools also always have the latest technology as companies send schools free programs a lot of the time. It is important to learn using the latest technology.

Schools also have job and internship placement programs for students which you can take advantage of. The school will find you a job with a company that will help teach you the basics of graphic design as a profession or an internship to add to your resume. You can even make money while going to school.

Graphic Design as a Career

Now that we have answered the burning question of “how do I become a graphic designer,” and decided that an education is the best way to go, get started! There is a lot to learn within the profession of graphic design, and if you plan on being successful you must be able to use that knowledge and turn it into excellent designs.

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How Do I Become a Graphic Designer?

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:02:12 +0000

Becoming a graphic designer, especially if there is great interest in this type of creativity, is a very enjoyable profession. And there is a path that most follow who are successful. Yes, there are those that make it in this graphic design through simply being talented. But most people who are truly successful and make a living through graphic design are those that acquire a certificate or degree in this field of choice. Many employers will not even give you an interview if they do not see that you have schooling in graphic design on your resume.

Since the advent of the internet, graphic design schools and colleges have become even more popular and now offer all types of degrees, certificates and programs. They include: multimedia, graphic design, advertising, animation, website developing, visualizing and many more courses and programs that will train you toward becoming a graphic artist. Many of these schools will provide you with an education toward a career in the TV industry, print, video, multimedia or for online needs.

If you are still a high school student, take graphic design or drawing courses while you are there. Work in AP (advanced placement) courses if possible to earn extra credit toward college if you are looking to work toward a degree. In fact, during summers, working within a graphic design company as either an apprentice or intern will give you information and experience that is priceless.

While you are investigating where to attend school, visit the National Association of Schools of Art and Design Website (nasad.arts-accredit.org) to compare what is available in different areas of the country in your career choice. Also, you can Google “graphic design schools” and you will discover that there are so many that will give you the type of schooling and training that you desire.

Make sure you have some samples of your artwork available when applying to graphic design schools. Although there are some fine institutions that do not require to see what you can do, there are those that will accept you and train you to become a graphic design artist without providing them with samples. Some of these schools will also give you a hands-on education and have a placement plan to help those who graduate from their school, find employment.

Finally, be aware of the newest trends in design and advertising. With that in mind, do any freelance work you are able to get to build a portfolio to use to get into school if needed as well as secure a position even if it’s part-time while you are studying. Remember, graphic designers are always in demand. But it’s important to work toward your career choice even before you enter school.

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Graphic Design School

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:51:30 +0000

Are you curious about what attending graphic design school can do for your career? As you’ll discover there are a surprisingly large number of careers available to talented design school graduates.

Attending a good design school can provide one with the training needed for such careers as art director, illustrator, layout artist, photo editor, as well as logo, web or 3D graphics designers.

If you have an appreciation of good design, artistic talent and a subtle eye for detail, then graphic design may be a good career for you.

Today graphic designers work in almost every aspect of the media, business and tech worlds. Having a website is essential to doing business these days no matter where you are. Talented design school graduates can find work as web designers almost anywhere.

Other jobs like art director, illustrator and layout artist may be easier to find in media hub cities such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco or Chicago.

Attending graphic design school can be a good first step towards launching your career in the design world.

Graphic design offers vast job opportunities.

However graphic design is also a very popular field. This can make it very competitive when it comes to getting a job in any aspect of graphic design work. This is why it’s a good idea to attend the best possible school.

The Internet is the best place to start when it comes to locating a good school for graphic design. You may be lucky and find that there is a good school near you. Otherwise you may find that many of the best design schools are located on the coasts or in eastern college towns. There are also many good schools overseas for graphic design.

Once you have narrowed your search to a few schools you are interested in, it’s best to apply to several. Wait to see which ones accept you and then choose the best one that you can afford to attend. Many states also offer grants, loans or even scholarships.

Graphic designers often work in-house in design firms, advertising agencies, Internet companies and elsewhere. However many more of them also work as freelancers, operating out of their own home offices and setting their own hours.

