Career Progression Framework for Artists

Setting clear expectations about job performance helps ensure expectations are met and fosters a work culture of professional growth.  This framework provides examples of what reasonable increased expectations might look like for Artists who are new to their discipline, team members with more experience and capability, and many degrees in between.  Use this framework not as a checklist but as shared language to coach yourself or those you mentor.

I. ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Artists, new to the discipline, responsible for assisting other team members with day-to-day implementation tasks and documentation. In doing so, these employees gain key and relevant knowledge of their discipline and its functional relationship within overall game development.

ARTISTIC ABILITY

  • Demonstrate solid grasp of traditional skills including
    • Pen and paper concepts
    • Life Drawing
    • Color theory
    • Visual Priority
    • Value and contrast
    • Light source and shading to convey dimensionality
    • Texturing
    • Perspective
    • Anatomy
    • Facial expressions and emotions
    • Architecture
  • Be imaginative, creative, pay close attention to detail and have strong powers of observation
  • Able to work independently and as part of a team
  • Adhere to quality standards established in project’s style guide
  • Finalize assets originated by other artists

TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite.  Able to create both raster and vector artwork.
  • Learn new methods, tech, or skills for improving job performance when asked to do so

MARKET PLACE

  • In tune with current visual trends
  • Proactively plays own game

ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY

  • Learn company standard processes and work within these frameworks
  • Support other artists by creating small items and performing repetitive tasks
  • Adhere to naming convention and integration instructions
  • Perform work tasks as outlined and prioritized by manager
  • Keep top priorities in mind when approaching daily work.  Maintain focus on the relevant tasks at hand.

PROBLEM SOLVING

  • Identify issues and collaborate on solutions with team members or manager

COMMUNICATION

  • Participate in team brainstorming sessions
  • Practice sharing constructive feedback
  • Receive feedback and art direction with openness and enthusiasm
  • Utilize feedback to improve the quality of own work

MOTIVATION

  • Pursue work tasks with energy and focus
  • Demonstrate a sincere and positive attitude toward getting things done

II. ARTIST

Artists responsible for the delivery of creative and technical productivity.  Possess good analytical, technical and problem-solving abilities. Work is subject to established practices and procedures.

ARTISTIC ABILITY

  • Demonstrate ability and original style in one or more of the following areas
    • Illustration
    • Composition and layout
    • Graphic design
    • Logo design and Typography
    • Sequential Art or Storyboarding
    • Character design
    • Background design
  • Demonstrate skill in a variety of art styles e.g. casual cartoon, fantasy, realism, flat, isometric, etc.
  • Meet and exceed quality standards established in project’s style guide
  • Complete self-contained assignments from start to finish in order to demonstrate ability and develop skills.  For example
    • Create concept, vector artwork and animation for a 7 stage Christmas tree sprite
    • Create concepts and vector artwork for 5 Campus Collectible icons
    • Create storyboard art for Secret Passages video

TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Master standard art software and hardware
  • Learn new methods, tech, or skills for improving job performance when asked to do so

MARKET PLACE

  • Familiar with the highest profile companies and competing products

ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY

  • Understand Artist’s role within the game development process
  • Possess solid time management skills and strong work ethic
  • Switch between projects with agility
  • Provide reliable estimates for completing work tasks
  • Perform responsibilities with consistent level of quality
  • Is responsible and can be counted on to meet goals

PROBLEM SOLVING

  • Troubleshoot issues and problem solve effectively within area of responsibility.
  • Identify relevant facts and incorporate context when considering options
  • Demonstrate discretion and ability self-direct problem solving of smaller issues while communicating larger issues to Manager

COMMUNICATION

  • Communicate effectively. Capable of conveying a topic and purpose verbally and in writing
  • Able to give constructive feedback
  • Willing to take direction as well
  • Adapt communication style to be relevant to situation. Remain conscious of audience, jargon, and time constraints
  • Ensure that others understand the overall meaning of what is being communicated
  • Is easy to approach and will readily share information
  • Listen to the views and feelings of others

MOTIVATION

  • Pursue work tasks with energy and focus
  • Think ahead to ensure distractions are kept to a minimum
  • Demonstrate a sincere and positive attitude toward getting things done
  • Set own near-term goals and pursues them to completion

III. SENIOR ARTIST

Senior Artists possess advanced analytical, technical and problem solving skills.  Having acquired a broader view of their team function and goals, Senior Artists work proactively, independently, and collaboratively across disciplines, and in a highly organized manner to deliver high quality artwork.  They suggest new procedures and tools and provide Level I Artists with creative or technical guidance.

