How to hire a visual artist

How to hire a visual artist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step visual 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 visual artist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new visual artist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a visual artist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the visual artist you need to hire. Certain visual artist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A visual artist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, visual artists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents visual artist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Visual Artist	Description	Hourly rate
   Visual Artist	Multimedia artists and animators create animation and visual effects for television, movies, video games, and other forms of media.	$25-61
   3D Modeler	A 3D modeler is responsible for designing project models by utilizing various software applications and computer tools to represent high-quality digital content that would help the team and clients visualize the object. 3D modelers work closely with the design team to evaluate ideas and identify its feasibility scope on an enhanced digital view, giving them the ability to adjust and revise structures as needed... Show more	$24-54
   3D Animator	A 3D animator specializes in designing and developing 3D animation materials, adhering to the program or project's needs. They typically work together with a team of animators and producers in studios or offices... Show more	$24-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Animation
   • Maya
   • Visual Development
   • Visual Effects
   • VFX
   • Motion Graphics
   • Photography
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Graphic Design
   • Sketch
   • Music Videos
   • Cinema
   • Mocha
   • Adobe Creative Suite

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
   • Design creative materials, including advertisements, media kits, logo and promotional materials for several collaborative projects.
   • Model, texture and integrate 3D mesh FX with 3DSMax
   • Modele and shade 3D facial replacements and simulate smoke effects in Maya.
   • Design texture sheets and unique materials and shaders for particles and mesh FX.
   • Used Maya and Photoshop to create matte paintings and landscape environment using modeling and camera projection techniques.

   More visual artist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your visual artist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A visual artist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, visual artists' average salary in south carolina is 70% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level visual artists earn 59% less than senior-level visual artists.
   • Certifications. A visual artist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a visual artist's salary.

   Average visual artist salary

   $81,873yearly

   $39.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level visual artist salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average visual artist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$144,259	$69
   2	California	$116,008	$56
   3	District of Columbia	$106,495	$51
   4	Washington	$104,631	$50
   5	New York	$82,450	$40
   6	Illinois	$80,222	$39
   7	Pennsylvania	$77,766	$37
   8	Florida	$56,221	$27
   9	Texas	$54,536	$26
   10	Minnesota	$54,337	$26
   11	Massachusetts	$54,066	$26
   12	Georgia	$50,415	$24

   Average visual artist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$144,858	$69.64	1
   2	ZERO POINT ZERO	$121,457	$58.39
   3	Amazon	$120,994	$58.17	16
   4	Sony Pictures	$101,968	$49.02	3
   5	Safran	$98,681	$47.44
   6	2k	$97,410	$46.83	20
   7	Gearbox Software	$97,315	$46.79	7
   8	DreamWorks Animation	$96,254	$46.28
   9	Blue Sky Studios	$94,437	$45.40
   10	Electronic Arts	$92,743	$44.59	4
   11	Wizards of the Coast	$91,942	$44.20
   12	Iron Galaxy Studios	$91,576	$44.03
   13	Riot Games	$91,207	$43.85	6
   14	Jacobs Engineering Group	$91,108	$43.80
   15	Rooster Teeth	$90,757	$43.63
   16	Zynga	$90,360	$43.44
   17	Activision Blizzard	$89,926	$43.23	13
   18	Halon Entertainment	$86,312	$41.50	2
   19	Ingenuity Engine	$85,392	$41.05
   20	Pocket Gems	$83,300	$40.05

4. Writing a visual artist job description

   A visual 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a visual artist job description:

   Visual artist job description example

   **Job Level:** Entry Level
   
   **Home District/Group:** Infrastructure Business Development
   
   **Department:** Business Development & Proposals
   
   **Market:** Transportation
   
   **Employment Type:** Full Time
   
   **Position Overview**
   
   We're looking for a 3D Technical Visualization Artist with strong design, visualization, and communication skills to join our growing in-house creative team. Our 3D team at Kiewit develops best-in-class client-facing visuals in collaboration with our proposal and engineering teams for Kiewit's Energy, Infrastructure, and Water markets. The ideal candidate approaches projects strategically, tactically, and efficiently to produce compelling results. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of North America's leading contractors and collaborate with a growing creative community. The position is based out of the Kiewit Campus in Lone Tree, CO.
   
   ENR released its 2022 Top 400 Contractor rankings. Kiewit ranks No. 3, up one spot from last year's No. 4 ranking.
   
