Also called: Visual Development Artist
Invents how animated or game characters look, from silhouette and costume to expressions.
A character designer sketches dozens of versions of a talking raccoon, then creates 'model sheets' showing the final design from every angle so the whole team draws it the same way.
BLS special effects artists and animators median ~$99.8k (May 2024). Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) studio jobs pay well; freelance, game, and small-studio work pays less, and layoffs are common.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Illustration or animation degree.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Illustration, Animation, Fine Arts.
Growing slowly. Competitive; AI art tools add pressure.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI generators make fast character concepts, cutting junior design work; distinctive designs and studio vision still need artists.
Classes: Drawing and illustration, Art, Art history, Digital art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.