Why Study Art and Design?
What it says in the National Curriculum about Art
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
What is said by successful people?
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” – Steve Jobs
What the Government Figures from 2017 say
Fact: The Creative Industries in the UK are worth around £87 billion a year, and the creative economy is growing at almost twice the rate of the rest of the UK economy.
Fact: During the recession in 2011, the creative industries were the only part of the economy that continued to grow. And since then, exports and imports of creative services to and from the UK have grown 44% and 38% respectively.
World of Work
There are many careers that involve the creative subjects.
What creative industries can I work in if I took art-based subjects at GCSE?
Employment opportunities can be grouped into:
- advertising and marketing
- architecture
- crafts
- design
- fashion
- film, TV, video, radio and photography
- museums, galleries and libraries
- music, performing and visual arts
Areas of design include:
- exhibition
- graphic
- industrial
- interior
- landscape
- product
- textiles
Possible Graduate employers
Advertising – AMV BBDO, Grey London, Leo Burnett, McCann
Cultural heritage – English Heritage, National Trust, National Museum Wales, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Galleries of Scotland
Design – Jaguar Land Rover, Harrods, AKQA, Big Active
Fashion – Arcadia, ASOS, Burberry, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Next
Film/TV – Ealing Studios, Endemol Shine UK, Pinewood Studios, Sony Pictures, ITV, BBC, Channel 4