Profiles of Schools/Colleges in Colorado (CO) Offering Animation, Design, Gaming, and Media Related Programs

The city of Fort Collins, Colorado has an exceptionally strong local arts culture and many resident visual artists landing positions as illustrators for books, magazines, product packaging, brand logos, technical charts and many other commercial and industrial visual creations.  Fort Collins businesses maintain an ongoing demand for local talent in this highly specialized field.

The city of Colorado Springs, Colorado features a flowering arts culture and many thriving commercial businesses.  This is a winning combination for colonies of local artists pursuing careers in illustration design.  Colorado Springs corporations and private enterprises hire illustrators on a regular basis for text-based images, medical charts, technical blueprints, video games, mobile apps and virtually all other graphic media.

Colorado has the highest mean altitude of all states. It is home to fifty-four 14,000-ft mountain peaks (more than any other state), and beautiful Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 205 parks in city limits, and 20,000 acres of parkland in the nearby mountains. The state is filled with amazing scenery and more outdoor sports venues than most other places in the U.S., but did you know that Colorado also has a serious side? This is especially true when it comes to academics! Yes, Colorado is home to some of the nation’s top schools and many of these schools offer excellent programs for aspiring artists and designers of all kinds, including those interested in pursuing a career in the game design & development industry.

Game design & development is one of the fastest growing career fields in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. is now the number one video game market in the world. The game design industry as a whole is expected to generate $68 billion in business in 2012, and the industry employed well over 200,000 game designers in 2010. This figure is expected to increase by three to six percent between now and 2020. Video game designers & developers also earn some of the highest salaries in the U.S., with an average of $80,000 a year. Some designers & developers can earn up to six figures per year.