jobs | art director - novato ca $$$high | you've probably been drawing since you...

jobref 911 AD

location nationwide (san francisco)

position ART DIRECTOR - NOVATO CA $$$HIGH

type permanent

salary Ł 50000 to 80000

package health care, pension

start 05.02.2009

You've probably been drawing since you can remember…perhaps you’re a painter, maybe you're even an eccentric sculptor wearing an old flight-suit covered in plaster, we don't know. What we do know is that at some point you realized that video games became the most promising form of creative expression you could imagine. What could be better than playing a key role in architecting entire 3D worlds for an audience to explore filled with characters whose costumes and very personalities you have helped create?
You like to communicate your visions with pictures, and you have a team of the industry's best environment artists, character modelers and animators waiting to be set in motion like a wound clockwork. You love it when someone asks you "what should this look like?" You are familiar with the intricacies of creating art for real time, 3D worlds, but your ideas about games are frequently unorthodox, and occasionally esoteric. Does this sound like you?
Job Responsibilities:
Interpret the Creative Director’s vision for the project into a compelling, cohesive and coherent visual language.
Set artistic direction and oversee its implementation in art, animation, and interface design.
Develop and ensure quality assurance protocols for artwork.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive art bible for the project.
Review and approve artists’ work and preside over all art/content reviews.
Set and approve the visual design and content for the project, ensuring that the artistic style and content are innovative, appropriate, and consistent.
Oversee the visual development of the project, encouraging input from team members but making final decisions on the visual quality, style, and mood of assets.
Communicate the visual design and development of the project to the art team and production through art specifications, style guides and discussions, including environmental design, character design, prop design, graphic design, lighting, special effects, and reference material.
Visually direct and mentor the artists on the team.
Work closely with the Lead Artist and Lead Animator to maximize aesthetic innovation, quality, and art resources, while assuring adherence to budget constraints.
Direct and contribute to the creation, definition, and development of character designs, background drawings, and other art aspects of games.
Ensure that all aesthetic choices work in harmony with the game design.
Maintain and communicate a strong knowledge of innovative game production technologies and the capabilities/limitations of these technologies as they relate to project goals.
Qualifications:
Art directed a shipped game, preferably on a next-gen console.
5+ years professional experience in 2D and 3D art production.
Demonstrated ability to work with a high degree of self-direction.
Ability to work in a collaborative team setting, under tight deadlines and strict technical constraints.
Skills:
Excellent skills with Photoshop and/or Painter. Experience with 3D Studio Max, Maya, or the Unreal Engine highly preferable.
Broad traditional art skills in the areas of color theory, composition, form and graphic design.
Highly collaborative and able to communicate gracefully both visually and verbally.
Proven management and team-building skills.
Extensive knowledge of gaming industry art styles, technology and tools.

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