Multimedia Design Degree
Skills in multimedia design have never known a better time than this. With a vast array of avenues in which to pursue a multimedia design degree, it will take more time to decide where to concentrate study than to decide if a degree should be indulged in or not. Multimedia design has, over the years, expanded to encompass a huge variety of subjects, venturing even into electronic design, such as 3D computer animation, and taken prominent focus in the culinary arts, as well.
An individual with a multimedia design degree are effective communicators; they decide the optimum vehicle, be it digital media, print or online, for delivering a message or concept. They carefully orchestrate the delivery starting with the conception, taking an idea and making it speak to thousands. A good designer uses a variety of mediums, such as type, paint, illustration, photography, animation, color, and even sound. Designers are in demand for many fields, including:
- Web page designer
- Art director
- Animator
- Publication designer
- Multimedia illustrator
- Graphic design
- Game design & art
- Interior design
- Advertising and marketing
- Fashion design
- Cover art
With the world rapidly attaching itself further to the Internet and digital realities, designers who can work in a variety of multimedia design are finding an endless pool of demand for their talents. Most designers have skill in the arts, as the two tend to go hand in hand, though not always. Computers have a way of leveling the playing field, however. Computers these days are also considered avenues for artists, and those who perhaps are highly skilled at design conception, but could not draw a stick figure, can now suddenly find themselves as world-class artists, possibly working on animation effects for a major motion picture. It has happened before.
Artists are also communicators, using their abilities to speak through their work, be it with paint, charcoal, pastels, ink, graphite, sculpture or computers. The style an artist utilizes can be as individual as a thumbprint, and many artists have more than one approach. Art can be realistic, stylized, trendy, abstract, geometric and impressionistic to name a few.
Artists are in demand for the following:
- Cartoonists
- Illustrators
- Art directors
- Animators
- Story boards
- Fine art
- Cover art
- Album art
- Graphic novels
- Scientific and medical illustration
- Fashion design
Very often, the fields of design & arts crossover, which is why they are often presented together in a degree; training in design allows the artist to better communicate a solid, concentrated idea, and art helps the designer to better bring across the idea he or she wishes to communicate.
Artists can be naturally talented or taught, but to make a career of design & arts, the vast majority needs further training, if only to grasp the requirements for certain programs. Fine artists and craft artists will find additional schooling to be of benefit, as well, as art is ever-evolving with older ideas being replaced with fresh ones. Most entry-level positions these days necessitate a bachelor’s degree, while art directors tend to have a good amount of experience behind them, plus a BA or MA. The more technical and detail-oriented the art field, such as animators and game designers, the more potential employers will look for those who have training.
There was a time, which may not have yet passed fully, where art was not considered a real job with a real, steady paycheck. It was about starving artists eking out an existence until they were discovered, with no office and often no homes. This can still hold true in some cases, but in modern tales, this has certainly changed, and employment outlook looks better than ever for the canny designer and artist. According to the Bureau of Statistics, employment of artists is expected to grow about 12% through 2018, with the biggest demands being in the fields of art director, though not for magazines, computer illustrators and games designers, animators and multimedia artists, and medical illustrators, a largely untapped field among design & arts.
Job prospects are excellent, but competition will be keen, as employers are able to choose the best qualified from amongst many. In this area, it is important to have the skills further education brings. While the majority of jobs available are on the more technical side, there is still demand for fine arts and crafts arts, as private collectors and galleries will continue to seek new art and up-and-coming artists. Many artists also help augment their earning by taking on freelance work if they are employed by a salaried company.
Animators and multimedia artists work by hand or with mixed media, providing special effects for movie productions, animation for movies and commercials, and other visual effects. They employ computers, electronics and other devices to accomplish their tasks.
Crafts artists work with their hands to create one of a kind, tactile art pieces. This can include jewelry, furniture, ceramics, textiles, clothing, stained glass and similar types of artwork. Some of their work is displayed in galleries and museums or used in movie prop and stage prop production.
In this day of digital interaction and electronic design, it behooves the artists, no matter which category she or he falls into, to gain further education. There is no harm in learning new techniques, programs or styles; it all serves to advance the skills and the artist as a person. It also makes the designer and artist more marketable, which is very liberating, as is a degree of financial security. Continuing education in design & arts, either via online classes or brick and mortar schools, can only serve to expand existing talents and unveil new ones to the benefit of the individual seeking advancement.
Degrees by Level
Degrees by Subject
Articles