Associate Concept Artist

Catface

Austin (TX)

On-site

USD 60,000 - 90,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k)

Flexible time off

Lunch, snacks and drinks in office

Pets in the office

Onsite fitness center

Learning stipend

Relocation assistance for Austin

Job summary

Catface in Austin is seeking a merchandise designer to own end-to-end development for Aphmau collections. You will research, sketch, and finalize artwork, maintaining brand integrity and licensing requirements while coordinating with Brand, Licensing, and Production teams.

The role emphasizes hands-on design work, collaboration, and timely delivery across multiple collections, with relocation support to Austin and a suite of office perks.

Qualifications

2–4 years of merchandise design experience.
A portfolio showing the full progression from research and ideation to finished artwork.
Strong skills in Illustrator and Photoshop for pattern, icon, and surface design development.
Ability to follow brand and character style guides and licensed product requirements.
Ability to manage several concurrent assignments against a development calendar and hit dates.
Strong character drawing fundamentals—proportion, expression, and consistency to an established model.
Comfort giving and receiving direct creative critique, and separating feedback on the work from feedback on you.
Clear communication: explain why a concept works commercially, not just why you like it.
Discipline with file organization, naming conventions, and version control.

Responsibilities

Own defined portions of Aphmau merchandise collections end to end, from research to final artwork execution.
Develop mood boards, concept sketches, and final artwork for assigned products or categories.
Translate approved concepts into polished merchandise artwork and prepare files for production.
Annotate sketches to communicate materials, placements, features, and story references.
Build colorways and artwork placements, organize layered master files for vendors.
Incorporate feedback from Brand, Licensing, Merchandise Production, and leadership.
Present directions and justify the rationale behind each concept.

Skills

Merchandise design

Portfolio development

Illustrator

Photoshop

Brand guidelines

Time management

Character drawing

Creative critique

Communication

File organization

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

Catface is a YouTube entertainment company, home to a family of channels with over 25+ million combined subscribers and an average of 300 million views per month. Our goal is to entertain our audience with fun, light-hearted narratives and entertaining content for general audiences. A vital component of our business is creating multiple unique stories every week in order to keep our audience engaged.

Visit our YouTube Channels:

Aphmau Gaming

Aphmau Shuki

Aphmau Fantasy

Visit our websites:

Aphmau Store

Catface Website

About the Job

Millions of people watch Aphmau's stories every week. They know these characters better than almost anyone, they rewatch their favorite episodes, and they notice immediately when something feels off. Our Merchandise team exists to take those moments, a character, a running joke, a friendship, an episode people can quote from memory and turn them into things fans can hold, wear, and display.

What You’ll Do

You’ll own defined portions of Aphmau merchandise collections end to end, research and mood boards, concept sketch ideation, and final artwork execution for your assigned products or categories.

Concept development

Develop multiple product-sketch directions for assigned characters, themes, categories, or collection stories, in addition to support ideas to polish, but enough real range to make a meaningful selection possible.
Explore product silhouettes, character applications, poses, expressions, patterns, graphics, materials, functions, and interactive features.
Refine thumbnails into concept art that clearly communicates product form, visual hierarchy, story connection, and consumer appeal.
Identify the hero pieces in a collection along with the supporting products, coordinated items, and collectible variations around them.
Suggest category, price point, production feasibility, and sales channel while a concept is still forming.
Annotate your sketches so the intended materials, artwork placements, features, and story references are unmistakable.

Final artwork

Translate approved concepts into polished final merchandise artwork, character illustrations, placement graphics, patterns, icons, decorative elements, colorways, and surface designs.
Prepare artwork at the correct dimensions, scale, resolution, color mode, and file format for each product category.
Build colorway and artwork-placement variations and organize layered master files so teammates and vendors can work with them.
Incorporate feedback from Brand, Licensing, Merchandise Production, and creative leadership without losing the approved story intent.
Review vendor proofs and artwork interpretations, flag deviations from approved artwork, and correct routine issues yourself.
Present your directions and explain the rationale behind each one.

What the work looks like

You’ll typically have three to four collections in motion at once, each at a different stage across development. In a steady month that tends to land around 24–32 initial product sketches, 10–16 refined concepts, and 8–12 final-art deliverables. Some weeks are heavy on exploration and reference-gathering; others are heads-down file preparation ahead of a vendor handoff. Sketch reviews and feedback rounds are a regular rhythm, and you’ll be expected to come to them with options and rational discussion.

Where the role fits

You’ll report to the Merchandise Manager and work alongside Concept and Graphic Designers at every level, from Entry-Level through Lead. Your approved artwork hands off to Merchandise Production, who will carry it through vendor development, sampling, and manufacturing. The quality and completeness of your files directly affect how smoothly a product gets made. You’ll also partner regularly with Brand, Licensing, Merchandise Production, Marketing, and E-commerce.

What We’re Looking For

Required:

2–4 years of merchandise, consumer product, or character-based design experience.
A portfolio showing the full progression from research and ideation through finished, production-usable artwork. We want to see the thinking and the range, not just the polished final image.
Strong Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills, with real competence in pattern, icon, and surface design development.
Working knowledge of brand and character style guides and licensed product requirements.
Ability to manage several concurrent assignments against a development calendar and consistently hit dates.
Strong character drawing fundamentals — proportion, expression, and consistency to an established model.
Comfort giving and receiving direct creative critique, and the ability to separate feedback on the work from feedback on you.
Clear communication: you can explain why a concept works commercially, not just why you like it.
Discipline with file organization, naming conventions, and version control. Downstream teams depend on it.

Nice to have:

Experience designing across plush, collectibles, apparel, accessories, stationery, or home décor.
Experience working with overseas vendors and reviewing proofs, samples, or digital renderings.
Familiarity with creator-led brands, fandom-driven products, or licensed entertainment merchandise.
Genuine curiosity about the Aphmau universe, or the willingness to become a fast student of it. Story accuracy matters here as much as craft.

What We Offer