Career Research

Web Designer

A web designer plans, creates and codes web pages, to produce a website that responds to the client/ customers brief.

Responsibilities

·       Meeting clients to identify their needs

·       Designing mock ups of page layouts including text size and colours

·       Designing graphics, animations and manipulating digital photographs

·       Presenting initial and concept design ideas to clients

·       Coding using a variety of software

·       Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

·       Meeting legal requirements e.g: ‘accessibility standards, freedom of information and privacy’

·       Designing a website's visual appearance, ensuring it matches the ethos of the company branding policy/ meets the requirements of the client

·       Editing content and re-designing web pages

·       Working with other web specialists including web developers and graphic designers

·       Testing the finalised website on multiple platforms to ensure it is working

·       Keeping up-to-date with current design trends

·       Self-directed professional development to keep up to date with new software developments.

Qualifications

·       Graphic design

·       Information technology

·       Fine art

·       Web design

Art Therapist

Art therapists use visual art media to help people who may struggle to communicate verbally to express their feelings and help overcome difficult situations.

·       Work creatively with various client groups in a therapeutic setting, creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment

·       enable clients to explore their artwork and the process they used to create it;

·       Assess and understand the feelings or temperament of others

·       Challenge the behaviour and attitude of your clients to lead to underlining cause

·       Maintain art therapy materials

·       Explore opportunities for work where it may not currently exist

·       Be able to sell reasons why professions should employ an art therapist

·       Keep up to date with developments as an Art Therapist by attending seminars, lectures, and workshops.

Qualifications

To become an art therapist, you have to be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). To register, you must successfully complete an HCPC approved postgraduate qualification in art therapy or art psychotherapy. All UK approved courses lead to a professional qualification and eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC and membership of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT).

Postgraduate courses in art therapy.

·       Will have a first degree in fine art, visual arts or art and design.

·       Social work

·       Education

·       Psychology

·       Nursing

Medical Illustrator

Medical illustrators produce resources such as photography and graphic images for professionals involved in patient care, teaching, education and research. There are four specialist areas: 

·       Clinical photography;

·       Graphic design;

·       Medical art;

·       Videography.

As a medical illustrator, you'll be categorised as a healthcare scientist and employed primarily by:

·       Hospitals;

·       Medical schools;

·       Research establishments;

·       Specialist publishers.

Responsibilities

Work varies according on the size of that hospital department or private company. A hospital department usually has multiple medical illustrators and  one member of staff who specialises in video filming and production.

As a clinical photographer or videographer you will:

·       Produce photographs or films of patients and process the images or fil

·       Specialise in specific areas of photography, e.g. bereavement photography or forensic photography

·       use computers to download, edit and process digital images or films, using software packages such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or Kodak Photo Desk

As an artist or graphic designer you will:

·       Produce artwork and designs for posters and patient information leaflets

·       Create presentations, posters illustrations and slides of patients and treatment procedures for use in lectures, conferences and medical journals;

·       design websites, such as hospital trusts' websites, for patients, doctors and the general public;

Qualifications

The profession is making each area of work more specialised and professionally recognised, so it is important to check with the relevant professional body about the required qualifications.

Relevant degree and HND subjects include:

·       clinical photography;

·       graphic design/illustration;

·       medical illustration;

·       photography.

Graphic Designer

A graphic designer works on a variety of products and activities, such as websites, advertising, books, magazines, posters, computer games, product packaging, exhibitions and displays, corporate communications and corporate identity.

Responsibilities

·       Meeting clients or account managers to discuss the business objectives and requirements of the job

·       Estimating the time required to complete the work and providing quotes for clients

·       Developing design briefs to fit the client's needs

·       Produce new ideas and concepts then developing them into interactive design

·       Presenting finalised ideas and concepts to clients

·       Keeping up to date with emerging technologies;

·       Demonstrating illustrative skills with rough sketches and working on layouts ready for print

·       Working as part of a team with printers, copywriters, photographers, stylists, illustrators, other designers, account executives, web developers and marketing specialists.

Qualifications

Relevant subjects for graphic design work include those that involve visual arts. A degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:

·       3D design; 

·       communication design;

·       film/television;

·       fine art;

·       graphic design;

·       illustration;

·       photography;

·       visual art.

Illustrator

In this career, you will need to be able to use creative skills in art and design to communicate a story, message or idea. You will be working to a briefs to inform, persuade or entertain a client's intended audience, adjusting the mood and style of images to suit the audience.

Types of illustrator

Work is predominantly freelance, and possible markets include:

·       Advertising - advertising posters, storyboards, press

·       Publishing- books

·       Corporate work - brochures, catalogues

·       Editorial - magazines, newspapers and comics

·       Merchandising - greetings cards, calendars, t-shirts, ceramics, etc

·       Multimedia - TV, film, computer games, websites, apps, animation.

Responsibilities

·       Working with clients, editors and authors to understand and interpret their business needs

·       Having knowledge of appropriate styles (research)

·       Discussing pricing and deadlines

·       Creatively produce new ideas

·       Creating designs by using the traditional hand skills and other methods, to meet design briefs

·       Redefining a brief through meetings with the clients

·       Work to a set time and often having tight deadlines

·       Creating original pieces of design to us for self-promotion

Qualifications:

·       Fine art

·       Graphic design and illustration

·       Printmaking

·       Visual art