Art Director

**About the Role** As our Art Director, you will be the creative visual anchor and the architect of our art team. We are looking for a hands-on visionary who deeply understands the mobile game market—player aesthetics, visual hooks, and US market trends. In this role, you will take full ownership of defining a game's visual direction, authoring the foundational Art Bible, and building a distinct, memorable IP. You will not just manage; you will actively lead the art strategy, integrate AI-native production workflows to accelerate iteration, and partner closely with cross-functional leads in our fast-paced studio. **Note:** As our team thrives on close-knit collaboration, this role is **on-site** at our Santa Clara, CA office. **Key Responsibilities** ***Visual Direction & 0-to-1 IP Building*** * Define and own the end-to-end visual identity and art direction for new mobile titles from scratch. * Author and maintain comprehensive Art Bibles and style guides—establishing clear benchmarks for character proportions, movement, color palettes, world-building, UI/UX feel, animation style and visual hierarchy. * Leverage deep insights into western mobile market preferences (stylized art directions) to craft visually distinct IP and market-leading visual hooks. ***AI-Native Pipeline & Workflow Architecture*** * Drive an AI-forward art department, integrating generative and assistive AI tools into daily workflows (from rapid concepting, mood boards, 3D generation and texturing to pre-visualization). * Build and refine proprietary AI-assisted pipelines that multiply team output while maintaining strict stylistic cohesion and artistic integrity. ***Art Production & Pipeline Governance*** * Translate high-level creative concepts into production-ready, modular asset guidelines (poly-counts, texture budgets, material conventions) optimized for mobile engines (Unity). * Establish rigorous quality control standards and review processes (Self-check, Delivery, and In-Engine validation) to eliminate style drift and rework. * Oversee internal artists and external vendor/outsourcing pipelines, ensuring remote partners flawlessly match our quality bar and technical constraints. ***Cross-Functional Collaboration*** * Work in a flat, tightly-knit team environment with Engineers and Designers to ensure art serves gameplay mechanics, readability, and performance. * Partner with marketing leads to ensure in-game aesthetics align seamlessly with high-converting User Acquisition (UA) creatives and promotional assets. **Requirements** * 8+ years of art experience in the mobile gaming industry, with a track record of leading teams as an Art Director, Lead Concept Artist, or Principal Artist. * Proven experience defining an original art direction, building a new IP from concept to launch, or leading art direction on a recognized, major game IP. * Deep understanding of the US/Western mobile gaming landscape and proven ability to craft stylized art that resonates with audiences. * World-class portfolio demonstrating strong mastery of color theory, composition, character/environment design, and the ability to author actionable Art Bibles. * Deep understanding of orchestrating different AI tools for different purposes including image generation, 3d generation, animation, visual effects and shaders. * Solid understanding of mobile engine constraints (Unity), performance budgets, and translating concept art into optimized 3D assets. * On-site Requirement: Must be able to work 5 days a week on-site at our office in Santa Clara, CA. **Preferred Qualifications** * Prior experience working on strategy, RTS, 4X, MOBA or RPG mobile titles. * Hands-on experience inside Unity, be able to provide both aesthetic and technical suggestions based on the conditions of art assets. * Experience managing high-volume external art studios and establishing efficient feedback loops. **Employee Benefits** * Health, dental, and vision insurance * 401(k) plan with employer match * Life and disability insurance * Generous paid holidays and time off * Free daily lunch and snacks