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Art Director
3 months ago
As Art Director, you will use a blend of creative, technical and management experience to create and lead the games visual direction and deliver quality in all areas of the game art. You will be experienced in communication, creativity, leadership, and time management skills, using these to problem solve and ensure that the art supports the overarching game design and technical restrictions. In your role you will help the studio push the visual boundaries and create something truly memorable!
Art Direction Responsibilities
- Establish a visual style that appropriately complements and enhances the game design set by the Game Director/Design Director/Creative Director incorporating marketability, demographics, and target audience.
- Drive the visual identity and quality in collaboration with the Directors and Leads, practically adapting and balancing the creative and technical challenges.
- Support a culture of innovation in the art team.
- Collaborate & advise on project planning, staffing plans, and workflows that are needed to deliver the visual direction.
- Participate in controlling the homogeneity of all visual parts: models, characters, UI, environments, VFX etc.
- Regularly meet with your team to give (and receive) feedback, share suggestions, set benchmarks, find balance between artistic aspects and technical constraints, etc.
- Oversee any hires within the Art department and support others in this process.
- Role models sound and decisive decision making when resolving strategic issues and trade-offs, including when under pressure
- Build a resilient organisation by creating a culture of adaptability.
- Support and upskill other artists by documenting processes and techniques, providing feedback and offering guidance.
People leadership
- Promote and encourage healthy communication between team members whilst being a champion for company culture and team well-being.
- Engage in one-to-one conversations with reporting team members as the situation and project demand.
- Inspire and energise the team, utilising pillars, research, and references to lead them towards creative success.
- Support career advancement and suggest development and interpersonal skills training and techniques sessions to team members
- Oversee any hires within the Art department and support others in this process.
- Provides leadership and guidance in difficult or crisis situations by demonstrating composure and calmness
Behavioural Competencies
- Initiative and autonomy: You take responsibility for your work and are able to work autonomously. You show initiative and determine when issues should be escalated.
- Clear, consistent and proactive communicator: You think about what information people need and convey that information in a transparent, clear and timely manner. You check to see if people have understood or need additional information. You identify when you need more information to do your job and ask for it.
- Problem solving: Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to exercise sound judgement and make decisions based on accurate and timely information.
- Openness to change: You want to learn what works, share ideas, and are willing to try new things out. You are adaptable and prepared to shift direction after discussion about benefits and risks.
- Teamwork: You are willing to assist and support others as required and get on with team members.
- Planning, organisation, and attention to detail: You develop and use systems to organise and keep track of information or work progress. You review and check the accuracy of information. You show an ability to work on and prioritise multiple initiatives at the same time.
Qualifications and Experience Required:
- 5 or more years experience in the games or film industry, with a proven record of shipped titles as an Art Director.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate creative ideas and collaborate in a multidisciplinary team giving & taking direction.
- Possess the ability to conceptualise an artistic vision and work to establish quality benchmarks for the team.
- Have a keen eye for what works visually, with the ability to understand and stay focused on the big picture.
- Show good judgement and reach conclusions and propose decisions – while offering positive and constructive feedback.
- Possess the skills to be involved in transformative change, and can define art strategy and establish quality benchmarks across multiple platforms and gameplay spaces (inc. console, mobile, GAAS and online).
- Proven track record of proactive problem solving, working in collaboration with other discipline leads (animation, design, production, engineers, and QA) and demonstrate an ability to build bridges outside of the team as required.
We would prefer the candidate to be based in New Zealand, and have the legal entitlement to live and work in New Zealand.
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