5 Jobs in Art, Fashion and Design

Are you an artistic individual with a creative flair? A budding photographer looking to hone your craft? If so, then a career within Art, Fashion and Design could be perfect for you.

With so many journeys to consider from animating your favourite computer game to building your own design agency, here are five top jobs within the Art, Fashion and Design sector, and how you can get into them:

Graphic Designer  

What is a Graphic Designer?

They are responsible for creating visual branding alongside adverts, website design, logos and product packaging.

Do I need a degree?

A degree is an option, but it isn’t the only one. You can complete a university course, college course or an apprenticeship.

Relevant courses include:

• UAL Level 3 National Diploma / Extended Diploma in Graphic Communication, Art, Fashion and Design
• UAL Level 3 National Diploma / Extended Diploma in Animation and Illustration

What will I do?

As a Graphic Designer, you have a few options available from working in a studio, an in-house agency, or your own business. Your typical day might look something like this:

• Meetings with clients to discuss their requirements and ideas
• Discussing budgets and timelines
• Producing creative drafts and ideas using specialist design software
• Creating presentations and final ideas for clients
• Working with other teams to finalise projects such as photographers, printers and manufacturers.

What sort of salary can I earn?

You can expect to start on a salary of £16,000 and once experienced can go up to £50,000

Web Designer

What is a Web Designer?

They use their creative and technical skill set to design and build websites.

Do I need a degree? 

 A degree definitely isn’t the only route to this career. You can either do a university course, college course, an apprenticeship or working towards this role.

You’ll typically need a degree in a relevant field such as:

• Web design and development
• Multimedia design

Or a college course such as:

• Level 3 Certificate in Web Design and Development
• T level in Digital Production, Design and Development
• Level 4 Certificate in Digital Media Design

• UAL Level 3 National Diploma / Extended Diploma in Animation and Illustration

You could also take an apprenticeship, work towards the role, or take a specialist course. One recommendation would be to create a show reel and portfolio to showcase your best animations.

What will I do?

Within this role you would be working either in an office or creative studio. A typical day could look like:

• Creation of storyboards and scripts
• Utilising animation software to create characters or scenes
• Using motion capture to create expressions and movements
• Adding lighting and special effects

What sort of salary can I earn?

For this role, you can expect to start on around £14,000, moving up to £36,000 when more experienced.

Photographer

What is a Photographer?

They take and process photos.

Do I need a degree? 

A degree is one route, but not the only one. You could also get into this career via a college course, apprenticeship or working towards this role.

For the college course, you could take an NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Photography, A Level Photography or:

• UAL Level 3 National Diploma / Extended Diploma in Photography

What will I do? 

Your working environment for this role could be anywhere from a creative studio to working outdoors in all weathers, so be prepared for this! Depending on where you choose you work you task could vary, but may look like:

• Discussing your projects with clients and setting budgets
• Choosing the right equipment for your job and figuring out lighting and composition.
• Using software to edit and process your images
• Promote and run your business if self-employed or freelance

What sort of salary can I earn? 

A typical salary for this role can start at £17,250 and when more experienced this could move up to around £45,000

Interior Designer

What is an Interior Designer?

They are the point of call for planning and supervising the layout and decoration of the inside of buildings.

Do I need a degree?

A degree is one option, but not the only one, you can also complete a college course, apprenticeship or working towards the role.

For the degree, you can complete a foundation degree, higher national diploma, or degree in a relevant subject such as:

• Interior design
• Art and design
• Architecture
• Spatial design

You could also complete a college course for example:

• Level 3 Diploma in Interior Design
• Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design
• A Level in Art and Design

Or other options include an apprenticeship (such as a furniture design technician), or starting in a design assistant role and taking on further training on the job.

What will I do?

Your day could look something like this:

• Client meetings to discuss their requirements
• Developing these designs to meet their needs and budgets
• Providing advice on the space, the colour scheme and the relevant fabrics and furniture
• Designing detailed drawings (usually on a computer)
• Liaising with suppliers for pieces for the space

What sort of salary can I earn? 

You can expect to start on a salary of £18,000 and once experienced can go up to £45,000