Exploring Art Media

Best Art Lessons for Home and School

Commercial Art

Lesson 57 – Special Occasion Greeting Card

Nature has been manipulating color and design elements since time began. Plants use patterns, colors, details, proportions, and even scents to lure or repel insects. Other life forms also use these art attributes to attract or repulse friends or foes. Today's commercial art is also in the business of promoting, defining, or enhancing a person, product or service.

In advertising, the emphasis is on product desirability, recognition, and information. In product design, the emphasis is on improving and perfecting a product, such as:

  • A soda can label should have a cool, thirst quenching, refreshing appearance.
  • Book illustrations help tell a story.
  • Any art application used for a business activity is considered commercial art.
    • Patterns on fabrics
    • Houseware designs
    • Wall and floor coverings
    • Book and magazine layouts and illustrations
    • Stationery designs
    • Fashion designs and illustrations

Unlike one-of-a-kind original paintings and 3D pieces, commercial art is mass-produced. Each completed design must be camera-ready before mass-production can begin.

The art world's newest tool, the computer, has greatly assisted and advanced the graphic's world. What once took hours of tedious and meticulous effort can now be efficiently accomplished with a keyboard and a mouse. Computers allow for rapid reproduction of art via CD / DVD burners, the Internet, and high-end (and often large-scale) printers.

The following section explores various commercial art applications. Projects can be rendered with free-hand media techniques or with computer assistance.

This section has 21 lessons including: Lettering Designs, Story or Poem Illustrations, and Yellow Page Advertisement Designs.