ARTISTIC ABILITY

  • Research and create unique style options under the direction of Lead Artist or Art Director
  • Contribute to clear and informative style and technical guides
  • Own sets of work within an assigned functional area.  For example
    • Create concepts for hidden object game region - including scenes, relics, and isometric assets.  Then oversee the production process and implementation of final assets.
  • Produce high quality assets from start to finish
  • Participate in brainstorming sessions and generate group buy-in defining all art assets required for final implementation before proceeding with visual development

TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Document techniques used with visual examples
  • Innovate tools and processes for automating small items and repetitive tasks

MARKET PLACE

  • Plays competitors games and recognize trends among top apps
  • Discuss features that differentiate top competing products from own product.

ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY

  • Apply creative talent and technical knowledge to successfully carry out job responsibilities
  • Investigate new methods, technologies, or skills that might improve standard processes or quality
  • Set priorities with an appropriate sense of what is important
  • Initiate discussion with manager and team members to further clarify priorities
  • Plan the use of own time relative to set priorities with little managerial guidance
  • Provide accurate production estimates and timelines, seeking guidance when necessary
  • Use available systems to organize and keep track of information.  For example
    • Basecamp, Jira, shared docs, calendars
  • Responsible for pieces of work that involve coordinating with other people
  • Build effective working relationships and leverage them for getting things done
  • Delivers correct, quality, results within the estimated delivery time.
  • Consistently meets goals.  Results can be used as delivered
  • Give, receive and utilize feedback to improve the quality of own work and team’s work

PROBLEM SOLVING

  • Apply “lessons learned” plus facts and contextual information to solve routine problems quickly and effectively
  • Approaches complex issues with creative thinking, considering the pros and cons of alternative solutions.

COMMUNICATION

  • Communicate effectively within team, as well as across disciplines, verbally and in writing
  • Express ideas clearly and convincingly, presenting confidence and knowledge when communicating with others
  • Provide supporting data and context relevant for audience
  • Communicate assignment status, progress and issues to manager and relevant coworkers without being asked
  • Participate confidently in regular peer reviews, offering constructive feedback in a positive way. Welcome constructive feedback from team members
  • Appreciate the view and feelings of others and considers them while performing job responsibilities.

MOTIVATION

  • Evaluate and take responsibility for the quality of own work.
  • Pursues all work with energy, drive, and need for completion
  • Stays on a focused, efficient path for achieving results, even under pressure.
  • Look forward and address tasks before being asked; before situation requires immediate action.

IV. LEAD ARTIST

Lead Artists possess advanced creative, technical, and organizational skills. They have a strong awareness of larger game/team objectives and player experience.  Work with a large degree of independence, coordinate team members from various disciplines, and confer with Art Director on more complex assignments.  Supervise Levels 1-2 team members.

MANAGEMENT ABILITY

  • Lead team of Artists and Animators who produce the art assets for the game (environments, characters, objects and effects), in conjunction with Art Director

  • Act as a mentor to Artists providing guidance in their specialty; how to troubleshoot issues and find solutions; estimate time/effort involved in completing an assignments

  • Make team support a top priority

  • Create clear processes for others to follow

  • Ensure that the art and animation team works to meet production and budget goals

  • Discuss team priorities and estimate how workload and schedules will need to adjust to accommodate changing priorities

  • Evaluate the performances of the art team members, in conjunction with Art Director

    • If the team is not meeting expectations, Lead must address this and motivate the team to improve visuals, communication, processes, productivity, etc.

