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The differences between concept artists and production artists 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 production artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a concept artist has an average salary of $85,713, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.
The top three skills for a concept artist include storyboards, maya and animation. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.
| Concept Artist | Production Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,713 | $61,870 |
| Hourly rate | $41.21 | $29.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,596 | 59,103 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
Concept artists and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Concept Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average salary | $85,713 | $61,870 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $40,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a concept artist and a production artist in terms of educational background:
| Concept Artist | Production Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between concept artists' and production artists' demographics:
| Concept Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| 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% |