Source: CreativeCareerSchools.com

There are many art careers available to those who like to express themselves creatively. Making a successful career out of your artistic passion starts with exploration and education. Attending art or design school helps you hone your artistic skills and fine tune your creative thinking.

When you enter art school, most programs start you with a foundation curriculum that develops creative thinking, artistic technique and lets you explore a variety of art majors to help you make your decision about which art degree you are most excited about. While studying as a college art major you may also be required to take other classes such as English, math, humanities and physical education. Learn more the following art majors and what you’ll be learning as you earn your college degree:

Advertising

Do you find yourself watching TV commercials when everyone else is changing channels? Creating advertisements that inform and intrigue an audience is an exciting process. Advertisements can take many forms: television, web, email, direct mail, billboard, event sponsorships, magazine, and there are many new forms people are inventing all of the time. As and advertising major you will likely study drawing, design, art direction, copywriting, media, communications, marketing, critical thinking, creative process, marketing research, consumer behavior, brand marketing, and design software programs. You will also prepare yourself and your portfolio for finding a job in the advertising industry.

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Animation/Game Design

Are you a “gamer?” If you love playing video games, or animation movies are on the top of your all-time-favorites movie list, then a career as an animator or game designer will be a great choice. As an animation or game design major, you will start your learning in foundational art class such as drawing, color theory, design, math and computer software applications. You will be spending a lot of time learning sophisticated computer graphics tools ranging from operating systems, compositing and 3-D modeling. You will also learn about audio, lighting, motion, visual effects, and many aspects of 3-D design.

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Architecture

When you see a deck of playing cards, are you ready to start stacking them instead of playing a game? Then becoming an architect may be the right career for you. A major in architecture is the perfect choice for people who are always intrigued about the different design styles of offices, homes and other buildings. If you like three-dimensional (3-D) space, enjoy math and drawing, studying to be an architect will be very satisfying for you. Like many other majors, you begin your study with foundational art classes. Then students take classes in drafting, calculus, physics, computer aided design (CAD) software programs, and building and landscape architecture. Architecture programs also include course on architecture history, theory and criticism. Architecture majors also take studio are classes geared to architectural design.

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Art/Fine Art

Art major or fine art major is a general name for an area of study that spans many art disciplines such as drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, book arts, jewelry making, sculpture, pottery, creative writing, design, music, and theater studio lighting and design. Fine arts majors take many of the same foundation art classes plus taking classes in the desired specialty (e.g., painting). There are many career opportunities for fine artists as an independent artist that sells his/her work through a gallery or by commission. Many industries employ visual and performing fine artists such as film, theater, publishing, advertising, and many more.

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Art Education

Do you enjoy the creative process? Do you enjoy all art forms? More importantly, would you like to teach children or adults about art? Art education majors prepare to teach students to appreciate art or teach a future famous artist! (As well as strengthen the role that art and art education plays in our society). As an art education major, you will take many of the same classes as other art majors such as drawing, painting, art history etc. You will also take courses that teach you how to become a teacher such as elementary education, child psychology, and other education-related curriculum.

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Art History

Impressionism, post-modern, Byzantine and Pop Art. Art history is a fascinating area of study that educates people about the many art forms, art movements and many art periods (from prehistoric art to today’s art). As an art history major, you’ll also have the opportunity to learn how art influenced society, culture and politics during each era. Art majors also get to study the history of many areas of art such as architecture, sculpture, drawing, photography, etc. Art history majors have the opportunity to get a job with a variety of organizations including museums, publishers of art history, schools, and art galleries.

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Design/Graphic Design

According the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the definition of graphic design is:

“Graphic design is the applied art of arranging image and text to communicate a message, or facilitate understanding. It may be applied in any media, such as print, digital media, motion pictures, animation, product design, packaging, and Information signs. Graphic design as a practice can be traced back to the origin of the written word, but only in the late 19th century did it become identified as a separate entity.”

Graphic designers create advertisements, packaging, book covers, signage, websites, and design for many other media and communications vehicles. Graphic design majors start their college education like many of the art majors with foundational art classes such as drawing, composition, painting, photography and color theory. Graphic design majors also learn to develop these important design skills: creativity, problem solving, art direction, conceptual thinking and project management. In addition to design methodologies and theories, design majors learn the popular design software programs from companies such as Adobe and Macromedia for PC and Macintosh computers, By the end of your final semester, graphic design majors will have prepare a portfolio of their work, traditional and digital work samples, to show prospective employers.

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Fashion Design

Do people call you a “clothes horse” or a “fashionista?” More importantly do you enjoy sewing and constructing clothing? Fashion is an exciting and competitive industry where you can work in fashion design, fashion illustration, costume design and textile design. As a fashion design major you go beyond design clothes, shoes, hats and accessories for men, women and children, you also get an understanding of fashion within the context of societies and cultures. Fashion design majors do a lot of drawing on paper and using computer software programs. Like other art majors you will refine your creative, critical and technical skills. You will likely learn clothing pattern drafting, history of fashion, textiles, clothing construction, draping, fashion history and fashion merchandising.

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Illustration

Telling a story using a picture is what illustrators do. Illustrators use many traditional and computer techniques to create artworks that are used on posters, in magazine articles, on web sites, in brochures and in many other places. When studying illustration, the illustration major takes some of the same foundational art classes plus drawing classes and computer classes. Illustration majors get to explore numerous art techniques and materials.

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Industrial Design

Look around you, many of the products you use have been designed by an industrial designer—even the packaging that the products are put in are designed by industrial designer. Computers, music players, cars, tools, pens, and many other types of everyday items get their look and feel from an industrial designer. Industrial design majors have very specialized curriculum that includes classes such as: technical drawing, building models, form, human factors, computer-aided design, materials, consumer product design, furniture design, package design, toy design and exhibit design.

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Interior Design

When you look around you, most of the interior spaces have been touched by interior design. Interior designers have a hand in creating living spaces that are inviting, evoke emotion, and have practical use. Offices, homes, retails stores, hotels, restaurants, airline terminals, hospitals and other spaces can be made beautiful and practical by an interior designer. As with many other art and design majors, interior design majors study foundational art classes such as drawing, art history, color, and more. Once these classes are completed, interior design majors begin to specialize in their area of study with classes that involve: lighting, space planning, 3-D design, furnishings, computer design, rendering, interior environments, etc.

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Photography

Do you find yourself looking at a beautiful landscape and thinking, “That would make a great photo.” Do you get excited every time you see a new camera being advertised? Then photography may be the right career for you. Photography majors take many of the same foundation art classes as other art majors and then specialize in basic and advanced classes such as camera operation (traditional SLR and digital), photographic film types, photographic processes, darkroom techniques, black and white photography, color photography, digital imaging, computer imaging, photographic manipulation, lighting, and history of art and photography.

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Web and Interactive Design

Web and Interactive design majors learn how to conceptualize, created and produces web sites, presentations and other interactive or multimedia communications. Web/Interactive design majors study design and learn many computer software applications and languages. This major is a special combination of creativity and technology. Some courses that web/interactive design majors enable them to learn: layout design, web layout, cascading style sheets, HTML, JavaScript, and computer software programs (e.g., Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, etc.).

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Some career and education resources that you may also find helpful:

Art School – The Ultimate Career Choice

Learn About the Many Careers of Art

Research Art and Design Schools

Salaries for Artists and Designers

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