What does a Designer/Artist do?
A designer/artist specializes in developing concepts and visual imagery for marketing, manufacturing, fashion, entertainment, etc. Even if their responsibilities depend upon their line of work or industry of employment, they usually include understanding and identifying project requirements, conducting research and analyses, drawing drafts or developing prototypes for client approval, adhering to deadlines and budgets, and performing revisions when necessary. In some industries, a designer/artist may work with engineers or developers, which requires an open and transparent communication line for optimal results.
Designer/artist responsibilities
Designers and artists play a crucial role in their field by utilizing software such as nedgraphics and adobe illustrator to develop art and patterns. They also create screen prints and designs for clothing, and model and texture 3D assets. As Pilar Newton, Program Director of Electronic Design and Multimedia program at Columbia University, advises, "It is crucial to be unique and original because the world needs originality." Designers and artists also work on projects such as designing and producing all greeting cards and creating one-of-a-kind fashions and costumes for photo shoots and live events.
Examples of designer and artist responsibilities on resumes include "supervised cad techs and reported directly with cad management as well as design studio management and staff" and "prepared all the artwork tech packs to get priced overseas." In addition, designers and artists may also teach private art classes and provide expert PC support to entire offices.
Overall, designers and artists have a wide range of responsibilities that require both technical and creative skills. As Newton suggests, "Keep sharp! Keep practicing and staying on top of the latest versions of software and keep building your skills."
Here are examples of responsibilities from real designer/artist resumes:
- Update website and Facebook pages, manage all social media, develop marketing materials, manage production/event scheduling and client contracts.
- Design, create, and image computer generate art; produce desktop typesetting; provide quality control and job packaging.
- Design, produce, and finalize art & animation for PC & Macintosh CD ROM/Online software.
- Specialize in photography and editing images.
- Prepare proposals for desktop publishing services offer.
- Create private jewelry company designing, conceiving ideas and creating handcraft, one-of-a-kind and custom-made designer, fashion and costume jewelry.
- Use architectural and structural-base external reference drawings files as backgrounds for communication, electrical, HVAC mechanical and structural revisions.
Designer/artist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Designer/Artists are proficient in Art Direction, CAD, and Adobe Photoshop. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Artistic ability, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Designer/Artists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Art Direction, 17%
Freelance graphic design, illustration, and art direction for a variety of clients.
- CAD, 10%
Supervised CAD techs and reported directly with CAD management as well as design studio management and staff.
- Adobe Photoshop, 9%
Generated niche through use of Adobe Photoshop to produce realistic mock-ups over existing photos of structures, landscapes and vehicles.
- Web Design, 8%
Web design for RES Interactive as well as third party clients.
- Graphic Design, 8%
Developed graphic design vocabularies and technical file libraries.
- Adobe Illustrator, 7%
Create screen prints and designs for clothing and edit/clean up various types of patterns and create pattern repeats in Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop.
Common skills that a designer/artist uses to do their job include "art direction," "cad," and "adobe photoshop." You can find details on the most important designer/artist responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a designer/artist to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, a designer/artist resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "model products using cad software and use engineering tools to analyze product strength and deflections. "
Artistic ability. Another essential skill to perform designer/artist duties is artistic ability. Designer/artists responsibilities require that "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers." Designer/artists also use artistic ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "designed all motion graphics, artistic displays and powerpoint presentations for worship and music programs. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for designer/artists to perform their duties. For an example of how designer/artist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a designer/artist: "repeat print design client over the course of several years due to positive relationship building and effective communication. ".
Computer skills. A big part of what designer/artists do relies on "computer skills." You can see how essential it is to designer/artist responsibilities because "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical designer/artist tasks: "created textile designs and prepared artwork for the printing process, this position required computer design and math skills. "
Creativity. Another crucial skill for a designer/artist to carry out their responsibilities is "creativity." A big part of what designer/artists relies on this skill, since "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." How this skill relates to designer/artist duties can be seen in an example from a designer/artist resume snippet: "coordinated convention booth space, staff, art, sales creative direction and art direction for various illustrated products"
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what a designer/artist does. Designer/artist responsibilities require this skill because "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." This resume example highlights how designer/artist duties rely on this skill: "create designs for t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and various other projects responsible for meeting all customer deadlines handle customer transactions"
The three companies that hire the most designer/artists are:
- Riot Games5 designer/artists jobs
- The Children's Place2 designer/artists jobs
- Electronic Arts1 designer/artists jobs
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Compare different designer/artists
Designer/artist vs. Motion graphics designer
A motion graphic designer specializes in producing artworks used in television, film, and web. Their responsibilities often revolve around submitting within a deadline, attending creative meetings, collaborating with fellow designers, following directives from clients, producing trial designs, and editing them in adherence to senior designers or clients' recommendations. There are also instances when a motion graphic designer must manage documentation, address inquiries and concerns, and report to higher-ranking personnel. Furthermore, one may choose to work for a company or independently.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between designer/artists and motion graphics designer. For instance, designer/artist responsibilities require skills such as "cad," "graphic design," "adobe indesign," and "concept art." Whereas a motion graphics designer is skilled in "animation," "style frames," "filmmaking," and "cinema." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Motion graphics designers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $66,825. In contrast, designer/artists make the biggest average salary, $54,718, in the automotive industry.The education levels that motion graphics designers earn slightly differ from designer/artists. In particular, motion graphics designers are 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a designer/artist. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Designer/artist vs. Student graphic designer
Student Graphic Designer is committed to embroidering the school's promotional and recreational work. He/she must be studying artistic skills to design the school's portfolio. Student graphic designer does prepare graphics for flyers, pamphlets, journals, magazines, posters, and brochures.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, designer/artist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "art direction," "concept art," "textile," and "posters." Meanwhile, a student graphic designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "event posters," "gpa," "web banners," and "autocad." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, student graphic designers achieve similar levels of education than designer/artists. They're 1.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Designer/artist vs. User experience designer
A User Experience (UX) designer is an individual who measures and optimizes applications to improve the experience of end-users. His/Her or her duties and responsibilities include considering a design's human-computer interaction element, defining interaction models, and working with creative directors and designers. The key skills for UX designers include strong mathematical and problem-solving skills and excellent information technology and programming skills. Having a bachelor's degree in a design or computing-related subject is an advantage to qualify for the UX designer position.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a designer/artist is likely to be skilled in "art direction," "cad," "web design," and "adobe indesign," while a typical user experience designer is skilled in "ui," "user research," "visual design," and "invision."
User experience designers earn the best pay in the start-up industry, where they command an average salary of $113,676. Designer/artists earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $54,718.user experience designers typically earn higher educational levels compared to designer/artists. Specifically, they're 10.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Designer/artist vs. Web graphic designer
A web graphic designer specializes in the aesthetics and functionality of a web platform, software, and other applications. They are primarily responsible for building a platform that adheres to the subject's purpose and the client's preferred theme while prioritizing an easy-to-use and navigate interface. They must conduct regular testing and maintenance on the platform to ensure its efficiency and significance to the brand involved. Furthermore, a web graphic designer may work independently or work for a company, usually within a team setting.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between designer/artists and web graphic designers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a designer/artist might have more use for skills like "art direction," "cad," "web design," and "concept art." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of web graphic designers require skills like "wordpress," "website design," "html css," and "email campaigns. "
In general, web graphic designers earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $56,507. The highest-paying industry for a designer/artist is the automotive industry.In general, web graphic designers hold similar degree levels compared to designer/artists. Web graphic designers are 2.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of designer/artist
Updated April 25, 2024
