Purpose:

This framework defines the core responsibilities, skill expectations, and growth goals for Concept Artists at all levels – from entry to leadership – in a small-to-mid-sized game development studio.

It is designed to:

• Support self-assessment and career planning
  
• Provide transparent expectations for each level
  
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration
  
• Enable mentorship and feedback across roles
  

How to Use:

This document is a living tool for artists, leads, and collaborators. Use it to:

• Understand what’s expected at your current level
  
• Plan growth toward the next stage
  
• Give and receive targeted feedback
  
• Align goals across art, design, and technical teams

Career Levels Overview

Level	Focus	Key Themes
🟢 Junior	Learning under guidance	Execution, fundamentals, feedback
🟡 Mid-Level	Independent visual development	Ownership, iteration, collaboration
🔵 Senior	Visual leadership & mentorship	World-building, influence, quality
🔸 Principal / Expert	Studio-wide visual strategy	Innovation, IP vision, thought leadership
🔳 Lead / Art Lead	Team and cross-discipline leadership	Team health, scalability, visual planning

How this guide helps:

• Clarifies expectations: Understand what is expected at each stage of an artist’s career.
  
• Supports mentorship: Aids in identifying the appropriate level of guidance for each artist, whether they’re Junior, Mid-Level, or Senior.
  
• Facilitates feedback and development: Offers a structured approach to giving feedback and helping artists progress within the team.
  

Key Sections:

• Junior Concept Artist: Focus on learning and executing tasks with guidance. Skills include basic drawing and understanding of 3D.
  
• Mid-Level Concept Artist: Develops independence and consistency. Responsible for specific areas of visual development.
  
• Senior Concept Artist: Leads visual direction for key project areas and mentors others. Coordinates with cross-discipline teams.
  
• Principal Concept Artist: Sets visual direction and defines iconic visuals for new IPs. Works across multiple projects and influences the broader studio culture.
  
• Lead Concept Artist: Manages and oversees the concept team. Ensures visual standards are met across projects and leads career development.

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Concept Artist Career Progression Framework

Key responsibilities, skills, and growth goals associated with each level of a concept artist in a game development environment. It is designed to help assess current position and define development steps for future growth.

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🟢 Junior Concept Artist

✅ Focus: Learning and execution under guidance

Responsibilities:

• Execute tasks based on briefs provided by more experienced artists or art directors.
• Assist with research, moodboards, and ideation.
• Produce linework, thumbnails, and exploratory sketches.

Core Skills:

• Solid drawing, anatomy, color, and composition fundamentals.
• Basic 3D understanding and perspective.
• Good communication and responsiveness to feedback.
• Familiarity with tools like Photoshop/Procreate and entry-level 3D tools (e.g., Blender, SketchUp).

Scenario in a Small Team Context:

• Works under the direction of more experienced team members (e.g., concept artists, 3D artists, creative director).
• Assigned smaller, supportive tasks such as prop sketches, variant iterations, or color explorations.
• Regularly receives feedback from senior creatives or collaborators in other disciplines.
• Begins understanding how 2D assets integrate into Unity or physical venue-based products.
• Observes the full pipeline and learns how visual consistency is achieved across the team.

Growth Goals:

✊ Development Goals to Progress Toward Mid-Level: To reach Mid-Level, a Junior Concept Artist must demonstrate growing ownership, speed, and design sensitivity.

• Take ownership of small tasks with minimal oversight
  • Handle clearly defined assignments from thumbnails to final design.
  • Example: Independently design a fantasy torch with iterations and callouts.
• Gain speed and confidence in ideation
  • Produce varied, logical iterations in short time frames.
  • Example: Generate 10 weapon silhouettes for an NPC faction in under two hours.
• Develop foundational design sense
  • Think in terms of form, function, silhouette, and story.
  • Example: Create an original sci-fi helmet design based on a unique backstory.
• Improve visual storytelling
  • Embed narrative and world-building cues into designs.
  • Example: Add storytelling elements to a witch’s hut environment concept.
• Understand production context
  • Learn how your work fits into 3D, animation, or engine pipelines.
  • Example: Understand why clean orthographics are essential for modeling.