Whatever your area of interest, be it 3D digital design, or conventional illustrating, if you’ve got the talent and the drive there is likely a career for you in the field of graphic design. Attending graphic design school can be your first step on the road to a lucrative and rewarding career.

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Careers in Graphic Design

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:59:50 +0000

Talent is of course the most important thing to possess if one is interested in becoming a graphic designer. However careers in graphic design are much sought after. So while talent is key, on it’s own, it may not be enough.

To get a job in graphic design, entry-level or otherwise, it’s important to have a 4-year degree. Many prestigious art and design schools offer graphic design as a major.

However graphic design has come to be something of a blanket term that can mean many different things. Multi-media, advertising, animation, art direction and web development are just a few of the areas that fall under the umbrella of graphic design.

Nowadays, graphic designers work in many areas of the media, technology, business and advertising worlds. Many graphic designers have full time, in-house positions working at design, media or advertising firms. These positions allow one to work in a creative and often fun environment with other design professionals.

A great many other graphic designers enjoy working as freelancers. Freelance graphic designers are able to work from their home office and are largely able to set their own hours.

Careers in graphic design afford one the ability to enjoy a creative, rewarding career while earning a good salary. Unlike other media-centric jobs, graphic design is fairly decentralized. This means it’s possible to carve out a career as a graphic designer practically anywhere. The freedom allowed by the digital age of the Internet can even allow one to work for clients that are thousands of miles away.

However it’s important to consider that graphic design is an attractive profession to many talented people. Because of this the job market can be competitive. Anyone wishing to embark on a graphic design career would do well attend a good art or design school. Internships can also be extremely helpful.

Mentoring programs are also good, as they allow students to attain valuable first hand experience working in a professional graphic design environment, with real working graphic designers as their instructors.

In addition to this valuable, hands on experience, these sort of programs also offer students the chance to forge the contacts and connections that can prove invaluable to gaining entry into the graphic design profession.

Careers is graphic design can be a good choice for anyone with artistic talent, tech skills and a drive to succeed. If you’re interested in becoming a graphic designer you owe it to yourself to do everything possible to make yourself attractive to employers.

Talent and a 4-year degree are a good place to begin. However participating in an internship or mentoring program might be the thing that sets you apart from the competition.

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Art School

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:47:17 +0000

Art school is a colloquial term for any educational institution (whether elementary, secondary, post-secondary/undergraduate, or graduate/postgraduate) with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. They are distinguished from larger institutions which may also offer majors or degrees in the visual arts, but only as one part of a broad-based range of programs (such as the liberal arts and sciences).

France’s École des Beaux-Arts is perhaps the first model for such organized instruction, breaking with a tradition of master/apprentice instruction. If accredited as a college, most art schools grant a Bachelor of Fine Arts, B.A. or B.S. degree. Associates degrees and professional diploma programs are common as well. In recent years a number of art schools have begun to offer some or all of their curricula online, which by nature transcends national boundaries. When online courses require production of traditional drawings or other such materials, they are usually photographed or scanned for submission and review by instructors.

Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings. Latest trends also include photography, video, film, design, computer art, etc. Within art schools “visual arts education” encompasses all the visual and performing arts delivered in a standards-based, sequential approach by a qualified instructor as part of the core curriculum. Its core is the study of inseparable artistic and aesthetic experience and learning. Finding the right art school is a very individual decision. Everyone has their own approach to learning, their own ideas of what makes a school appealing (or not), and their own extracurricular priorities and considerations.

Your own personal approach is going to determine the path that’s best for you. One of the biggest questions you need to answer when considering your path to an art education is what you hope to do with your skills when you’re done. Will you be a full-time artist? Will it be a part-time job? A hobby? If you want to study art for your own personal enjoyment, maybe you don’t need a degree – though you may want to take a class or two to broaden your awareness of the particular area or aspect of art that interests you. Learn the technique, the vocabulary, the best tools, and then continue on your own. On the other hand, if you are looking to make a living at it, extensive training is almost always required. Sure, raw talent may get you places, and if your work is good, credentials may not matter to a buyer. But in a wide world of art, you’re more likely to make your mark if you learn from those who have gone before you at art school.

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