A graphic designer and a digital artist aren't the same thing. Surprised?
I get this question all the time. I am a graphic designer, but I don't consider myself a digital artist. Let me explain.
What Is A Graphic Designer?
A graphic designer uses typography, photography and illustration to visually communicate and problem solve. A graphic designer's job includes creating logos, branding, magazine layouts, advertising, web design, product packaging, road and building signage and any other form of visual communication. Essentially, a huge part of a graphic designer's job is to merge typography and illustration.
Examples of graphic design jobs include:
Logo Design
Typography
Advertisements
Website Design
What Is A Digital Artist?
A digital artist is an individual who creates digital art. Similarly to traditional artists, they are creative and usually enjoy drawing or painting.
Examples of digital artist jobs include:
Game Visual Art Design
Digital Painting
Photo Editing
3D Modeling
Illustration and digital painting are usually what people think of when they hear "digital artist." Whether the artist uses Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, or any other software. In the example above, I included a messy piece I drew on Adobe Illustrator based on a photo I took.
Some people would consider all digital photography digital art, but it has been agreed that digital photography can be considered digital art with editing in Photoshop or in anyway altering the original photo. For example, adding 3D text to a photograph would make the photograph digital art.
Can You Be Both?
Yes. You can definitely be considered both a digital artist and a graphic designer. The main difference between a digital artist and a graphic designer is that a digital artist doesn't need to incorporate typography or text into their work. A graphic designer and a digital artist communicates very differently. They may often even achieve things quite similarly.
It may be confusing and difficult to understand, but a graphic designer would be responsible for layout a magazine and a digital artist would create the artwork that would be handed over to the designer to go into the magazine. It is very impressive to be both a graphic designer and digital artist.
Why I Don't Consider Myself A Digital Artist
Art is a form of expressing imagination and creating something visually pleasing in order to evoke emotion. Design is a process of understanding a problem and providing a solution that may not always require it to be visually pleasing. Amazon.com is a great example of graphic design not being visually pleasing. It is, however, a successful design. A graphic designer connects conversation between a business and their consumers. I personally wouldn't consider myself a digital artist because I consider myself more skillful in problem solving and using typography.
Both graphic designers and digital artists require skill and dedication. I don't believe either is better than another.
What a great article! Just like you, I don't consider myself a digital artist. I have tried putting the above into words a million times and I have never done it that well! I usually go on a tangent about how I work really well with the technology and I often just receive black stares. Now I have a better way to explain it!