Graphic designer vs. illustrator

New designers often use "artist" for two very different jobs. An illustrator creates images: the dragon on the card, the box cover painting, the character portraits. A graphic designer arranges information: where the cost, name, and ability text sit on a card, which fonts are used, how icons are drawn, and how the rulebook is laid out. Nearly every published game needed both skills, sometimes in one person but usually in two.

The distinction matters because the skills rarely overlap. A brilliant illustrator can hand you gorgeous paintings and a completely unreadable card, because composing an image and structuring information are different crafts. Conversely, a graphic designer can make your game crystal clear with placeholder art. If your budget only stretches to one, hire the graphic designer first. Players forgive plain art, they do not forgive squinting at unreadable cards.

In practice, publishers weight this the same way. A publisher prototype needs clean graphic design so the game plays smoothly at a pitch table, but publishers usually replace all illustration with their own art direction after signing. Money spent on final illustration for a game you plan to pitch is often money wasted.

When hiring, look at portfolios for the specific skill you need. For illustrators, does the style fit your theme? For graphic designers, ask to see games they have laid out, and ideally play one. The proof of good graphic design is at the table, not in a portfolio thumbnail.