How to hire a concept artist

How to hire a concept artist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step concept artist hiring guide:

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

What does a concept artist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The concept artist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect concept artist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of concept artists.

   Type of Concept Artist	Description	Hourly rate
   Concept Artist	Multimedia artists and animators create animation and visual effects for television, movies, video games, and other forms of media.	$26-62
   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
   Visual Merchandiser	A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Storyboards
   • Maya
   • Animation
   • Sketch
   • Art Direction
   • Graphic Design
   • UI
   • Design Concepts
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • ZBrush
   • Environmental Design
   • Industrial Design
   • Visual Style
   • Game Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create many MEL scripts to help automate routine daily tasks and improve overall productivity.
   • Rig character for animation in Maya.
   • Create pitches for new and old IP.
   • Sketch concept art for an online game
   • Design & animate VFX for mobile games!
   • Prepare 3D models for production using Maya 3d.

   More concept artist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your concept artist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A concept artist 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 concept artist in Missouri may be lower than in Nevada, and an entry-level concept artist usually earns less than a senior-level concept artist. Additionally, a concept artist 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 concept artist salary

   $85,713yearly

   $41.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level concept artist salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average concept artist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$112,820	$54
   2	Washington	$92,612	$45
   3	New York	$92,347	$44
   4	Illinois	$85,020	$41
   5	Oregon	$84,211	$40
   6	North Carolina	$82,027	$39
   7	Arizona	$74,026	$36
   8	Colorado	$73,984	$36
   9	Texas	$68,294	$33
   10	Georgia	$54,447	$26

   Average concept artist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$160,292	$77.06	2
   2	Microsoft	$144,314	$69.38
   3	Netflix	$134,843	$64.83
   4	The Walt Disney Company	$133,417	$64.14	10
   5	Amazon	$123,184	$59.22	2
   6	Dire Wolf Digital	$114,601	$55.10
   7	Industrial Light & Magic	$100,990	$48.55	1
   8	PlayStation	$99,287	$47.73	4
   9	Gearbox Software	$98,724	$47.46	7
   10	Nintendo	$98,541	$47.38	2
   11	Sucker Punch Productions	$98,405	$47.31
   12	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$98,071	$47.15
   13	2k	$97,876	$47.06	3
   14	Epic Games	$97,238	$46.75	3
   15	Bungie	$95,092	$45.72
   16	Ready At Dawn Studios	$94,823	$45.59
   17	Hi-Rez Studios	$94,572	$45.47
   18	ArenaNet	$94,563	$45.46
   19	Certain Affinity	$94,150	$45.26
   20	Sony Electronics	$94,098	$45.24	1

4. Writing a concept artist job description

   A concept artist 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 concept artist job description:

   Concept artist job description example

   Would you like to work on some of the greatest franchises in gaming history? What about working on our new original IP? Certain Affinity is the largest independent developer in Texas, based out of Austin, and we have a growing presence in Toronto, Canada. Our culture reflects the values and the vibrant nature of the cities we call home. This includes a commitment to evolution, diversity, excellence, and work-life balance. We are also excited to be the latest recipient of the
   Canadian Studio of the Year award . We're best known for co-developing numerous AAA FPS games, though now we are creating compelling new games of our own. We're always on the lookout for amazing talent to join our team.
   
   Certain Affinity is looking for a world-class concept artist to join the visual development team of our Halo efforts and other IPs. Our concept artists will create game worlds, characters, objects, vehicles, furniture, clothing, and anything you can imagine.
   
   As a Senior Concept Artist, you will be creating content that will inspire your team. You'll mentor and train our talented, up-and-coming Associate Concept Artists while contributing to the evolution of our studio's overall work. Are you looking to help take art to the next level? Read on.
   
   Responsibilities
   Produce a wide range of highly creative environment, character, creature, and vehicular concept art Consistently deliver work of the highest caliber that can inspire and carry a product or pitch Create blue sky concepts that will excite and inspire both internal teams and external partners Work with the Art Director to help to define the thematic and stylistic direction Create high-quality concept art, conceptual illustrations, and sketches to communicate all aspects of visual design Share techniques, mentor, and collaborate with other conceptual artists in the creative process Use visual design and ideation to solve complex graphical, fictional, and gameplay problems Create visual languages for new projects and embrace and enhance established style guides for existing franchises Quickly sketch and explore many different approaches to a problem Create and evangelize amazing imagery to inspire the development team and fuel promotional efforts Collaborate closely with designers, programmers, and other game artists A desire to work in a diverse and inclusive environment Requirements
   Minimum 5+ years experience in the game or film industry as a concept artist Fundamental illustration and rendering skills including composition, perspective, form, color theory, use of detail, and surface texture Strong grasp of human anatomy and proportion, as well as architectural and engineered forms Seasoned drawing and conceptualization skills with a proven ability to adapt to established styles Excellent presentation skills Ability to communicate ideas quickly through iterative media like sketches and whiteboard diagrams, as well as having strong verbal and written communication skills A bias for visual development and game design challenges Understanding of engineering, science, history, and cultures Digital illustration skills with advanced knowledge of Photoshop Open and collaborative, comfortable taking direction and critique Self-directed and organized with solid time management skills Ability to manage multiple tasks while identifying and meeting key goals Professional and driven to excel Portfolio showing off your work Experience interfacing with and representing company to external development partners A desire to work in a diverse and inclusive environment Excellent comprehension of how art enhances gameplay and ability to articulate this to artists and team members Extra Credit
   Knowledge of the visual language within the Halo universe 3DS Max, Maya, Zbrush, or similar 3d skills Graphic design, iconography, layout skills Experience in FPS and/or 3rd person action-adventure game development
   
   Certain Affinity or its partners or affiliates run background checks on candidates or employees with the written authorization from the candidates or employees. These may be done for the purposes of offering employment or determining eligibility to work on a specific project. Multiple searches may be required.
   
   Certain Affinity is authorized to do business in many, but not all, of the states in the US and the Canadian provinces. If you are not located in or able to work from a state where Certain Affinity is registered, you may not be eligible for employment as a fully remote employee. Please speak with your recruiter to learn more about where we are registered.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find concept artists 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 concept artists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level concept artists 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 concept artist job on Zippia to find and attract quality concept artist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting concept artists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 concept artist

   Once you've found the concept artist 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new concept artist 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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