WWW: Beyond the Basics

7. Web Related Careers

7.3. Popular Career Titles

7.3.1 Artist/Graphics Designer

Description

Internet Artwork is now a popular component of personal web pages, commercial web sites, online magazines and online galleries. ( Thompson, 1996 ). Due to the increase in Web usage for commercial advertising and publishing, there has been a large increase in the need for people with art/graphics skills to aid in producing eye-catching art for advertising. The objective is to add enough graphics to attract a reader's attention.

The Artist/Graphics Designer is generally responsible for Web Page layout and design of magazines, newspapers, journals, and other publications. Since multimedia on the Web has become more prevalent, Artist/Graphics designers also create graphics for computer-generated media ( The Occupational Handbook, 1996.) These persons either create HTML pages or communicate with the Web Page Designer to produce quality artwork that properly represents the textual information. The skills necessary to do this are graphics design and creativity. The artist should have a working knowledge of the popular paint and scan programs such as Adobe Photoshop ( Thompson, 1996 ) and experience with some Desktop Publishing package. Another name for the occupation is Visual Arts.

Education Requirement

A degree in Graphics Design or Art would be a plus. However, if other Web-related skills are available, then a few classes in Graphics Design/Art is sufficient.

Salary

The demand for art/graphics designers is frequently for a freelance or consultant position. Magazines and commercial businesses will hire persons to perform graphics design on a regular basis given they have other skills to complement their design ability. The amount paid for this skill can range from $25-$50K annually. The salary could be higher based on additional skills.

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Copyright © 1996 Felicia Doswell, All Rights Reserved

Felicia Doswell <doswell@csgrad.cs.vt.edu>