Commercial artists created and designed the books stacked on bookstore shelves, the store banners, the CD covers and the ads. If you examine the dust jackets and copyright dates for credits, you will find Design by, Photographed by, Illustrated by and the names of the art director and those of his or her assistant. Of thousands of books in a bookstore, no two are likely to have been designed by the same commercial artist. Professional art directors and illustrators designed many of the drawings and paintings in the children's books along the back wall. Commercial photographers, illustrators, designers, computer artists and art directors designed the magazine covers, their interiors, and their advertisements. Each magazine masthead lists art directors, designers, photographers, design associates and assistant art directors. 

In department stores, there is a visual explosion of designs created by commercial artists. Computer artists arrange rooms of furniture and window and fashion displays. They design shopping bags, signs, boxes, catalogs, brochures, perfume bottles, houseware items, electronics, fabrics, and store advertisements and banners that catch your attention as you walk around the store. 

Time Square in New York City is one of my favorite places to see the impact of commercial artists. Virtually everything there, including billboards, movie posters, theater posters, store windows, the electronic light displays, tour buses, taxies, trucks, and road signs, are all in the mix of art created by commercial artists. 

Advice for the talented 

Now that you have a good idea of some of the places commercial art appears, do you want to create commercial art? A student graduating in June asked me to review her portfolio. She is an art major at a liberal arts college. She is artistic and computer literate, using Photoshop, QuarkXPress and Illustrator with considerable control and ease. She was confident as she explained the steps to create an image on a computer. While looking at some of her images I asked her what she wanted to do with her art talent. Do you want to be an illustrator or a graphic designer? She did not answer. I know why she didn't because I experienced the same uncertainty before graduating from college. The ability to create paintings and drawings for museums, books, magazines and posters does mean that you are prepared to work as a commercial artist. My second question to the student was, How do you want this image to print? She looked at me quizzically, not quite understanding my question. Would you print it in four-colors or with a PMS color plus black? She was understandably uncertain. Even though she was computer literate and competent in computer graphic programs, she did not understand graphic art. She did not know, for example, what happens to her art once it leaves her computer? 

I suggested that if she intends to be a computer illustrator she should prepare her portfolio with images usable in the marketplace, i.e., books, magazines. Her portfolio should demonstrate that she can solve editorial problems with her illustration. If she wants to be a designer, she must take an approach in her portfolio that shows that she can solve visual problems such as layouts, changing images and page design. To be an art director, she needs to understand the skills my questions referred to. 

Essentials for today 

Commercial artists need skills in many areas such as illustration, graphic design and art directing because many of the skills needed today overlap. Essential is a good knowledge of computers and graphic arts programs, including QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Illustrator, and PageMaker. Another important skill is knowledge of print production and graphic arts. You must know what happens to your design once it leaves the computer. How to approve color separations, speck type, check printer bluelines, and communicating with printers are all important skills for commercial artists. Most of these skills can be acquired by taking specialized courses, or by training on the job. During my early years as a graphic artist I did both. I took courses at several design schools and learned many things on the job. Many of the design schools across the country as well as design companies and computer companies offer commercial art courses. 

As non-art majors need resumes, art majors need portfolios of their art and designs (two dozen samples should be enough). 

Places for artists to work 

Commercial and graphic artists are used in every sector of business. In corporations, museums, non-profit institutions, churches, department stores, colleges, publishing companies, law firms, printing companies, cataloging houses as well as advertising companies, television stations, computer companies, design firms and movie companies. What is also interesting today is that you no longer need to work in the big metropolitan cities like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Some illustrators whom I have worked with live in the hills and communicate through fax, e-mail and Federal Express. 

The salaries in commercial arts have a wide range depending on whom you work for, your position there, the type of commercial artist you are and location. For entry-level positions requiring a college degree and computer knowledge, salaries range from the high twenties to low thirties. Associates and assistant designers and art directors with three or four years of experience range from the mid-to-high thirties to the mid-forties. Creative directors, top designers and art directors with ten years of experience can command high five-figure and mid six-figure salaries. 

Additional tools of the trade 

In commercial art, you need as many resources as possible as a guide for career enhancement and knowledge. A number of professional organizations that will give free advice and offer programs for students that will help solve problems as well as answer questions about certain fields are available. These organizations offer workshops, special programs and portfolio reviews, scholarship programs and traveling exhibitions. All of these publications have web sites. Below is a listing of organizations you can contact for information and advice: 

• American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).

164 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010 
212-807-1990 
•  For any artist in the graphic arts, illustrators, designers, art directors and  graphic communications 
• Art Directors Club Inc.

250 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003 
212-674-0500 
For art directors in advertising and graphic arts, designers, publications art  directors and photographers. 
• The Society of Illustrators

128 East 63rd Street, New York, NY 10021 
212-668-1500 
For professional illustrators in all categories, children's books, theater, poster artist, etc. 
• The Society of Publication Designers

60 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 
212-983-8585 
For art directors, design directors, creative directors- directly related to  publications of books, magazines, newspapers and brochures.

To have a rewarding career in commercial art will take some work on your part, especially if you did not attend one of the countries' design schools. You will need to fill in the gaps in your education and learn all over again. It is a contentious learning process without a direct route. It may take a few jobs in different places to really decide what you want to do. When I look back on some aspects of my career, I started as a bullpen mechanical artist in a Madison Avenue advertising agency. In the same agency, I became an assistant art director. I taught art a few years, then became a TV graphic artist, cameraman and director. After I graduated from school, I got a job in magazine publishing and there is where I spent the bulk of my career. After 17 years of magazine work of all types, I changed once again and now work in book publishing. It's mainly the same, but yet very different. 

What do you want to do with your art talent? The answer is anything you want to do as long as you prepare for it.