Senior Concept Artist San Mateo, California, United States

Thirtyfirstunion; Plum (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Concept Artist to shape the visual direction of a new free-to-play game. In this pivotal role, you will collaborate with diverse teams to create stunning character designs that enhance gameplay and narrative. Your expertise in both 2D and 3D art will help drive innovation and ensure visual consistency across the project. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a thrilling gaming experience while working in an inclusive and creative environment. Join a passionate team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of game design and making a lasting impact in the industry.

Qualifications

• Expertise in character design with strong drawing and painting skills.
• Ability to work across 2D and 3D mediums, creating polished designs.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teams to conceptualize stylized designs for characters.
• Produce high-quality visual assets and establish style guides.

Skills

Character Design

Conceptual Art

Drawing Skills

Painting Skills

Collaboration

Artistic Style Awareness

Education

Portfolio of Character Designs

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

After Effects

Maya

ZBrush

3DS Max

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games. We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better.

We are currently working on Project ETHOS, a new free-to-play, 3rd person rogue-like hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the genre!

Who You Are:

As a Senior Concept Artist at 31st Union, you'll have a significant role in shaping the visual direction for the project. You are a strong and seasoned designer with excellent conceptual art skills and sensibilities. You will be collaborating directly with the character development team and key stakeholders and visual designers to set the look and feel for our project. You will work proactively with others in all visual art disciplines to help provide visual solutions that support gameplay, narrative, and art direction needs. We love games that play well and look great; together we will set the stage for a rich and stunning world filled with diverse characters and environments.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with the character development team, game designers, and key stakeholders to conceptualize and iterate on stylized designs that support the overall project vision.
• Create character concepts with a strong understanding of artistic style, game design, narrative needs, and technical constraints, including props, weapons, vehicles, and environments as needed.
• Produce high-quality visual assets across all development stages—from exploratory sketches to polished marketing materials.
• Establish style guides and instructional materials in alignment with art direction, ensuring visual consistency across the art team.
• Drive innovation in workflows and pipelines for character-focused conceptual design.
• Prioritize, plan, and manage concept art production in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
• Mentor junior artists to support artistic growth and foster a collaborative creative environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Expertise in character design, with a strong focus on costume, anatomy, and stylization across multiple genres or styles.
• Demonstrated ability to produce polished, stylized character illustrations with strong drawing and painting skills that translate effectively to 3D.
• Extensive portfolio of character designs that includes inspirational and informative artwork, development sketches, and fully realized designs. Online portfolio required.
• High proficiency in industry-standard 2D software (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects) and familiarity with 3D tools (e.g. Maya, ZBrush, 3DS Max).
• Ability to work across both 2D and 3D mediums, from early concept sketches to refined marketing pieces.
• Comfortable working in a collaborative team environment, taking direction, and contributing to brainstorming sessions.
• Awareness of current visual trends and the ability to translate them into compelling and relevant designs for interactive media.
• Experience working within game engines (e.g. Unreal, Unity) and familiarity with production pipelines or custom toolsets.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $90,000 and $145,000 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

31st Union prides itself on the diversity of its team members, partners, and communities. For this reason, we remain committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment and hiring through compensation, benefits, discipline and termination. This means that employment at 31st Union depends on your substantive ability, objective qualifications and work ethic – not on your age, race, height, weight, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, alienage or citizenship status, transgender, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy status, marital status or registered domestic partner status, political activity or affiliation, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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