Game studios are always looking for creative ways to achieve more of their business goals for less money. One strategy that can save developers time, money, and frustration when creating their concept art, character designs, or UI is outsourcing as much work as possible to a skilled but more cost-effective 3D game art outsourcing studio.

Here are five useful tips on properly and effectively cooperating with 3D art outsourcing companies.

Finding an Outsourcing Studio with the Right Skills and Services

Ideally, the outsourcer you are contacting should have specific experience with the type of project you are running. This is especially important when outsourcing complex technical projects such as software development. For example, if you’re looking for a team to develop games on the iPhone, make sure they have case studies and examples of their work on the platform. Of course, this tip applies to other types of projects as well.

The first time you interact with a service provider, start with a brief or simple briefing about 3D game art styles or ask to see a portfolio. This way, you can appreciate the style and capabilities of the studio before you trust them with a large project.

Communication is the Key

It may seem obvious, but any successful outsourcing project always starts with the communication of key team members with 3D art outsourcing companies. Outsourcers need accurate and complete information to present you with realistic offers and prices. Set time frames and restrictions – deadlines. Do not be afraid to take the initiative and speak out about all the features of the project – after all, the quality of the final work will depend on this. Be sure that the 3D character artist will give you the option to be prescribed to him or spoken to at the briefing. Because communication begins and ends cooperation, this is the main advice throughout the work.

Allocate Payment Wisely

First, you need to define a work plan for the project with specific milestones. Schedule milestones where you check the project’s status is an easy way to ensure you meet deadlines and the end product meets expectations. Then, associate the seller’s payment with these milestones. For example, in the field of 3D art games, the advance payment is no more than 20-30% of the project’s total cost. The remaining payments are paid upon completion of 3-4 stages.

Documentation

Working with professional 3D art outsourcing companies, you will always face any cooperation’s official and legal aspects. As a rule, the company has an external employee responsible for compiling all the documentation; but you can always connect with your specialist to be sure.

Why is this needed? In creating a project, something may change the scale, the result, and even the price. Therefore, to avoid any problems, it is important to keep everything in documents (electronic and paper); and you can also keep copies of any correspondence you have.

Permanent Cooperation

If you are satisfied with the final result from the 3D art company; it will not be a mistake to continue cooperation for future projects. Most major mobile game development franchises don’t stop at one project. For example, Supercell, having several successful projects, continues to release new games. This is where cooperation with outsourcing studios, which create the corporate identity of games, helps. For example, think of any 3D character concept art from Supercell games, and you will see the similarity. This is the merit of the outsourcing companies with which they work constantly.

3D Art Outsourcing Services: Advantages and Disadvantages

The popularity of outsourcing undoubtedly has its reasons. First, 3D art outsourcing services allow you to optimize the company’s work by concentrating on the main processes and not being distracted by auxiliary ones. Another important positive plus is flexibility and competent risk management. After all, the outsourcing company is fully responsible for the quality of the implemented function and, in case of force majeure, compensates for the consequences of possible errors. The main advantages of outsourcing are:

• Lower comparative cost of outsourcing specialists for the customer company compared to the salaries of full-time employees.
• Ensuring the continuity of the work process due to the possibility of replacing an outsourcing specialist who fell ill or went on vacation with equivalent employees without bringing them up to date with current affairs and additional briefing.
• Reducing the load on office services, increasing the free space of the premises by reducing the number of full-time employees.
• The possibility of temporarily forming project-oriented groups and departments without enrollment in the state.
• A wide profile of 3D art company specialists and the ability to involve the entire range of employees to solve critical and time-limited tasks.

Disadvantages

It is sometimes impossible to solve a big problem in time without the involvement of outside specialists. But 3D art outsourcing has several disadvantages:

1. Unreliable service providers. If inexperienced specialists solve the tasks, the result can also be mediocre. And hence the slow work of services, the vulnerability of user data, and various reputational risks. The results of any outsourcing studio should be carefully checked.
2. Difficulty setting metrics. Determining the effectiveness and quality of work is not easy, even with full-time employees. When the tasks are solved entirely by third-party teams, tracking indicators becomes even more difficult. Without the right metrics, it is sometimes difficult to understand what an outsourcing company does and where the money goes.
3. Lack of experience in the department. This is the main thing that can “spoil” outsourcing. It requires detailed and well-formulated tasks, established mechanisms for checking work, clear and detailed conditions, and an understanding of the weaknesses of the project, which need to be checked with special care.

Final Thoughts

Finding a professional and experienced character designer or concept artist can be difficult. But still, if you properly allocate resources and take the time to look for an outsourcing studio, you can find the one you need. The success of your projects is completely dependent on you, and 3D art outsourcing companies will be an additional tool on the way to your goals. We hope our 5 tips for working with outsourcing studios will help you in future developments.