Principal Visual Design Artist - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Parental leave

401k with company match

Flexible work schedules

Open Paid Time Off

Job summary

Riot Games, a leading player-focused game developer based in Los Angeles, seeks a Principal Visual Design Artist to own UI and visual style for an unpublished R&D title. You will report to the Visual Design Lead and collaborate with engineers, designers, and producers to deliver high-quality UI assets and experiences.

You will drive visual decisions, mentor teammates, and ensure consistent aesthetics across interfaces, typography, color theory, and illustration, while maintaining alignment with

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience delivering visual communication design for major features or launches.
• 8+ years as Visual Designer, UI Designer, or UI Artist.
• Expert knowledge in Figma & Adobe CC.
• Understanding of game development pipelines including optimization and localization.
• Experience shipping games using Unreal or Unity.
• Portfolio demonstrating contemporary graphic design and strong artistic style.

Responsibilities

• Create a visual style that satisfies creative goals and defines the game's UI identity.
• Design visually balanced interfaces prioritizing readability and player behavior patterns.
• Guide planning of UI work with artists and designers to realize the creative vision.
• Produce assets from concept to in-game implementation across development stages.
• Leverage systemic design, layout, typography, color theory, and illustration for seamless player experiences.
• Extend themes across the project by establishing style guides and conventions.
• Set the quality bar for visual design in the game.

Skills

Visual design

UI design

Figma

Adobe CC

Unreal/Unity

Portfolio

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Riot Visual Designers craft the best player experiences through their knowledge of systemic design, graphic design, interactivity, layout, typography, color theory, and illustration. Designers collaborate with cross disciplinary teams and act as both artistic and design problem solvers. They understand players and ask questions about the what, who, and how when solving for an interface or communication challenge.

As a Principal Visual Design Artist on an unpublished R&D title, you will be responsible for all aspects of Visual Design in an early-stage R&D game. We need your help to produce assets of the highest quality so our players can immerse themselves in our world. You'll report to the Visual Design Lead and collaborate with other artists to establish the style of the game's user interface. You'll also work collaboratively with engineers, designers, and producers, and together will give new, delightful experiences to our players.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the team to create a visual style that satisfies the creative goals - establishing a unique visual identity for the game’s UI
• Create visually balanced and intuitive interfaces that show an excellent grasp of readability, hierarchy, platform and player behavior patterns
• Guide the planning of UI work, working with artists and designers to build on the creative vision
• Create assets through each stage of development, taking ideas from concept to in-game implementation
• Use deep knowledge of systemic design, graphic design, interactivity, layout, typography, color theory, and illustration to create seamless player experience
• Extend themes throughout the project, establishing style guides and conventions
• Establish the quality bar for visual design for the game

Required Qualifications:

• Hands‑on experience contributing to a major feature, game, product launch, or entertainment property through the craft of visual communication design.
• 8+ years of professional experience as a Visual Designer, UI Designer, or UI Artist
• Expert knowledge in Figma & Adobe CC
• Knowledge of the game development pipeline including optimization, localization and implementation
• Experience shipping games in Unreal, Unity, or any relevant game engine.
• Portfolio that demonstrates visual taste of contemporary graphic design and strong artistic style

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience developing brand identities, logos, brand kits, etc.
• Experience in a secondary area such as motion graphics, illustration, animation, or modeling

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision‑making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player‑facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.