Art Director

Company Overview

Maliyo is a Lagos-based game development studio that creates African-inspired games for mobile users with over 40 games in our portfolio. Maliyo infuses the continent’s lively culture and experiences into everything we create. Our goal is to embed Africa’s vibrant culture into video games through storylines, character development, immersive environments, captivating sounds, and strong visuals.

Essential Functions:

• Define the project’s look, its distinct art style, and critical visual differentiation.
• Work with the team to define and execute art direction for all game content, including character design and world-building.
• Collaborate with product, design, and engineering teams to create and implement art assets into the game experience.
• Oversee the design and layout of the game’s UI and graphics, as well as create concept art, character designs, and other visual elements.
• Iterate on the full project plan, informing timelines and deliverables through key artistic milestones.
• Work closely with all internal and external stakeholders to understand and fulfill the needs of gameplay.
• Work hand in hand with a team of level designers, artists, and builders to develop levels from prototype to completion.
• Develop milestones for the art team through clear direction and sustainable scoping.
• Ensure that all assets are consistent with the art style of the game.
• Conceptualize designs for games and then translate those designs into 3D models and 2D images that can be used in game development.
• Define the art team structure, identifying roles and responsibilities for sub-disciplines, including animation, concept art, character, environment, and technical art.
• Responsible for ensuring that the art assets of our games are consistent, polished, and high-quality.
• Collaborate with programmers and other designers to ensure that all elements of the game are designed in accordance with their goals.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with team members, production, and management to ensure that project goals are defined and met on time.
• Create and maintain a world-class team of artists, guiding them toward incredible performance and purposeful growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in fine arts or graphic design.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a high-level position as an art director.
• No specific gaming experience required, but experience in animation or film is a plus.
• Team management and production experience.
• Solid knowledge of the gaming industry.
• Must be creative when approaching new projects to ensure that they are unique and interesting.
• Great artistic skills, an eye for detail, and a strong understanding of 3D modeling software such as Maya or ZBrush.
• Experience working in a team setting and effective communication with the development team.
• Able to work independently as well as collaborate with other team members.
• Superb analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• Demonstrated flexibility and the ability to work with cross-functional teams in-person and remotely.