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🟡 Mid-Level Concept Artist

✅ Focus: Independent asset development

Responsibilities:

• Design props, characters, and environments with clarity and consistency.
• Own visual development for defined project areas.
• Collaborate effectively across departments.

Core Skills:

• Strong visual storytelling and design clarity.
• Orthographic views, callouts, and material breakdowns.
• Proficiency in 3D use for paintovers or layout.
• Time management and self-directed task completion.

Scenario in a Small Team Context:

• Independently owns specific assets or visual components.
• Collaborates directly with developers and 3D artists to align art with functionality.
• Suggests process improvements and supports documentation.
• Contributes art support beyond concept (e.g., icons, signage, UI sketches).
• May informally mentor junior artists with guidance from senior team members.

Growth Goals:

✊ Development Goals to Progress Toward Senior: At this stage, the focus shifts from execution to becoming a dependable visual problem solver and contributor to the team’s artistic direction.

• Own stylistically complex or high-visibility assets
  • Deliver high-quality assets with gameplay and style alignment.
  • Example: Design a main quest hub’s town square.
• Consider gameplay and technical constraints
  • Design with animation, readability, and modularity in mind.
  • Example: Design a mech suit that supports rigging and animation needs.
• Mentor informally
  • Share feedback and help peers grow through process transparency.
  • Example: Provide constructive drawovers for a junior’s environment sketch.
• Contribute in visual discussions
  • Suggest improvements, reference logic, or design principles.
  • Example: Propose contrasting visual cues between factions.
• Build a small area of expertise
  • Become a go-to resource in a niche skill area.
  • Example: Known for stylized creature design.

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🔵 Senior Concept Artist

✅ Focus: World-building, Visual leadership and mentorship

Responsibilities:

• Drive major visual components (e.g. key characters, key environments or menus).
• Mentor junior and mid-level artists.
• Align closely with art directors on visual style.

Core Skills:

• Consistent polish, design depth, and stylistic fluency.
• Effective visual communication from sketch to polish.
• Confident presentation and feedback delivery.
• Deep understanding of production constraints and pipelines.

Scenario in a Small Team Context:

• Helps establish the visual tone for a project or feature area.
• Participates in visual direction meetings with leads or directors.
• Coordinates with developers to ensure visual and technical cohesion.
• Mentors peers and contributes to shared learning.
• Anticipates design needs and proposes scalable visual systems.
• Acts as a bridge between visual and non-visual departments.

Growth Goals:

✊ Development Goals to Progress Toward Principal: The Senior level is a springboard to becoming a cross-project, high-impact visual leader.

• Create industry-recognized benchmark visuals
  • Develop work that defines IPs and studio identity.
  • Examples: Key art, style guides, faction-defining designs.
• Lead visual development on new IPs
  • Define tone and style from the outset.
  • Examples: First pitch visuals, exploratory worldbuilding, tone bibles.
• Drive innovation and mentor across disciplines
  • Suggest tools or methods that enhance studio output.
  • Examples: Introduce hybrid 3D/2D workflows or reusable systems.
• Influence studio-wide visual direction
  • Help unify visual language and long-term artistic standards.
  • Examples: Create shared style references or join studio-wide critiques.

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🔸 Principal Concept Artist / Expert Artist

✅ Focus: Visual innovation, IP definition, studio-wide artistic influence.

Responsibilities:

• Define iconic visuals for new or evolving IPs.
• Develop benchmark concepts and style guides.
• Collaborate across departments and disciplines.

Core Skills:

• Mastery of design, genre knowledge, and visual storytelling.
• Innovation through tools, processes, or pipelines.
• Strong partnership with stakeholders on creative direction.

