Character Design
What is character design?
Character design is the broad practice of creating characters for film, animation, gaming, and other creative media. Character designers are the ones who design the visual look and feel of a character via graphic design, 2D/3D modeling, or animation.
How do you hire a character designer?
You can source character design talent on Upwork by following these three steps:
- Write a project description. You’ll want to determine your scope of work and the skills and requirements you are looking for in a character designer.
- Post it on Upwork. Once you’ve written a project description, post it to Upwork. Simply follow the prompts to help you input the information you collected to scope out your project.
- Shortlist and interview character designers. Once the proposals start coming in, create a shortlist of the professionals you want to interview.
Of these three steps, your project description is where you will determine your scope of work and the specific type of character designer you need to complete your project.
How much does it cost to hire a character designer?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced character designer may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their character design services more competitively.
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How do you write a character designer job post?
Your job post is your chance to describe your project scope, budget, and talent needs. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
Job post title
Create a simple title that describes exactly what you’re looking for. The idea is to target the keywords that your ideal candidate is likely to type into a job search bar to find your project. Here are some sample character design job post titles:
- Character designer needed to design custom 2D sprites for RPG Maker
- Need a character designer to create character profiles for a comic
- Seeking a 3D character designer to create rigs and models for an animated film
Project description
An effective character design job post should include:
- Scope of work: From 2D sketches to 3D models, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, software, or art styles, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Character designer job responsibilities
Here are some examples of character designer job responsibilities:
- Turn creator notes into concept art to design the look and feel of new characters
- Sketch 2D designs that convey a character’s visual style and personality
- Create model sheets, expression sheets, poses, mouth charts, costume designs, and other character-related art needed for production
- Maintain accurate documentation for character production methodologies and techniques
- Design, rig, model, and texture high-fidelity 3D animated characters
Character designer job requirements and qualifications
Be sure to include any requirements and qualifications you’re looking for in a character designer. Here are some examples:
- Character design
- Illustration
- 2D/3D design and animation
- Graphic design tools (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator)
- 2D/3D modeling tools (e.g., Blender, Maya, Modo)