Concept Art and Illustration: What sets them apart?

Following a similar theme to our previous blog post What is the difference between Game Art and Game Design?, concept art and illustration, which both play pivotal roles in bringing ideas to life, also tend to get confused with one another. Understanding the differences between concept art and illustration is essential for anyone looking into a career in the creative industries.  

What is Concept Art? 

Concept art is the initial stage in the visual development of movies, video games, animation and other visual media. Its primary function and goal is to explore and communicate ideas quickly and efficiently. Concept Artists oversee the visual realisation of characters, environments, objects and moods that will define the final look of a project. They also work closely with Directors, Game Designers and Writers during the development of a project to ensure that the vision of the project aligns with its overall direction.  

Characteristics of concept art include: 

• Exploration: Concept art is all about exploration. Artists create multiple versions of characters, environments or props to explore different ideas and possibilities. The idea is to provide different options rather than creating a polished final look. 

• Efficiency: Concept art is generally used to brainstorm and define ideas; it often needs to be produced quickly and on the go. Artists may create rough sketches, speed paintings or loose designs that can be iterated upon rapidly.  

• Functionality: The primary function of concept art is visualising ideas. While the artwork can be beautiful, its main purpose is to serve as a blueprint for other departments, such as 3D modelling, animation or set design. The focus lies on practicality and usability, rather than creating a piece meant for display.  

• Skills required: For those looking to enter the world of concept art, the key skills required, are not only in design, as problem solving is also very important. 

What is Illustration? 

Unlike concept art, illustration is a more defined and polished form of visual art. It is usually used to tell a story, convey a message or evoke emotions in a single, complete image. Illustrators are often tasked with creating artwork that is used directly in books, magazines, advertisements, posters and other media.  

Characteristics of illustration: 

• Storytelling: Illustrations are created to either tell a story or support a story. For this, illustrators convey a specific message within a single image. Usually, a scene from a book, a moment in a game or an idea in an advertisement work as foundation. 

• Art piece: Unlike concept art, illustrations are usually finalised art pieces, created with attention to detail and meant to stand alone as finished works.  

• Aesthetics:  While the purpose of concept art is functionality, illustration focuses more on aesthetics. An Illustrator’s main goal is to create visually appealing artwork that captures the viewer’s attention and imagination.  

• Skills required: While concept art values speedy design and problem solving, illustration requires more advanced skills in painting and drawing in order to produce a polished final product. 

Similarities between concept art and illustration 

Despite all of the differences between concept art and illustration mentioned above, they also share some similarities. Looking at the skills required to do either job, both share the foundation of artistic skills. It is not rare to find Concept Artists who also work as Illustrators.  

In the world of gaming or film, highly polished concept art may also end up being used as promotional illustration. However, the core of each discipline remains distinct.  

In conclusion, both concept art and illustration are vital to the creative industries, each playing unique and essential roles in the production process. While concept art sets the visual tone for a project, illustration brings ideas to life in a polished, final form.  

Maybe the most useful way to tell the difference between them is to look at who each is targeting. While concept art is created for the development team of a project, illustrations are for the general public.  

Understanding the fine differences between concept art and illustration helps creatives to navigate the creative industries with more clarity.  

Still looking to learn more about concept art? Take a look at our hub to finding the right concept art course for you, and check out our range of courses.