Illustration Career Resources
The Career Center has built this page to provide you with valuable advice and resources relevant to Illustration. Explore and take advantage of what you find here to maximize your career readiness!
Common Career Paths for Illustration Majors
If you are still trying to explore and evaluate your career path, you can check out this selected list of common job titles that alumni often pursue. Please keep in mind, this is not meant to be exhaustive. Rather, you can consider it a starting point to explore options in the field.
Concept Artist / Visual Development Artist - Visualize and develop initial ideas and designs for characters, environments, and props in industries like video games, film, and animation.
Editorial Illustrator - Create images that accompany articles and editorial content to enhance storytelling by freelancing for newspapers, magazines, and online publications.
Children's Book Author / Illustrator - Develop illustrations and narratives for children's books through visuals that engage and educate young readers, often on a contract basis.
Storyboard Artist - Illustrate storyboards that visually map out scenes and sequences, helping directors and producers visualize the final product in film, TV, advertising, or gaming industries.
Background Artist / Designer - Design the backgrounds or environments in which characters and scenes are set in animation and video games.
Character Artist / Designer - Create the visual appearance and personality of characters for various forms of media, such as animation, video games, films, and more.
Graphic Designer - Develop logos, branding visuals, infographics, promotional content, motion graphics, and other designs using a mixture of illustration and graphic design skill sets.
Surface Pattern Designer - Design repeating patterns for textiles, wallpaper, stationery, and other products by utilizing artistic skills with an understanding of design and market trends.
Art Director - Oversee creative projects, manage teams of artists, and ensure visual consistency and quality across projects. This role often requires years of professional experience and creative project management.
Medical / Scientific Illustrator - Make illustrations and diagrams that explain complex medical or scientific concepts for textbooks, journals, research papers, and educational materials. Often performed in a freelance capacity.
Animator - Create the illusion of movement by compositing a sequence of static images or frames, working in various industries such as film, television, video games, advertising, and design.
Fine Artist - Produce original artwork that express a unique vision, concept, or idea. Work may be exhibited and sold via galleries, museums, art fairs, and private collections.
Art Educator - Teach and guide students of various ages in developing their artistic skills and knowledge, often through work in educational settings such as schools, colleges, universities, community art centers, and museums.
Places Where Students Have Recently Interned - A Selected List
This is a curated list of places where students have done internships in the last few years.
Internships, Jobs, & Opportunities
Find jobs, internships, and other opportunities related to your major.
Organizations, Directories, & Communities
This is a curated selection of communities and organizations that are relevant to the field.
American Illustration - American Photography
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Association of Medical Illustrators
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
Organization of Black Designers
Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies
Explore this selection of internal grant and fellowship opportunities available to RISD students.
RISD Managed Grants and Awards
Student & Alumni Stories
Read these stories of students and alumni expressing their creativity in the professional world.
The Society of Illustrators Recognizes RISD Students and Recent Alums
Ilana Savdie Exhibits at the Whitney
Alums Build Their Creative Practice
Social Justice and Sustainability Front and Center for RISD Maharam Fellows
CreativeStudy
This free online video learning platform is presented by creatives who have dedicated their lives to sharing knowledge on financial and business topics. Use your RISD Single Sign On credentials to access it!
Learn About Being a Freelance Illustrator
RISD alumna and long-time freelancer Jackie Ferrentino 15 IL partnered with the Career Center to create this talk highlighting best practices on how to be a successful freelance illustrator