5 growing career paths for Illustration graduates

Tue 1 Dec 2020

Enjoy observational drawing and visual problem solving but not sure where a professional qualification in illustration could take you? Here are some growing career paths for illustration graduates.

  1. Production Designer

Incorporating the visual awareness and design skills that you will hone on your course, production designers manage the overall look of a theatre, television, or film set, including the locations, props, and costumes. Working with the director and producer to produce a budget and schedule, production designers need to be able to manage the entire art department and must have expert knowledge of numerous art and design-related topics, including technical drawing, architecture, interior design, colour theory, and lighting.

  1. Medical Illustrator

If you have a fascination with human anatomy and a keen interest in technical rather than aesthetic drawing, medical illustration may be your ideal profession. Primarily employed by hospitals, medical schools, research facilities, or specialist publishers, medical illustrators provide a range of services for the purposes of medical research, diagnosis, and patient care. Specialty areas of interest include clinical photography, graphic design, medical art, and videography, and most medical illustration now involves the use of 2D and 3D software applications such as Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop or animation software such as Maya or Zbrush.

  1. Fashion Illustrator

Love fashion and have an extensive knowledge of the industry? Consider a career in fashion illustration. The role traditionally involves working closely with fashion designers and art directors to produce images that may be used to showcase new designs or trends. However, it also encompasses related fields such as editorial illustration for magazines and blogs, creating custom print designs for clothing or accessories, or producing illustrations for packaging and advertising. The industry is competitive, and most fashion illustrators work on a freelance basis for various clients.

  1. Wayfinding Designer

A type of environmental graphics, wayfinding refers to the signage and imagery used to support navigation throughout urban and interior spaces. Essential for urban planning, indoor signage for complex built environments such as hospitals or educational campuses, and billboard signage, wayfinding is an ideal career for illustrators who enjoy spatial problem solving.

  1. Architectural Illustrator

Architectural illustrators use 2D and 3D techniques to create architectural renderings of a building project that help clients visualise the finished product. Working with architects, urban designers, and developers, architectural illustrators translate blueprints into relatable designs that everyone can understand. If you have a passion for architecture and enjoy technical drawing and 3D modelling, you may find a career in architectural illustration fulfilling.

 

If you're interested in pursuing one of these careers, a part-time, online MA in Illustration from Falmouth University can improve your job prospects and give you the connections you need to get started:

MA Illustration course details

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