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The differences between concept artists and graphics illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a concept artist, becoming a graphics illustrator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a concept artist has an average salary of $85,713, which is higher than the $64,943 average annual salary of a graphics illustrator.
The top three skills for a concept artist include storyboards, maya and animation. The most important skills for a graphics illustrator are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and adobe indesign.
| Concept Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Yearly salary | $85,713 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,596 | 2,854 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
The job of a concept artist is to make visual representations of creatures, characters, environments, vehicles, and other artistic assets. You should know about the design and how to create one that needs to blend well with any creative project. Your typical job includes drawing or painting these creative assets and providing references for any ideas you need to illustrate. The general qualifications needed to become a successful concept artist include illustration skills, design understanding, and knowledge of Photoshop.
A graphics illustrator is an artist that is skilled in drawing, painting, digital illustration, art history, and sometimes marketing. Your job as an illustrator is to create a visual representation of an idea or associated text. Unlike a graphic designer, a graphic illustrator does a lot more drawing, product package design, book illustrations, and graphic novels. As a graphics illustrator, you may be required to lead lots of projects that deal with advertising design and publishing initiatives. In addition to that, you may be expected to produce mockups, wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications.
Concept artists and graphics illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Concept Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average salary | $85,713 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $41,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a concept artist and a graphics illustrator in terms of educational background:
| Concept Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between concept artists' and graphics illustrators' demographics:
| Concept Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |