What is Commercial and Fine Arts? Courses, Colleges & Career Opportunities in 2023

Drawing, sculpting and painting – arts that beautify, inspire and provoke us, have long been a classic and well-respected career. Commercial art isn’t exactly as glamorous as fine art, but it’s fast becoming a popular source of income for those with a creative bent of mind.

The art here is applied to various media, mainly with the purpose of advertising. However, it involves more than art – it requires knowledge of marketing and publicity.

Commercial art is art that is created for commercial purposes, such as advertising, product design, or packaging. It is typically created to sell a product or service, and it is often created by teams of artists and designers.

Fine art, on the other hand, is art that is created for aesthetic purposes, and it is typically created by individual artists. Fine art is not typically created to sell a product or service, and it is often intended to be appreciated for its beauty or its message.

If you are interested in a career in art, it is important to decide whether you want to focus on commercial art or fine art. Both fields offer unique opportunities and challenges, and the best choice for you will depend on your individual interests and goals.

Commercial and Fine Arts Essential Traits

  • Natural interest and talent
  • Formal training that complements such talent
  • Taking joy in the act of imagination and creation
  • Practical enough to be relevant, but radical enough to make a statement. 

In today’s’ technologically advanced world a commercial artists requires skills in many areas such as illustration,graphic design and art directing because many of the skills needed overlap with each other.

The artist should also have good knowledge of computers and graphic arts programs including,

  • QuarkXPress
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • PageMaker

Another important skill is knowledge of print production and graphic arts.

Career Scope & Job Prospects

Fine Arts Jobs may be found in:

  • Art studios 
  • Advertising companies 
  • Publishing houses 
  • Fashion houses 
  • Freelance projects

These may encompass fields such as:

  • Teaching
  • Direction
  • Photography 
  • Television 
  • Clothing and fashion Art directors for magazines 
  • On-line services Software companies 
  • Publishing houses 
  • Manufacturers 
  • Advertising 
  • Promotion and product design

Also, commercial artists are of great demand in museums, non-profit institutions, churches, department stores, colleges, publishing companies, law firms, printing companies, cataloguing houses as well as advertising companies, television stations, computer companies, design firms and movie companies. The pay-package is no less encouraging; some are offered quite good salary along with other perks and benefits.

Salary Package

The salary of a commercial artist varies from industry to industry. The factor also depends on whom you work for, your position there, the type of commercial artist you are and location. For an entry-level position requiring a degree in commercial art and computer knowledge, the salary ranges from Rs.10, 000 to Rs.20,000 per month. 

Senior positions like Associates, assistant designers and art directors with three or four years of experience get monthly salary somewhere between Rs.20,000 – Rs.30,000. Creative directors, top designers and art directors with ten years of experience can command high five-figure and mid six-figure salaries per month. One who starts his/her own venture in commercial art enjoys the earnings which even go beyond expectations. 

Top Colleges/Institutes for Commercial and Fine Arts Courses

College/InstituteCity
Sir J.J. Institute of Applied ArtMumbai
Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of BarodaBaroda
Kala Bhavan, Visva-BharatiShantiniketan
Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi
College of ArtNew Delhi
National Gallery of Modern ArtNew Delhi

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