professional organizations by discipline
Getting connected with other creatives in your industry is SO important as a digital artist and designer. Networking is a really important strategy to develop your work, grow your career, and find the best opportunities in your field. Below are some professional organizations broken down my discipline. Each has a variety of membership levels, and many have multiple conferences at the national, regional, and local levels. Check ‘em out!
Graphic Design:
AIGA: The Professional Association for Graphic Design
2D Animation/Motion Graphics:
3D Animation/Gaming:
GAIN: Game Artist International Network
Video:
American Society of Cinematographers
Photography:
Professional Photographers of Washington
Photographic Society of America
SPE: Society of Photographic Education
Illustration:
portfolio reviews + Critiques
It is so important to continue to grow, evolve, and update your portfolio. But sometimes it can be a challenge to critique your own work. There are sites online where you can have your portfolio reviewed by other artists and art directors, or you can have work critiqued to help you continue on your digital design journey!
3X3 Illustration Portfolio Reviews: These reviews are not free, but the plus side is that your work will be reviewed by an actual art director who has the power to hire you for work. Most of the time they are editorial art directors, so it helps if your portfolio is editorial illustration work.
Behance: Portfolio Reviews: You should have a behance portfolio! And if you do, you should definitely consider submitting it for review here. This is a place where you can share your work with fellow professional artists and creatives, and get feedback.
National Portfolio Day: Educators from all over the globe participate in these portfolio reviews, This can be a great way to get fresh eyes on your work and get some feedback about current portfolio.
Graphic Design Forum - The Crit Pit. This forum is full of professional and aspiring graphic designers. This is a great place to post finished work, works in progress, or ideas and get feedback and suggestions.
SVS Learn - Illustration Forum and Feedback: SVS learn is an amazing resource and the forum is very active with professional as well as aspiring illustrators. This is a great place to get feedback or find new challenges and prompts to build up your portfolio.
Polycount Forum: 3D Modeling Feedback: Perfect for 3D modelers and animators to share their work and get feedback from industry professionals. This forum is also a great place to network and meet others in the field.
JOb opportunities
Finding jobs or gigs in digital design can vary wildly. Some fields are contract based and you do lots of freelancing while others can be staff positions at larger companies or smaller start ups. If you are not sure where to start looking for internships, job opportunities, or gigs, the links below can help you get started.
Indeed.com - A lot of different companies and industries post their job opportunities and internships on indeed. It is a massive site and very easy to search. When using this resource, make sure you navigate into the various filters to turn the opportunities you are most interested in. Get creative with keywords to find job listings that spark your interest!
LinkedIn.com - I know it feels like a social network for stuffy business types, but LinkedIn is actually a great way to find gig work, internships, and new opportunities. It is also a fantastic way to build a network with other professionals in your field. Just like with indeed, be sure to use those filters to narrow your search and explore a LOT of keywords to find the best results.
AIGA Design Jobs - As mentioned before, professional organizations and networks are AWESOME places to find support and opportunities. Design specific jobs are often posted here, and this is a good resource to have bookmarked.
Upwork.com - Upwork is a freelancing site that has all sorts of gigs listed. Everything you can imagine in terms of digital design and new media. Some of the opportunities are better than others, so use your best judgement and discernment. When you are starting out in freelance, this can be a good way to bill some client work and get familiar with that process.