Do you have creative flair and like to use your imagination? Maybe you enjoy designing or making things using different materials? If you have good practical ability, or always have some sort of creative idea going through your head, then art and design is a great career area for you to think about.
Artists and designers are involved in designing and creating almost everything we buy, from book covers to high fashion and furniture. They create works of art in many different forms, from paintings and textiles to sculptures and photographs.
The government estimates that creative industries generated £126bn in gross value added to the economy and employed 2.4 million people in 2022.1
There is a wide range of careers in art and design!
You can work in areas such as furniture design, book illustration, animation, or household appliance design to fashion design and special effects for films and TV.
Art and design roles fall into the following areas: 3 dimensional design, fashion or textile design, fine art or graphic design, interior design or display and photography.
To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.
Possible employers include:
There is a huge amount of competition for full time work in the art and design world, with many people working on a self-employed or part time basis. According to the Prospects website, the creative industries are mostly made up of small companies, the majority employing 10 people or fewer.
Art and Design graduates often find it takes time, and relevant work experience, to build up a portfolio and develop the contacts for freelance or commissioned work. So, it’s not always easy to make a living, and many artists take on other jobs with a steady income so they can survive when freelance work is in short supply.
Design in the UK is at the forefront of new developments, with design services increasingly employed in healthcare, for the digital age, or for services.
The UK Government aims to grow the creative industries by an extra £50 billion while creating one million extra jobs by 2030. 2
In the UK, as of March 2024, there were 47,400 people working as artists, 131,000 as graphic and multimedia designers, and 89,000 in design occupations including interior designers, and clothing, fashion and accessories designers. 3
Employment in the Creative Industries growth sector stood at 88,000 in 2022, accounting for 3.4% of employment in Scotland and 5.4% of employment in Creative Industries across Great Britain. Employment in this sector increased by 11.4% over the latest year in Scotland. 4
In March 2023, there were 13,030 registered enterprises operating in the Creative Industries growth sector, representing 7.5% of all registered business in Scotland. 4
Why not take a look at the Discover Creative Careers website for information on getting into the arts? You will find information specifically about visual arts and crafts careers. You can also find detailed information about entry into the animation careers by visiting the ScreenSkills website.
1 Contribution of the arts to society and the economy, (26 January 2024), UK Parliament House of Lords Library
2 Creative Industries Sector Vision: A joint plan to drive growth, build talent and develop skills, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (June 2023)
3 Annual Population Survey - Occupation by sex, employment status and full/part time - UK, Nomis (March 2024)
4 Growth Sector Briefing – Creative Industries, (14 March 2024), Scottish Government
5 What do graduates do? Prospects in association with AGCAS (2023/24)
6? Market Report, A Snapshot of your Market Sector - Jewellery Design and Retail (November 2023), Business Gateway
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