High paying careers in art include art director, art agent, and many others curated in this blog post. If you aim to pursue a career in art, the information provided in this article will guide you toward making the best decision.
I’m not very good at guesses but for you to be here reading this now then I’m guessing that you are either considering pursuing an art major or already pursuing one and want to see what jobs the field holds. Whichever of the reasons, stated here or not, brings you here, then you are at the right place and will be getting the necessary information that will help you make better-informed decisions.
Talking about decisions, a lot of it goes into which career you want to pursue. Some start to make this decision from high school or after then go ahead to either pursue a degree or go to vocational school depending on the qualification and skill type their respective career choice may require.
If you are still having a hard time making a decision on the career to pursue, our article on job-oriented courses after 12th grade can help shed new light on careers you can consider thus hastening your decision-making.
Having said that, art is one of the oldest and most important fields in the world and will continue to remain relevant for the longest time. It is a part and parcel of our daily life that we cannot do without. From the clothes we wear to the websites we visit and so many other things, art is involved and plays a major role.
The necessity of this industry – art – has created so many jobs and as the world advances, jobs in the art space advance, and even more are being recreated. From sculptures and paintings – which are still relevant to date – it has advanced to graphics design. There is art everywhere you look and wherever you are.
With this, you may want to consider pursuing a career in arts, that is, if you haven’t begun to consider it because there are endless opportunities for you to explore and you will become relevant for as long as possible. So, if you are passionate about art or you are a creative who wants to develop your potential to the fullest or you are simply in for the money, then this page will provide you with what you are looking for.
Curated in this article is a list of top careers in art that pay well which you can use as a guide to finding a befitting career in art to get into. Through this article, you can find various career options in art that come with high pay, thus, you get to do what you love while making a six-figure salary annually.
However, to get a high-paying job in art, you must acquire a degree in art or have a lot of experience in that field. Most universities offer a wide range of art degree majors and minors, so getting a degree in art is not so hard to find. If you can afford it, you may want to consider getting your art degree from a reputable art school like one of the art schools in London or from one of the art schools in New York.
Getting a reputable art degree will make you stand above the competition in the art industry, thus, bigger and better opportunities may come to you.
Art Careers That Pay Well
Here, I have listed and discussed the best careers in art with high pay to help you decide on which specific field to study. For each of the art careers, the responsibilities involved and the average annual salary is included to help steer you in the right direction. Without any further ado, let’s dive in.
- User Experience (UX) Designer
- Art Director
- Architect
- Fashion Designer
- Store Planner
- Creative Director
- Product Designer
- Interior Designer
- Editor
- Animator
1. User Experience (UX) Designer
I had to make this first on the list just to re-emphasize how far art has advanced. UI/UX is where tech meets art, it is a popular and important tech role and you probably have heard about it. This career may be fully tech-related but it has a lot to do with art because of the amount of creativity involved in it. To become a UX designer you can earn the degree from a top collect, learn and gain the skill online, or enroll in a trade school.
As a UX designer, you get to work with teams, create wireframes, sitemaps, and more including collaborating with the product team and the client. They are also responsible for the user experience, that is the part consumers interact with, in a digital product. The average salary of a UX designer is $90,967 per year.
2. Art Director
Art Director is one of the high-paying art careers that you can get into but you are going to need a master’s degree since it is a senior role. As an art director, you can work in media firms where you will be in charge of a team of creatives who plan visual styles such as printing ads, directing TV commercials, product packaging, and film productions.
Aside from media firms, art directors can also work in advertising and PR agencies, newspaper companies, and design firms. A degree in advertising can help you break into this role. The average annual salary of an art director is $89,760 per year.
3. Architect
Architecture is a profession that will never fade out because infrastructures are still being designed and no matter how modern or traditional the structure may seem, there is a professional hand of an architect in it. As an architect, you will use your skills in design to create visual plans for new buildings that meet the needs of clients, work with engineers, and manage construction projects.
The average salary of an architect is $76,100 per year. To enter this profession, you need, at least, a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
4. Fashion Designer
I know you’ve been waiting to see this on the list and, finally, here it is. You already know the duties of a fashion designer but if you don’t they are the creatives behind all the beautiful clothing, jewelry, and accessories we wear.
To become a fashion designer, you may acquire a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or get a diploma in fashion design at a vocational institute. There are also free online fashion design courses you can apply for to help you get familiar with the industry before going into it or help refresh your memory if you are already in the profession. The average salary of a fashion designer is $63,670 per year.
5. Store Planner
A store planner creates store sales, manages new openings, and is deeply involved in a company’s sales and inventory analysis. If you aim to become a store planner, you have to be creative or learn to by earning a degree in art and have excellent communication, as well as leadership skills because you will be managing a team and communicating with clients and stakeholders. The average salary of a store planner is $73,013 per year making it one of the careers in art that pay well.
6. Creative Director
A creative director is quite similar to art director, you can easily switch between both professions depending on what the company is looking for. The duties of a creative director include developing branding strategies and campaigns, monitoring trends, and overseeing the entire company’s creative team.
Creative directors, aside from having a degree in art, must have great communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills. The average salary of a creative director is $86,729 per year.
7. Product Designer
Product designers are almost similar to UX designers and it is also one of the careers in the art that combines with tech. As a product designer, you will be tasked with designing consumer products both digital and non-digital. They manage teams of designers which include programmers, UX designers, and graphics designers, together, they research, design, and produce a product to full completion and make it market-ready.
Product designers must have excellent communication and leadership skills and be creative and have an eye for detail. The average salary of a product designer is $97,162 per year which makes it one of the highest-paying art careers listed here.
8. Interior Designer
Interior Designers are professionals tasked with making interior spaces functional, safe, and beautiful for almost every type of building by decorating them with the right items. You can get a bachelor’s degree in interior design or, if you want to enter the profession faster, then you can go to a community college or a vocational institute to earn an associate degree or a diploma in interior design.
You can also take some online interior design classes to gain a basic understanding and knowledge before fully diving into the field.
9. Editor
If you have excellent writing skills, you can consider developing and strengthening that potential and developing yourself into a fine editor. A bachelor’s degree can help you break into this role and earn up to $76,400 per year. Editors are professionals that proofread and edit novels, articles, blog posts, magazines, newspapers, etc.
10. Animator
Animation is another art career that meets tech. Animators are artists that produces cartoons, and anime and is involved in film production. You must have strong technical skills and a good eye for detail to become an animator. In some cases, a degree may not be required for this profession but your talent and experience. The average salary of an animator is $86,220 per year.
Not all of the art careers here require a degree to get into them, especially the tech-based careers. You could take online training courses from Udemy or any online learning platform to get those skills. However, if you do have a degree, it will make potential clients see you as more professional and you can take up managerial positions in the company.