Character Designer - Mid/Senior

Stim Studio; Montpellier; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site in Montpellier

Job summary

Stim Studio in Montpellier is seeking a skilled Character Designer for an on-site role on an animated series. You will research anatomy, silhouettes, and expressions, develop multiple directions, and deliver production-ready character sheets for storyboard, animation and production teams.

You'll collaborate closely with the Director and Art Director, translating the artistic direction into cohesive characters while meeting deadlines within a 9-month contract.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Character Designer (Mid to Senior) on professional productions.
• Excellent drawing, design, and character research abilities.
• Strong knowledge of anatomy, proportions, volumes, silhouettes, and body language.
• Understanding of shape language to differentiate characters.
• Ability to design expressive, production-ready characters for animation Constraints.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and expand characters adhering to the artistic direction.
• Conduct character research across silhouettes, anatomy, faces, costumes, expressions, and poses.
• Create turnarounds, expression sheets, pose sheets, and costume research.
• Develop multiple graphic directions from briefs and finalize production-ready designs.
• Work efficiently within a series production pipeline and meet deadlines.

Skills

Character design

Drawing & illustration

Anatomy & proportions

Shape language

Character sheets & turnarounds

Production pipeline

Autonomous workflow

Team collaboration

Expressive design

Storytelling through design

Tools

Photoshop

Job description

Project: Animated Series (unannounced project)

Location: Montpellier, France (on-site position - presence mandatory)

Start date: Week of October 19th

Contract: 9-month contract (Salary based on profile)

ABOUT THE JOB

As part of the Stim team, you will work in direct collaboration with the artistic and technical teams, under the supervision of the Director and the Art Director.

Please note: This position is based in Montpellier. On-site presence is mandatory. We are looking for someone who can work directly within our team in Montpellier. Therefore, this position is not open to full remote work.

For the production of an animated series, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and expanding the project's characters, while adhering to the artistic direction and directorial intent.

Specifically, you will work on character research, silhouettes, anatomy, faces, costumes, expressions, and poses, from the initial exploration phase through to finalized designs intended for production teams. You should be able to quickly propose multiple graphic directions from a brief, and then develop selected proposals into clear character sheets usable by storyboard, animation, and production teams. Particular attention will be paid to your ability to create instantly recognizable, expressive, and cohesive characters that fit the visual universe of the series.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Proven experience as a Character Designer (Mid to Senior level) on professional productions.
• Excellent skills in drawing, design, and character research.
• Great command of anatomy, proportions, volumes, silhouettes, and body language.
• Strong understanding of shape language and its use to differentiate and define characters.
• Ability to design expressive, clear characters adapted to animation production constraints.
• Ability to quickly explore multiple graphic directions from a brief and develop characters across different angles, expressions, poses, and attitudes.
• Ability to create turnarounds, expression sheets, pose sheets, and costume research.
• Ability to transition from rough research to a finalized, clear, and production-ready design.
• Good understanding of acting, personality, and storytelling through character design.
• Ability to respect and expand upon an existing artistic direction while maintaining visual consistency across multiple characters.
• Ability to work efficiently within a series production pipeline, meeting set deadlines with a consistent quality level.
• Rigorous, autonomous, and organized workflow.
• Strong teamwork skills and ability to constructively integrate feedback from the Director and Art Director.
• Mandatory availability to work on-site in Montpellier.
• Fluency in English or French.

NICE TO HAVE

• Proficiency in Photoshop.
• Significant experience on one or more animated series or feature films.
• Experience in character design, visual development, and/or 2D animation.
• Solid knowledge of animation principles to anticipate constraints related to bringing characters to life.
• Ability to work across different graphic styles and adapt quickly to an artistic direction.
• Ability to propose variations in costumes, hairstyles, props, and color palettes.
• Good understanding of technical constraints related to character creation and reuse in an animated series.
• Ability to simplify a design while maintaining its personality, clarity, and appeal.
• In-depth understanding of the animation production pipeline and strong communication skills.