Scenario in a Small Team Context:

• Establishes scalable design direction across projects or platforms.
• Leads R&D initiatives (e.g., shaders, stylization, interaction).
• Mentors across disciplines and influences art culture.
• Partners with marketing, design, and production on key initiatives.
• May represent studio externally (e.g., talks, panels, documentation).

Growth Goals:

✊ Development Goals to Progress Toward Lead: Transitioning from Principal to Lead shifts focus toward people, planning, and project health.

• Guide entire pipelines beyond concept
  • Ensure concept art flows smoothly into modeling, rigging, and implementation.
• Lead long-term visual R&D
  • Prototype future-proof workflows (e.g., stylized shaders, AI iteration support).
• Align with business and creative strategy
  • Support pitches, milestones, and stakeholder communication.
• Champion mentoring and external presence
  • Onboard new hires, support vendors, represent studio publicly.

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🔳 Lead Concept Artist / Art Lead

✅ Focus: Team growth, project oversight, and cross-functional planning.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee concept art team output and health.
• Set visual standards and ensure timeline alignment.
• Coordinate with production and creative leadership.
• Guide hiring, onboarding, and development efforts.

Core Skills:

• Team leadership and mentorship.
• Production planning and delegation.
• Strong communication across disciplines.

Scenario in a Small Team Context:

• Ensures consistent visual output across initiatives.
• Collaborates with leadership to manage scope and staffing.
• Fosters feedback culture and career progression within the art team.
• Balances aesthetics and technical constraints in production.
• Helps sustain visual innovation and experimentation.

Growth Goals Beyond Lead:

• Foster unified artistic vision across departments
  • Align art direction across UI, characters, VFX, and narrative.
• Strengthen team health and scalability
  • Develop mentoring structures and support sustainable growth.
• Shape long-term franchise strategy
  • Guide IP evolution across platforms and formats.
• Represent studio externally
  • Speak at conferences, support community events, and build studio reputation.

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I hope the guide will be helpful and provide some clear points to use as reference for growing in an art team. I created it basing this structure part on my personal experience and part on other artists and studios experiences and advices.

🎨 Sources:

ArtStation Blog: A Concept Artist’s Career in Game Development
An insightful article detailing the role of a concept artist within the gaming industry, outlining career paths and necessary skills.
🔗 A Concept Artist’s Career in Game Development

ArtStation Magazine: Creative Career Advice
Offers guidance on building a successful career in the creative industry, including tips on portfolio development and professional growth.
🔗 Creative Career Advice on ArtStation Learning

GDC 2023 Session Guide for VFX Artists, Animators, Technical Artists, and More
Provides a curated list of sessions focusing on visual arts, including concept art, offering insights into industry trends and professional development.
🔗 GDC 2023 Session Guide

GDC Vault
An extensive archive of GDC talks, including sessions on art direction, concept art workflows, and career development strategies.
🔗 GDC Vault

Art Lead, Concept Art – VALORANT, Characters
A detailed job description outlining the responsibilities and expectations for an Art Lead in concept art at Riot Games, providing insight into senior-level roles.
🔗 Riot Games Job Posting

Portfolio Tips & Advice – Riot Games Internship Study Guide Vol. 3
Offers valuable advice for aspiring concept artists on building a strong portfolio and preparing for internships or entry-level positions.
🔗 Riot Games Internship Study Guide

The Big Bad World of Concept Art for Video Games: An Insider’s Guide for Students by Eliott Lilly
A comprehensive guide offering practical advice for aspiring concept artists, covering topics from education to portfolio development.
🔗 Eliott Lilly’s Book

Ultimate Gamer: Career Mode by Craig Steele
A handbook exploring various careers in the gaming industry, including concept art, with tips on skills development and career progression.
🔗 Ultimate Gamer: Career Mode

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✏️ Elisa Moriconi – that’s my name! – is a concept artist and illustrator who’s intent is to help artists navigate creative careers. That’s why I created this blog. Learn more at bethatartist.com

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