Concept Artist Jobs

About The Position

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. We want to see the thinking and the range, not just the polished final image.
• 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: you can explain why a concept works commercially, not just why you like it.
• Discipline with file organization, naming conventions, and version control. Downstream teams depend on it.

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. Story accuracy matters here as much as craft.

Responsibilities

• Own defined portions of Aphmau merchandise collections end to end, research and mood boards, concept sketch ideation, and final artwork execution for your assigned products or categories.
• Develop multiple product-sketch directions for assigned characters, themes, categories, or collection stories, in addition to support ideas to polish, but enough real range to make a meaningful selection possible.
• Explore 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 the hero pieces in a collection along with the supporting products, coordinated items, and collectible variations around them.
• Suggest category, price point, production feasibility, and sales channel while a concept is still forming.
• Annotate your sketches so the intended materials, artwork placements, features, and story references are unmistakable.
• 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 so teammates and vendors can work with them.
• Incorporate feedback from Brand, Licensing, Merchandise Production, and creative leadership without losing the approved story intent.
• Review vendor proofs and artwork interpretations, flag deviations from approved artwork, and correct routine issues yourself.
• Present your directions and explain the rationale behind each one.

Benefits

• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision health benefits
• 401(k) contribution
• Flexible time off
• Lunch, snacks and drinks provided in the office
• Pets in the office once a month
• Onsite fitness center
• Learning Stipend
• Relocation assistance for those coming from outside Austin.