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character design & creation

Concept sketches, then a finished character in your style, usually with a small set of poses or expressions and a reference sheet showing colours, proportions and construction. A typical gig moves through rough concepts, one chosen direction, then final artwork. You should get the artwork in vector or high-resolution raster, plus the reference sheet and source files.

A silhouette you can recognise with the detail stripped out, and a personality that matches how your business actually talks. Characters fail when they are generic (a smiling blob in your brand colours) or when they are drawn once and never again. Design for reuse: if it cannot be redrawn in new poses, it will not survive its first campaign.

Usually 2 to 4 weeks. Concepts come quickly, but the middle stage of narrowing to one direction and refining it is where the time goes, and it is worth not rushing. Adding poses, expressions or an animation-ready build extends it. Give clear feedback at the concept stage, since changing direction after final artwork means starting again.

AI tools can help explore looks early on, and plenty of illustrators use them for reference. Where they fall short is consistency and ownership: you need the same character redrawn accurately in new poses for years, and generated output is difficult to reproduce exactly or to claim clearly. Use it for exploration, and have an illustrator design the thing you will actually own.

Agree this in writing before the gig starts. Standard practice on Unjumble is that you own the final artwork once the gig is signed off and paid, but assignment of copyright should be stated explicitly, especially for a character you plan to build a brand around. Ask about the concepts you did not choose too, and about whether the illustrator can show the work in their portfolio.

Layered source files, high-resolution exports of each pose and expression, vector versions if the style suits it, and the reference sheet. The reference sheet matters most: it is what lets a different illustrator draw your character consistently later without redesigning it.

In Australia, a single character with a couple of poses typically runs $800 to $2,500. A fuller build with an expression set, several poses and a reference sheet more commonly lands at $3,000 to $6,000, and a character built for animation with a rig sits higher. Ongoing artwork is usually quoted per piece afterwards.

The range on this page runs from about $49 to $164 an hour. Around $49 to $66 is a junior designer, $58 to $115 covers most gigs (an experienced designer working solo), and above $123 is a design lead. Character work is closer to illustration than layout, so it sits toward the upper half of the band and is usually quoted per piece.

Look for characters they have drawn in multiple poses, not just one hero image, since consistency is the real test. Check their style genuinely suits yours rather than hoping they can switch. Agree the ownership terms before the first stage starts.

Post a character design gig in under five minutes. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it is time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, portfolios and reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting is free, so you only pay for the work.

Every gig is split into stages you both agree on up front. You fund each stage before the work starts and it is held securely through Stripe, then released once you sign off. No chasing invoices, and no paying for work that is not done.