   • No. 1 - Domestic Heavy
   
   • No. 1 - Petroleum
   
   • No. 1 - Transportation
   
   • No. 2 - Power
   
   • No. 4 - Working Abroad
   
   • No. 20 - Domestic Building / Manufacturing
   
   **District Overview**
   
   Kiewit Infrastructure Engineering's Design-Build team is driving clients to turn to Kiewit during all stages of design-build projects. Through our integrated design and construction approach, our multi-disciplinary team works together to improve schedule, control costs and minimize risk. Our construction-focused engineers work collaboratively with our estimators and builders to design solutions that are innovative, constructible, and designed with a focus on safety. Clients benefit from the proven processes and tools used by Kiewit to minimize project risk. We are an in-house resource that supports projects throughout the company. Our staff shares experiences gained, innovative concepts, and best practices for all projects that we support.
   
   Kiewit's management and implementation of this process leads to safe, cost effective, and innovative designs that exceeds client expectations and furthers Kiewit's legacy of excellence.
   
   On our team, you'll have the opportunity to see more, touch more, and do more than you ever imagined. Working hard will not only bring you satisfaction from a job well done, but it will help propel your career forward faster than you might expect. We will train you, develop your skills, and allow you to take on projects that impact millions across North America. With top-notch health benefits, a wealth-building 401k plan, and unbeatable growth opportunities, by joining Kiewit, you're ensuring a lifetime of success.
   
   **Location**
   
   This position will be based out of our Lone Tree, CO campus.
   
   **Responsibilities**
   
   The 3D Technical Visualization Artist will work closely with the creative, marketing, and proposals teams as well as senior design leads, project teams, and engineers to produce client-facing materials that win Kiewit work, while maintaining a consistent branded look across an array of marketing channels and work products.
   
   + Create strategic 3D visuals for proposals, project deliverables, and presentations including fully modeled project sites, arch/vis and equipment renderings, photo/video composites, maps/aerials, and VR
   
   + Model 3D projects from various reference materials, including aerial imagery, CAD drawings, sketches, and photography
   
   + Quickly and efficiently adopt new project workflows when working with multiple unique markets
   
   + Ability to collaborate with graphic design, marketing, and technical leads by brainstorming and contributing design ideas to craft a larger, compelling story
   
   + Effectively conceptualize and communicate design strategies and conduct project review sessions to guide and solidify direction, as well as align project expectations
   
   + Manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously, working closely with the Creative team to effectively meet project deadlines and advance Kiewit's visualization edge
   
   + Ensure compliance with company brand guidelines and design standards
   
   + Meet any additional needs and requirements of the Tech Viz group
   
   + Travel may be required up to 15%
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   + 5+ years in Graphic Design, Construction/Engineering experienced preferred.
   
   + BA in Graphic, Industrial, or Architectural Design - other related fields and a combination of experience/education may be substituted
   
   + Highly proficient in Lumion (Required)
   
   + Proficient with either Rhino (preferred), Sketch-up, or 3D Studio Max
   
   + Experience with C++ , Unreal Engine , Twinmotion
   
   + Ability to learn/work with multiple 3D platforms and software to improve efficiency and stay competitive
   
   + Expert in Adobe Creative Suite
   
   + Advanced in Microsoft Office Suite
   
   + Excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment
   
   + Strong conceptual thinking, exceptional attention to detail, and a passion for solving complex problems
   
   + Excellent verbal and written communication and coordination skills
   
   + Motivated self-starter and team player
   
   \#LI-JT1
   
   **Other Requirements:**
   
   • Regular, reliable attendance
   
   • Work productively and meet deadlines timely
   
   • Communicate and interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, employees, and others individually or in a team environment
   
   • Perform work safely and effectively. Understand and follow oral and written instructions, including warning signs, equipment use, and other policies.
   
   • Work during normal operating hours to organize and complete work within given deadlines. Work overtime and weekends as required.
   
   • May work at various different locations and conditions may vary
   
   Base Compensation: $41,391 - $62,086
   
   _(Actual compensation is subject to variation due to such factors as education, experience, skillset, and/or location)_
   
   _We offer our fulltime staff employees a comprehensive benefits package that's among the best in our industry, including top-tier medical, dental and vision plans covering eligible employees and dependents, voluntary wellness and employee assistance programs, life insurance, disability, retirement plans with matching, and generous paid time off._
   
   _We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law._
   
   Company: Kiewit

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find visual artists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your visual artist job on Zippia to find and recruit visual artist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit visual artists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 visual artist

   Once you've found the visual 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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