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That is what I thought back in the day. In Senior High, the Visual Arts class was seen as the class for underachievers; the course you settled for when you badly wanted to be in the school but didn’t make the grades necessary to be admitted to the Science or Business classes. Parents and ‘well-wishers’ would question the ambition and seriousness of a child who actually wanted to study Visual Arts. But fast forward 10-15 years, it’s funny who the joke is on now.

Really skilled Art Directors, Motion Graphic Artists and Graphic Designers are raking in more money than Doctors in Ghana! A standard brand book will go no less thank GHC 6K and up to GHC 60K, a logo design between GHC 1.5K and GHC12k, all this while delivering on his main agency job.

Visual Arts is the most natural gateway to Design, which is a critical function, not just in an agency but in an economy. If the private sector is going to rub shoulders with the best brands from around the world, then they sure do need someone who can help them look the part. Design is also one of those few crafts that are useful to every other sector, making them very relevant to a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda.

If we don’t change our attitude to artistic children who would rather draw than recite mathematical formulae, we better not complain about our plagiarized Ghana @ 60 and Electoral commission logos or the mediocre ones for ‘Made in Ghana’ or the Premier League.

Young people contemplating what they’d like to be one day should identify Advertising as something really cool! Maybe if Agencies published rate cards and top players in the industry share their pay slips, parents will suddenly become very supportive of their kids’ drawing passions.

But that’s even the better case scenario. Copywriters are the other half of a creative team. There are fewer great copywriters than there are honest politicians and yet it’s the ability to craft your business’ proposition in a way that almost guarantees a desired action that may make all the difference in a customer’s buying decision.

An average copywriter can charge GHC 800- GHC1000 for a decent radio ad. A great 5 minute documentary script can go for as much as GHC 5000! When you’re good at it, designing and writing in advertising pay really well.

There are the Community Managers, Strategists, Traffic Managers and Account Managers (all roles in an Ad Agency) as well who make good money too. I’m writing this so that if you know anyone who writes or draws for a hobby, or is good with words or is strategic in thinking and creative, you mention Advertising to them. They will love it!

Lastly if you laughed at a Visual Arts student back in SHS and he’s a good designer now, find him and apologize. He’s likely doing better than most of the people in the science classes.