The Role of a Commercial Artist

The job position of commercial artist is one which is varied in nature. The commercial artist works with various promotions and commercial companies to help bring their image to light. A commercial artist is one who takes the goal of a company and portrays it to the public.

For those individuals who may be interested in the job position of commercial artist, the following will provide a brief overview of the general responsibilities and specific duties which a commercial artist completes in their daily job role.

What Is a Commercial Artist?

A commercial artist is an individual with an art background who produces art design for promotional materials and commercials. A company or corporation will hire a commercial artist to portray their message to the world via some specific medium. A commercial artist will take on many different duties and usually work with a company from start to finish on a particular ad campaign.

General Responsibilities of a Commercial Artist

There are a few main general responsibilities which go along with the role of a commercial artist. In general, a commercial artist must meet with clients to determine their visions, create artistic layouts and designs, follow the development of such layouts and designs and produce a top quality finished product to the client. A commercial artist is responsible for following the project from start to finish to ensure that the goal of the company is realized through the commercial artist’s creation.

Specific Duties of a Commercial Artist

The commercial artist has many specific duties concomitant with their job role. The first is to meet with clients to determine what type of product they are looking to have created by the commercial artist. They will speak with the clients, review proposed plans and offer suggestions as the best way to get started with the creation. The commercial artist will continue to confer with clients along the way to ensure that they are getting exactly what they are paying for with regard to the artistic creation and determine any changes which need to be made.

Another specific duty of the commercial artist is to develop a layout for the proposed artistic creation. The commercial artist will take the vision of the client and figure out the best way to portray such a vision to the public. This will take research, time and frequently many tries to get it completely correct. In addition, while in the creation process, the commercial artist will often need to use numerous computer programs to design the specific layouts.

Commercial artists may not work alone. Frequently a commercial artist will have a team that they work alongside as projects of this nature often take a bit of time to complete. Some commercial artists may be responsible for supervising their team and ensuring that everything gets completed correctly and in a timely fashion.

A commercial artist will also have to photograph items from time to time. Since layouts will change quite frequently, it is important that the commercial artist documents each layout with photographs. Therefore, commercial artists should possess adequate photography skills.

While the commercial artist is developing his/her creations, they must make illustrations, diagrams and charts of such creations along the way. These illustrations, diagrams and charts will be used to show the clients how the project is coming along. Also, by creating such illustrations one who is a commercial artist can determine whether they are staying in touch with the client’s vision and can make any changes that are needed to do so.

One who is a commercial artist must also make presentations to the clients on a frequent basis. The presentations will detail how the project is coming along and any issues that have arisen during the planning of the project. This is a great time for the commercial artist to answer any questions regarding the project as well. The presentations may be brief or long, depending on the topics that are being discussed.

Positive Traits for a Commercial Artist to Possess

There are a few different positive traits which all commercial artists will find it in their best interest to possess. The first, and perhaps most important one, is creativity. Creativity is a major component in the job role of a commercial artist. It is the profession of commercial artistry where creativity provides an important factor to the overall job. If a commercial artist lacks in the creativity department, they may be less likely to come up with new and innovative ideas which would therefore fail to impress clients.

Another important trait for a commercial artist to possess is attentiveness to details. Since the commercial artist will most likely be working off of the desired goal of a client, it is important that the commercial artist pays attention to the details and knows what in fact the client is looking to accomplish.

One who is a commercial artist will also have to deal with a large number of individuals so it is important that the individual is a people person. By being a people person, the commercial artist will feel comfortable in group situations where they will need to interact in a smooth, easy manner. Feeling comfortable in public settings and with large groups of individuals will enable the commercial artist to carry out their duties in an effective way.

Commercial artists should also be wonderful public speakers. The commercial artist will need to give presentations to clients and other employees regarding the projects which they are working on. If a commercial artist is a good public speaker, they will be able to get their ideas and thoughts across in a clear and concise manner.

Being analytical in nature is another positive trait for commercial artists to possess. Frequently the commercial artist will have to analyze not only layouts and products but situations as well. If a commercial artist is analytical, they will find this task to be much easier than if they did not have this positive attribute.

Computer literacy with art programs and various workshop programs will help a commercial artist out in the field as well. Since computers often play a large role in the profession of commercial art, it is important that the commercial artist is well versed in this area.

Conclusion

A commercial artist is an individual who not only has to be good in the art arena but must deal well with others also. They need to be creative in nature and able to actively pursue fresh ideas and new ways to portray a client’s vision. The position of commercial artist allows the individual to use their artistic visions to bring about the desired results of their client.