Concept design vs concept art vs entertainment design

Concept art

Concept art is the term most people search for. It usually refers to the images themselves: character sheets, environment paintings, keyframes and prop designs made during pre-production.

Concept design

Concept design describes the same work as a design process. The designer starts from a brief, explores many options, and delivers drawings that a production team can build from: turnarounds, orthographic views and callouts that explain materials and function.

Entertainment design

Entertainment design is the broadest term. It covers concept design for film, television, games, animation and themed attractions, and it is the name many design colleges give to their concept programs. It often includes 3D modelling, because studios increasingly design in 3D as well as on paper.

How these differ from illustration

An illustrator makes a finished picture for an audience: a book cover, a poster, an editorial image. A concept designer makes working drawings for a production team. The skills overlap, but concept work is judged on the design decisions, not the polish.

How these differ from animation and computer art

Animators make things move. Concept designers decide what those things look like first. Computer art sits between the two: it uses the same drawing and design foundation and adds storyboarding, 3D animation, lighting and visual effects.

Which NPC College program fits

• Concept Design Diploma: 15 months, 28 courses. The broadest program, covering character, environment, prop and vehicle design, digital painting and 3D, ending in a senior project.
• Entertainment Concept Design Diploma: 12 months, 21 courses. The core of concept design in one year, with 3D taught in Blender and a finished production design project.
• Computer Art Diploma: 5 terms, 21 courses. Animation, storyboarding, visual development and effects, ending in a finished short film.