Discipline Directions — Part 1

My traits suit Concept Development, especially Concept Art, and Editorial Design. These fields that I am considering align with my attention to detail, deep thinking, and openness to possibilities. I am also exploring Illustrator and Multimedia Artist roles, which I will discuss in my next post.

A Concept Artist’s role is to bring characters, environments, props, or creatures from imagination to life through a collection of visuals, working on anything involving a visual narrative.

They are often required to work efficiently when developing detailed drawings, promptly responding to client feedback and adapting their illustrations to meet tight deadlines. Examples of this medium’s application are film, comic books and video games, and they often collaborate with employers ranging from animation studios to advertising and marketing.

This role would align well with my working habits and my preference for the animation, illustration, and film industries. I tend to focus on the early development stage of graphic design projects the most, brainstorming and researching to find the best approach to move forward. On top of this, exploring the vast options that could display the intricacies of a character’s history and personality is a practice I have been fond of for years.

To qualify for this role and push my capabilities, I will need to improve my time management skills, move through the research and experimental process quickly, and update my knowledge in illustrative principles.

Editorial Designers focus on the layout and visual aesthetics of publications, varying from physical to online publications.

They structure print materials in an attractive way which attracts and entertains the reader, helps them understand information and guides them through the publication. With this discipline, they can work in-house for magazines or newspapers, or design books and typography for individual clients. An example of the latter would be the editorial spread featured in the photo below.

Photo by Alejandra Ríos on Unsplash

I see the potential to develop a strong skillset for this job, with a high attention to detail, a good understanding of form and function, and experience with Photoshop and InDesign. Alternatively, I will need to gain awareness of modern trends within editorial design and potentially the printing press.

Although I could see myself working in editorial, I am not particularly interested in this industry sector, despite one of my favourite modules focusing on editorial design.

I gravitate more to art than design when it comes to creating, and I think I’d find myself feeling unfulfilled within this position compared to a more expressive role.