Associate Concept Artist

Catface•Austin, TX

1d•$60,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

Catface is seeking an Associate Merchandise Concept Designer to join their Merchandise team in Austin, TX. This role involves owning the entire process of developing product ideas from initial concept to final artwork for vendors. The designer will need strong drawing skills to accurately render characters and a commercial instinct to create appealing products. The position offers moderate oversight, allowing the designer to manage assignments and meet deadlines with team support. This is an opportunity to create design work for a large audience and engage with a fandom that notices detail.

Requirements

2–4 years of merchandise, consumer product, or character-based design experience.
A portfolio showing the full progression from research and ideation through finished, production-usable artwork.
Strong Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills, with real competence in pattern, icon, and surface design development.
Working knowledge of brand and character style guides and licensed product requirements.
Ability to manage several concurrent assignments against a development calendar and consistently hit dates.
Strong character drawing fundamentals — proportion, expression, and consistency to an established model.
Comfort giving and receiving direct creative critique, and the ability to separate feedback on the work from feedback on you.
Clear communication: ability to explain why a concept works commercially, not just why you like it.
Discipline with file organization, naming conventions, and version control.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing across plush, collectibles, apparel, accessories, stationery, or home décor.
Experience working with overseas vendors and reviewing proofs, samples, or digital renderings.
Familiarity with creator-led brands, fandom-driven products, or licensed entertainment merchandise.
Genuine curiosity about the Aphmau universe, or the willingness to become a fast student of it.

Responsibilities

Own defined portions of Aphmau merchandise collections end to end, including research, mood boards, concept sketch ideation, and final artwork execution.
Develop multiple product-sketch directions for assigned characters, themes, categories, or collection stories, exploring product silhouettes, character applications, poses, expressions, patterns, graphics, materials, functions, and interactive features.
Refine thumbnails into concept art that clearly communicates product form, visual hierarchy, story connection, and consumer appeal.
Identify hero pieces in a collection along with supporting products, coordinated items, and collectible variations.
Suggest category, price point, production feasibility, and sales channel while a concept is forming.
Annotate sketches to specify materials, artwork placements, features, and story references.
Translate approved concepts into polished final merchandise artwork, character illustrations, placement graphics, patterns, icons, decorative elements, colorways, and surface designs.
Prepare artwork at the correct dimensions, scale, resolution, color mode, and file format for each product category.
Build colorway and artwork-placement variations and organize layered master files.
Incorporate feedback from Brand, Licensing, Merchandise Production, and creative leadership.
Review vendor proofs and artwork interpretations, flag deviations, and correct routine issues.
Present directions and explain the rationale behind each one.