When you think of illustration, what comes to mind? Most likely, your mind gravitates toward the arts and graphic design fields. What many people don’t realize is that illustrative skills is applicable across a wide range of industries. From science and medicine to technology and business, illustration plays an important role.
If you’ve been considering a career in illustration, then, the job opportunities in illustration are more diverse and expansive than you may think. With a better understanding of what you can do with illustrative skills beyond traditional art contexts, you can determine whether illustration is right for you.
The Role of Illustration in Science and Medicine
If you have a creative mind and an interest in science, then illustration can lend these two passions together. Specifically, medical illustrators play a vital role in transforming complicated information and data into useful illustrations.
Medical Illustrations
Medical illustrators are professional artists who communicate complex medical information through illustrations. For example, a medical illustrator may use their skills to create a diagram or illustration explaining a complicated surgery or medical procedure. These illustrations may be included in brochures, textbooks, medical posters or other informational materials to provide additional information and resources to patients or health care professionals.
Medical illustration jobs can be very rewarding for those who enjoy a challenge. ‘Translating’ technical medical information into illustrations that non-medical professionals can understand, may not be easy but it is important. As you can probably imagine, being a medical illustrator requires a firm understanding of the medical field. Often, medical illustrators must collaborate with other medical professionals, to communicate complex concepts and procedures.
Scientific Visualization
Another common line of work in need of illustrators is scientific visualization. In this discipline, professionals must take raw scientific data and find a way to represent it in the form of an illustration or diagrammatic representation. Those working in scientific visualization need strong analytical skills, especially with large amounts of data. At the same time, these experts must also retain a sense of creativity, making them a truly unique breed! Scientific visualization professionals play an important role in helping others gain valuable insights into data. These insights can be used to make crucial decisions.
Illustration in Technology and Engineering
In addition to jobs in science and medicine, there is also a need for skilled illustrators in the technology and engineering fields. If you’re on the fence between studying tech/engineering and the arts, the good news is that you can combine the two.
User Interface Design
It is common for illustrators to be brought in on web design and software design projects to improve interface design and the overall user experience. Illustrators in this field may be responsible for creating drawings that represent complex ideas or abstract concepts in a way that the average user can easily understand and navigate.
Illustrators in interface design may use their artistic talents to convey emotion, make a website easier to navigate, or even tell a compelling story that helps somebody identify more closely with a brand.
Technical Diagrams and Blueprints
Meanwhile, in the engineering field, diagrams and blueprints are essential when to conveying technical information accurately. Many engineering firms hire technical illustrators to transform ideas into technical drawings that can be used throughout a project.
This type of work requires a strong understanding of the engineering industry. Additionally, illustrators should be familiar with the tools used to create blueprints and similar documents. This can be a challenging yet enjoyable line of work for those creative and technical minds.
Business and Marketing Uses for Illustration
In the business world, there is a seemingly endless need for illustrators in advertising, marketing, and data visualization roles. If you’re interested in the world of business but are looking for a creative outlet this line of work will be the best of both worlds.
Advertising and Branding
Skilled illustrators are often brought in to help with branding and marketing initiatives. Their role is to create powerful illustrations about specific products and services. Illustrations visualize products in advertising campaign. With the right illustration, it is possible to build brand awareness and capture the audience’s eye in a way that many other forms of advertising simply cannot.
Over time, illustrations can also become a part of a company’s branding, especially when the company sticks with a specific illustrator and/or style of illustration.
Infographics and Data Visualization
Another important role that illustrators play in the business and marketing world is that of data visualization specialists. These professional artists are generally responsible for infographic design, where large amounts of data are condensed and represented in eye-catching illustrations easy for an audience to follow and interpret. Using visual communication tools and digital illustration techniques, infographic artists can help audiences understand complicated data sets with ease. Similar to scientific visualization, data visualization is distinctly different in the type of information it visualizes.
Educational Applications
If you have a passion for learning or helping others acquire new knowledge, then why not put your artistic skills to use in the education field? Believe it or not, there are a number of educational career paths for illustrators.
Educational Content Creation
Creating educational illustrations can be a very rewarding job for those who enjoy visualizing information, often for younger audiences to understand. For example, consider exploring jobs as a textbook illustrator. In this role, you might be responsible for creating diagrams, charts, infographics, and other illustrations that help readers better understand abstract and high-level concepts.
Time and time again, the power of illustration in education has been confirmed through research. For instance, studies have found that illustrations and graphics can improve recall and memorization of data significantly, compared to text or classroom lectures alone. This is because many students are visual learners who learn more from visual learning aids.
E-Learning and Online Courses
Illustration skills can also be powerful in e-Learning and online courses where instructors may not have the opportunity to meet with their students in person. In these contexts, quality illustrations can make learning difficult subjects and technical concepts easier.
Illustration in Entertainment Beyond Art
Last but certainly not least, if you’re considering an illustration degree, you won’t want to overlook potential career paths in video design and film/animation. In both of these disciplines, there is an ongoing need for experienced illustrators to make games and movies more entertaining to a diverse range of audiences.
Video Game Design
Do you love immersing yourself in a great video game? If so, consider a career as a game illustrator, where you will be responsible for drawing the scenery, objects, and even characters that make up some of the most popular games in the world. In this line of work, you’ll do a great deal of character design illustration that requires drawing and representing the human body.
A proficiency in the software programs and tools used to create video game characters and similar components will be essential when working in video game design. This includes such programs as Adobe Illustrator, Sketchbook, and Procreate.
Film and Animation
On the other hand, if you prefer to take your artistic talents elsewhere, consider a role as an illustrator in film and animation. Often, knowledgeable and skilled illustrators are needed on film sets and in pre-production to turn ideas into reality.
Consider working as an illustrator on an animated film alongside storyboard artists and other professionals. This type of collaborative work is all about strong communication skills and the ability to take on a team mindset.
Study Illustration and More at RMCAD
Turn your vision into reality as an illustration is an incredible skill that will take you far in life. Whether you’re interested in transforming data into infographics for better visualization or are curious about technical drawing careers, the reality is that the need for visual communication exists across all industries.
Ready to sharpen your illustration skills and bring your creativity to life? Explore an illustration degree at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. We offer a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration degree program that can provide you with the foundational skills you need to create inspiring illustrations across many spectrums and fields. This program is offered both in-person and online, so you can choose the what is best for you. Reach out to request more information about RMCAD’s illustration program today, or get started by filling out our online application today!