    • Weed out team members who are not consistently performing or are causing conflict.

  • Organize regular check-ins to evaluate progress and provide feedback

  • Foster culture of comfort and confidence amongst team members

    • Artists should feel comfortable enough to come and talk about problems and know that you will be able to help them deal with it

  • Make recommendations for team seating structure to foster collaboration and optimize communication

  • Assist in the hiring process by interviewing candidates and providing feedback to Hiring Manager

ARTISTIC ABILITY

  • Devise the overall visual style of the game, in conjunction with Art Director
  • Supervise the production of Concept Art, illustrating the environment, characters and graphic design for the game
  • Own large areas of work.  Independently drive the art side as well as collaborate with other disciplines.  For example
  • Lay out an entire game map or worldview, identify all components and document specifications for implementation
  • Research and test out different layouts, models, textures, animation, rendering, lighting techniques and tools appropriate to the game’s technology
  • Coordinate the efforts of Concept Artists, Animators, and Developers to formulate specs for new character presence in a game
  • Establish informative style and technical guides for Production Artists

TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Provide technical support and tools to help team members meet creative and productivity goals
  • Set technical standards and determine the best tools and techniques to use
  • Collaborate with developers on best methods for integrating art with code.  Assure all art and animation assets can be easily imported into the game engine.
  • Document visual development processes and milestones, ensuring that development history is preserved

MARKET PLACE

  • Maintain awareness of changing trends within the industry  
  • Seek ways to continuously improve own product performance

ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY

  • Define all visual materials required for final implementation, in collaboration with with Game Designer and Lead Developer
  • Drive production of all art assets throughout the game’s development
  • Breakdown tasks and delegate assignments based on team size and production timeline.  
  • Establish Art process and implementation pipeline, in cooperation with Lead Developer
    • How artwork is built
    • How files are saved to directories
    • Method of exporting to the game asset folder
    • Testing of the assets in the game engine
    • Method of reviewing assets
  • Organize and track production assets

PROBLEM SOLVING

  • Lead group brainstorming and/or problem solving discussions
  • Know which types of information are necessary for diagnosing critical issues
  • Anticipate logical next steps even without complete information
  • Resolve difficult issues that affect self and others within the team.  Able to temper decision with an appropriate level of practicality

COMMUNICATION

  • Lead brainstorming sessions, gathering feedback on desired visual direction
    • Collect, analyze and organize Stakeholder interests
  • Develop an atmosphere of honesty and positive evaluation early in the formation of your team
    • Make a goal to maintain focus, enthusiasm, and raise the standards of your team's abilities.
  • Offer ownership to Artists.  Unsatisfactory artwork is a result of a) poor communication or b) poor direction.  With focused feedback and direction, most professional game Artists can achieve the desired result
  • Build effective working relationships, and leverage them as appropriate for getting things done.  Foster openness and spirit of cooperation with
    • Art Director
    • Product Manager
    • Lead Developer
    • Game Designer
    • Business Development
    • Creative Marketing
  • Drive moderately difficult or complex assets across Stakeholders of many disciplines
  • Present progress and ongoing work to Stakeholders on a regular basis
  • Demonstrate high level of professionalism internally when working with fellow employees and externally when representing the company in a public forum.
  • Present facts and information in a way that influences others to accept the key conclusions.
  • Within the team as well as across disciplines
  • Clarify the message in terms of others’ roles and responsibilities
  • Verbally and in writing
  • Able to have meaningful debates when opinions conflict without getting negative or personal.
  • Actively seeks the views and recommendations of others and applies their feedback to decisions made while performing job responsibilities

MOTIVATION

  • Demonstrate a high level of initiative, autonomy, and self-sufficiency
  • Validate course of action with Art Director or Product Manager instead of waiting for specific instructions.
  • Ensure that own results appropriately compliment those of team members for maximum value
  • Seek out and/or accepts additional responsibilities
  • View assignments and work challenges in terms of results to be achieved
  • Consistently delivers quality results while working under pressure
  • Maintain solid reputation for achievement, quality, and performance