What You'll Do

  • Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
  • Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
  • Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
  • Assemble, typeset, scan, and produce digital camera-ready art or film negatives and printer's proofs.
  • Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.
  • Script, plan, and create animated narrative sequences under tight deadlines, using computer software and hand drawing techniques.
  • Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
  • Create pen-and-paper images to be scanned, edited, colored, textured, or animated by computer.
  • Develop briefings, brochures, multimedia presentations, web pages, promotional products, technical illustrations, and computer artwork for use in products, technical manuals, literature, newsletters, and slide shows.
  • Use models to simulate the behavior of animated objects in the finished sequence.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.88/5
Reading Comprehension 3.75/5
Critical Thinking 3.75/5
Speaking 3.25/5
Writing 3.12/5
Active Learning 3.12/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.0/5
Time Management 3.0/5
Learning Strategies 2.88/5
Social Perceptiveness 2.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Innovation, Attention to Detail, Intellectual Curiosity, Achievement Orientation, Adaptability

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.12/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Visualization 4.0/5
Near Vision 3.88/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.62/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.62/5
Visual Color Discrimination 3.62/5

Technologies & Tools

Ability Photopaint ACD Systems Canvas Adobe Acrobat Adobe ActionScript Adobe After Effects Adobe AIR Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Director Adobe Dreamweaver Adobe Flex Adobe FreeHand MX Adobe Illustrator Adobe ImageReady Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Adobe Premiere Pro AJAX Ambient Design ArtRage Apple DrawBerry Apple Final Cut Pro

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Innovation (High importance: 4.91/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.56/5)
  • Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.34/5)
  • Achievement Orientation (High importance: 4.3/5)
  • Adaptability (High importance: 4.27/5)

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How to Become One

Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

3D Animator (Three-Dimensional Animator) 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist) 3D Designer (Three-dimensional Designer) 3D Modeler (Three-Dimensional Modeler) 3D Specialist (Three-Dimensional Specialist) Animation Artist Animation Producer Animator Anime Artist Anime Designer Artist Cartoon Animator Cartoon Artist Civil 3D Designer (Civil Three-Dimensional Designer) Computer Artist Computer Graphic Artist Computer Graphic Designer Computer Graphics Illustrator Concept Artist Content Producer Digital Artist Digital Content Producer Digital Designer Digital Experience Designer Digital Media Designer Digital Media Specialist Environment Artist FX Artist (Effects Artist) Game Artist Game Developer Graphic Artist Graphics Specialist Interaction Designer Interactive Designer Interactive Digital Media Specialist Media Designer Media Producer Media Specialist Motion Designer Motion Graphics Artist Motion Graphics Designer Motion Pictures Cartoonist Multimedia Artist Multimedia Author Multimedia Authoring Specialist Multimedia Designer Multimedia Developer Multimedia Graphic Designer Multimedia Producer Multimedia Specialist Multimedia Technician Special Effects Artist Special Effects Designer Special Effects Specialist Special Effects Technician Storyboard Artist Studio Designer Technical Animator Texture Artist Video Game Animator Virtual Reality Specialist Visual Effects Artist (FX Artist) Visual Interaction Designer Web Graphic Designer

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.