How to hire a 3d designer

How to hire a 3d designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 3d designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a 3d designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new 3d designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a 3d designer do?

Post a 3d designer job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your 3d designer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a 3d designer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a 3d designer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a 3d designer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of 3d designers.

   Type of 3D Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   3D Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$20-48
   Graphic Designer/Production	A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company... Show more	$16-32
   Graphic Designer, Marketing	A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations... Show more	$16-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Animation
   • Maya
   • Visualization
   • Revit
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Auto CAD
   • Rhino
   • Industrial Design
   • Autodesk
   • Prototyping
   • Unity
   • BIM
   • Design Concepts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Modify SRV-1 source code using JavaScript software to attain tracking at any instantaneous time.
   • Design some jobs using Autodesk.
   • Create conceptual layouts for project visualization.
   • Convert 2D image sketch to 3D model.
   • Create and enter BOM tables on assembly drawings.
   • Correct working BOM for each product working on.

   More 3d designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your 3d designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A 3d designer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a 3d designer in Louisiana may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level 3d designer usually earns less than a senior-level 3d designer. Additionally, a 3d designer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average 3d designer salary

   $65,066yearly

   $31.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level 3d designer salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average 3d designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$96,979	$47
   2	Washington	$92,189	$44
   3	Oregon	$80,366	$39
   4	District of Columbia	$79,275	$38
   5	Massachusetts	$73,407	$35
   6	Pennsylvania	$71,439	$34
   7	New York	$70,634	$34
   8	Nevada	$67,507	$32
   9	Arizona	$67,306	$32
   10	Texas	$67,058	$32
   11	Maryland	$66,357	$32
   12	Illinois	$63,502	$31
   13	Colorado	$60,445	$29
   14	New Mexico	$57,028	$27
   15	Georgia	$57,026	$27
   16	Minnesota	$56,690	$27
   17	Ohio	$56,656	$27

   Average 3d designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Warby Parker	$100,908	$48.51
   2	Nike	$99,626	$47.90	118
   3	General Electric	$90,424	$43.47	9
   4	CVS Health	$88,838	$42.71
   5	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$87,787	$42.21
   6	Square	$82,420	$39.63
   7	Snap	$81,886	$39.37	8
   8	AppLovin	$77,386	$37.20	1
   9	Fidelity Investments	$74,820	$35.97	12
   10	Deloitte	$72,960	$35.08
   11	Pinnacle Technical Resources	$72,574	$34.89	4
   12	Kiewit	$70,160	$33.73	72
   13	General Dynamics	$68,829	$33.09	17
   14	Fitchco	$65,149	$31.32
   15	Sparks Marketing Group	$64,935	$31.22
   16	Gannett Fleming	$64,364	$30.94	82
   17	Gulfstream Aerospace	$64,220	$30.88
   18	Magna International	$63,975	$30.76	1
   19	Staffing Resources	$63,200	$30.38
   20	Block and	$62,262	$29.93	18

4. Writing a 3d designer job description

   A 3d designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a 3d designer job description:

   3d designer job description example

   We're looking for an in-house, 3D digital content artist to create digital collectibles and NFTs and produce refined art that appeals to die hard fans and collectors.
   
   We're the world's first marketplace for digital collectibles and the gateway for mainstream collectors to fall in love with digital collectibles and NFTs.
   
   You will be responsible for creating amazing digital collectibles that will make collectors yearn for more! Apply your deep knowledge of collecting mechanics combined with cutting edge visuals.
   
   Launched in 2016, Quidd has a pre-existing community of millions of digital collectors, some of whom have been with us for over 5 years. Think opening packs of trading cards and stickers and pulling your favorite character, or super rare edition on your phone!
   
   This will be your mission -- to design and illustrate visually appealing sets that veterans and casual collectors alike will rush to collect.
   
   What You'll DoMasterfully create low-medium poly fully textured models using any of the top 3D software packages (Maya, Blender, Zbrush, 3DSMax). You are a master of UV texturing, and fluent in creating realistic textures from scratch.Some 3D animation, both fully rendered for web marketing support, and embedded in GLB files.Update existing 3D models in OBJ format.Creating assets with 3D Voxel editors.Learn internal workflow chains from asset sourcing, to creation, to submission ready exports.Learn and follow licensor guidelines and IP specific style-guide usage.Follow current trends in a variety of popular collectible genres.On occasion, interface with our overseas design team.
   
   Who You AreYou view the real world in terms of polygon count, specular and subsurface scattering levels. You also keep up on the latest and greatest of the 3D world. You understand various file formats and how to convert them while maintaining fidelity.You have a strong collectibles background, you have pvc figurines lining your shelf, you revel in various fandoms, love attending conventions and will buy 5 polybagged copies of variant cover comics. Have a strong understanding behind the mechanics of what makes a collectible product in pop culture, non-sport and sports spaces, both digital and physical.Steady in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments; we work quickly so you should be comfortable in a collaborative environment biased towards execution and iteration.Understanding of balance: you do your best work within the constraints of timelines and project importance. It's about great art, released on time, with a production budget that makes sense.You love games, especially casual games focused on micro transactions.
   
   What You're Good AtFluent in Design Tooling: you're an expert in all the relevant applications and tools, including but not limited to Maya, Blender, Z-Brush, Adobe Photoshop, and After Effects.Exporting .GLB, GLTF, USDZ, and other 3D web formats and know how to get around typical problems during conversion.Flexibility of Style: you can bounce between various styles, from organic characters to gritty environments. Communications; you are skilled in communicating cross-functionally across overseas designers, marketers, and engineers; you can deliver compelling arguments around certain design choices Versatility: you've dabbled in a little bit of everything so you usually have a head start on anything new. If you don't know something, you aren't afraid to dive in head first to learn. Thinking in terms of process, efficiency and consistency.BONUSComplex character, physics dynamics, animation, lighting & rendering knowledge.A strong interest in how collecting is influenced on the blockchain, 3D NFTs are your friend.Previous experience working with well known IP's and licensors.Sports collectibles knowledge is a huge plus.
   What You've DoneFunctional: a minimum of 5+ years in relevant 3D designer roles for a startup, preferably for a digital/physical collectibles, mobile gaming, or blockchain collectibles startup.On a scale of 1 - 10, 1 unimportant for the role and 10 being critical:3D modelling 103D rendering, lighting & effects 73D materials & UV mapping 103D animation (keyframe, bones) 6File format interchangeability 9Knowledge of Web 3D formats 8Collectibles background, collectibles and gaming mechanics 6

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find 3d designers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any 3d designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level 3d designers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your 3d designer job on Zippia to find and attract quality 3d designer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with 3d designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new 3d designer

   Once you've found the 3d designer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new 3d designer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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