A multimedia artist is a person who is skilled in graphic technology programs and creates designs and effects for digital media. They would typically have studied a technology or design-related discipline that would allow them to create illustrations, graphic design, and/or computer animation.
This type of artist typically works in a specific medium, such as television, video games, video, 3D animation, etc., so they will be highly specialized and skilled in certain areas of graphic design. Whichever medium they work in, they focus on creating a cohesive look, feel, and layout for the graphic portion of the project.
Multimedia artists use a variety of technologies and artistic techniques to create advertising, special effects, website design, and even animation to create unique work that engages users. Their daily responsibilities may include:
Creating graphics/illustration/animation using computer programs
Developing storyboards to plan storylines and graphics to go with them
Editing animations and effects based on feedback from art directors, graphic designers and fellow design team members
Conceptualize, assemble and create various forms of 2D and 3D digital art for projects
Creating and installing special effects
Collaborate with other designers and clients to assess the needs of a specific project or campaign
Misconceptions about multimedia artists
The job title indicates a person who develops art, but it’s important to remember that this position is very technology-oriented. Multimedia artists need to have good computer software and even coding skills, and they need to be savvy in keeping up with the latest design and animation technologies. While a good understanding of design is an important element of these types of roles, technological know-how is an absolute must.
Important indicators for a multimedia artist
Demographics.
To create quality graphics, videos, and images for the web, it’s important to know who the key demographics are, e.g. local or international? Then it’s important to think about the graphics and cultural norms for that audience.
Views and landing rates
This metric is especially important when Multimedia Artists are responsible for creating interactive experiences, such as videos or online games. It shows the popularity of a particular experience and if/when users tried to leave the experience at certain points to know what to improve in the future.
Feedback.
This can be from the client or the audience that the graphical experience is aimed at. Feedback can be assessed through online comments, direct communication, or even a survey. The results of the feedback will be crucial to know what worked and what didn’t, and how to get better in the future.