Do character designers get paid well?
The salaries of Character Designers in the US range from $10,002 to $107,666 , with a median salary of $21,182 . The middle 57% of Character Designers makes between $21,182 and $49,897, with the top 86% making $107,666.
How much does a Character Design make? As of Feb 3, 2023, the average annual pay for a Character Design in the United States is $59,736 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.72 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,148/week or $4,978/month.
$82,384. The estimated total pay for a Character Designer at Netflix is $82,384 per year.
Character designers will often have a degree in graphic art, fine art, illustration or a related discipline, but this is not strictly necessary. The vital thing is that you can demonstrate very strong drawing skills. You need a portfolio which shows talent and creativity and a wide knowledge of and love for animation.
There aren't many jobs for character designers, Myers says. Competition is tough. This is why you need to research portfolios of similar artists – that's who you're competing against.
In general, career sites recommend that you earn a bachelor's degree in fine arts, graphic design, animation, computer science, or a related field to apply for jobs in character design.
As a character designer, you create the look and animation of a cartoon character in a film, TV show, or video game. Your responsibilities are to develop physical features, design costumes and clothes, pose characters, and collaborate with team members from concept to production.
There's no one required character design degree, but many aspiring artists hone their skills by pursuing bachelor's degrees in animation, graphic design, computer graphics, or fine art.
Character Artist salary in India ranges between ₹ 0.6 Lakhs to ₹ 13.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 4.0 Lakhs.
$86,924. The estimated total pay for a Character Artist at Walt Disney Company is $86,924 per year.
How many hours do character designers work?
Character designers often work in an office environment at an animation or design studio. They typically have full-time schedules, working at least 40 hours per week.
- Pixar Animation Studios$85,573/yr.
- DreamWorks Animation$79,325/yr.
- WarnerMedia$76,985/yr.

$85,573. The estimated total pay for a Character Designer at Pixar Animation Studios is $85,573 per year.
Engineering Manager is the highest-paying job at Netflix with an average salary of $206,840 and an average hourly rate of $99.44. The second highest-paying job at Netflix is senior software engineer, with an average salary of $181,690.
$86,924. The estimated total pay for a Character Artist at Walt Disney Company is $86,924 per year.
- Creative Director Salary: $134,582 per year.
- Furniture Designer Salary: $61,352 per year.
- User Experience Designer Salary: $92,666 per year.
- Architect Salary: $86,514 per year.
- Advertising Designer Salary: $67,100 per year.
- Fashion Designer Salary: $60,918 per year.
References
- https://www.comparably.com/salaries/salaries-for-character-designer
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Pixar-Animation-Studios-Character-Designer-Salaries-E5118_D_KO24,42.htm
- https://www.coursera.org/articles/character-design
- https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/pre-production/character-designer/
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Character-Design-Salary
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-character-designer
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Career/Character-Designer/What-Is-How-to-Become
- https://www.skillshare.com/en/blog/character-designer-courses-and-fundamentals/
- https://www.ambitionbox.com/profile/character-artist-salary
- https://www.gradschoolcenter.com/highest-paying-design-jobs/
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/character-designer-salary-SRCH_KO0,18.htm
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Netflix-Character-Designer-Salaries-E11891_D_KO8,26.htm
- https://www.zippia.com/advice/highest-paying-jobs-at-netflix/
- https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/how-to-be-a-character-designer
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Walt-Disney-Company-Character-Artist-Salaries-E717_D_KO20,36.htm