Art Director - Video Games

Company Overview:

Ex Populus is an ambitious game development studio, spearheaded by industry veterans from renowned companies such as Pixar, Ubisoft, Activision, Blizzard, and more. With a remarkable team, the company is currently in the process of developing two highly anticipated games, Final Form and LAMOverse. The company is focused on high-end indie games for PC and console.

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Production Art Director to lead, shape, and actively contribute to the artistic vision for Ex Populus games. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of defining and maintaining the artistic style, visual quality, and consistency of game art, along with strong organizational and time management skills. This role reports to the Creative Director, manages a small team of artists, and collaborates across the entire project through all stages of development.

What You'll Do:

• Define and maintain the artistic style, visual quality, and consistency of game art.
• Masterfully balance visual aesthetics, player needs, and business objectives to deliver exceptional game worlds.
• Ensuring high-quality production assets from concept to completion.
• Contribute to concept and production art with high quality illustration and graphic design.
• Maximize consistency and quality control over inhouse artists and over remote studios.
• Deliver and lead daily feedback in a remote setting with clear verbal and visual direction and paintovers.
• Create and organize visual guidelines and documentation to support team alignment.
• Collaborate with Game Director, UX Director, and 3D artists to create a unified and engaging player experience.
• Work closely with the producer, designers, and engineers to ensure the art supports and enhances the gameplay experience.
• Manage direct reports, providing regular feedback, performance reviews, and career development support.

What You’ll Need:

• Shipped 1+ AA/AAA game on Console or PC in the last 3 years.
• Portfolio demonstrating high quality game production art in a variety of styles.
• Deep understanding of art fundamentals (lighting, composition, architecture, anatomy, proportion, etc.), artistic culture (photography, movies, books, comics, etc.) & video game culture.
• You own the proven ability to work in highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, iterative environment, while delivering under deadlines and time constraints.
• Works at the highest level aesthetically while balancing scope, deadlines, and implementation considerations.
• Strong understanding of game art production processes and pipelines.
• Cultivates open communication by encouraging feedback exchange through inspiration, inclusivity, and mutual respect.
• Strong organizational skills with consistent follow up regarding direction changes.
• Knowledge of how users interact with our games and how visual elements can influence behavior.
• Mastery with tools and workflows that enhance the efficiency and creativity of the art team.
• Stays updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive products to incorporate innovative ideas and techniques into the game's art direction.
• Have great mastery of diverse art styles, and you are open-minded, receptive to new ideas and fresh perspective;
• Self-motivated with experience in collaborating within a remote team setting.
• Proven leadership and team management skills with a dedication to building a diverse, hardworking, and empathetic team.
• Excited to utilize future technologies such as AI-generated imagery while recognizing both their advantages and limitations.
• Proficiency in English, which is the operational language.




• Bonus Skills:
• Experience as an illustrative UI Artist of varying styles.
• Experience in UI or motion graphics




• Compensation:
• Competitive Salary
• Health Benefits (Varies depending on location)
• Paid Uncapped Vacation
• Employee Stock Options
• Employee Restricted Token Units (RTU)

Location:

Remote, Work From Home

As a fully remote studio, our team is currently spread across North American time zones. To ensure effective collaboration, this role requires the ability to work a standard 8-hour workday, Monday through Friday, with at least 4 hours of that time overlapping with our US/Canada West Coast teams (Pacific Time).

Ex Populus is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.