Character Designer

6 Days ago • All levels • Animation • $116,700 PA - $149,760 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

The Character Designer is responsible for exploring all design options for characters in animation projects. Collaborating with the Director, Art Director, and other leads, you'll create multiple character iterations, including poses, expressions, and turnarounds, ensuring designs are feasible for downstream departments (modeling and texturing). This union-covered position requires excellent draftsmanship, anatomy knowledge, and understanding of costume design. You'll work independently and as part of a team, resolving design issues with the Art Director. Experience in animation (feature film, TV series, or game) is preferred. The role involves visually exploring and discovering the character's look, feel, and personality throughout the pitch, design, and production process.
Must have:
  • Collaborate with creative leads
  • Create multiple character iterations
  • Consider downstream departments
  • Excellent draftsmanship
  • Anatomy and volumetric drawing knowledge
  • Photoshop skills
Good to have:
  • Stylistic versatility
  • Costume design understanding
Perks:
  • Union benefits

Job Details

The Character Designer is in charge of exploring all options when crafting the look, feel, personality, and appeal of a character. Working with the Director, Art Director, and other creative leads, you will explore multiple looks for each character to bring them to life. This is a union covered position.

Sony Pictures Animation is a pre-production animation studio based in Culver City, California, creating both feature animation and animated series with artists from around the world. We pride ourselves on empowering filmmakers to lead the creative process, and allowing the hand of the artist to be truly felt, with the goal of producing bold and innovative visual storytelling.

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate with the creative lead throughout the pitch, design and production process to visually explore and discover the characters' look, feel, and personality.
  • Create multiple iterations of each character (including character poses, expressions and turnarounds) in rough pass form and approved final designs.
  • Propose design approaches that consider downstream departments (modeling and texturing).
  • Able to work independently and within a team environment.
  • Work closely with the Art Director to resolve design issues.

Qualifications:

  • Previous experience on an animated feature film, tv series, or game preferred.
  • Ability to articulate creative ideas.
  • Excellent draftsmanship.
  • Skilled in character pose, facial expressions and character turnarounds.
  • Outstanding research skills and an understanding of costume design.
  • Knowledge of anatomy and volumetric drawing.
  • We value inventiveness! Each Sony Pictures Animation project has its own distinctive and outstanding visual language so it is helpful to have stylistic versatility.
  • Photoshop knowledge required.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $56.23/hour to $72/hour. This role qualifies for benefits pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement. The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors.

To apply, please include a resume and a link to your portfolio. Please make sure to include any passwords to your work in your cover letter and/or in your resume. 

Sony Pictures Animation is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Similar Jobs

SuperPlay - 3D Animator Disney Solitaire

SuperPlay

Tel Aviv District, Israel (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Virtuos - Studio Art Director - Japan

Virtuos

Japan (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Sperasoft - 2D Artist (Hard-surface)

Sperasoft

Vojvodina, Serbia (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
Sperasoft - 3D Props Artist

Sperasoft

Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (Hybrid)
6 Days ago
Focus Entertainment - Brand & Creative Manager

Focus Entertainment

Île-de-France, France (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Sony Pictures Animation - Production Manager - Series

Sony Pictures Animation

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
6 Days ago
Turn Me Up Games,  Inc  - Gameplay Animator / Cinematics Artist

Turn Me Up Games, Inc

Burbank, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Aristocrat Gaming - Animator I

Aristocrat Gaming

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
ZeniMax Media - Animateur.trice senior (facial.e) / Senior Animator (Faces)

ZeniMax Media

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Escape Velocity Entertainment - Principal UI Artist - Outsourcing

Escape Velocity Entertainment

(Remote)
2 Weeks ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Simple Viral Games - Product Designer Intern

Simple Viral Games

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Kojima Productions - Animation Programmer

Kojima Productions

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Activision - Expert Environment Artist - Materials

Activision

Santa Monica, California, United States (Hybrid)
2 Weeks ago
Playrix - Senior Playable Ads Developer

Playrix

Ireland (Remote)
1 Week ago
SuperPlay - Technical Artist

SuperPlay

Tel Aviv District, Israel (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Ruby game studio - Game UI/UX Artist

Ruby game studio

İzmir, İzmir, Türkiye (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Lead Game UI/UX Designer

Ubisoft

Saint-Mandé, Île-de-France, France (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Tamatem Games - Multimedia Specialist - Motion Designer

Tamatem Games

Amman Governorate, Jordan (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Universal Music - Director of Creative Strategy, eCommerce

Universal Music

New York, New York, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Wargaming - Lead Environment Artist

Wargaming

Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (Hybrid)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Los Angeles, California, United States

Inkittt - Marketing & Social Media Manager

Inkittt

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Interactive Brokers - Senior Cloud Security Engineer

Interactive Brokers

Greenwich, Connecticut, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago
ByteDance - Software Engineer - Programming Language (San Jose, CA)(PhD)

ByteDance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
HoYoverse - Senior Game Recruiter

HoYoverse

Santa Monica, California, United States (Remote)
10 Months ago
Nexon - Localization Coordinator

Nexon

El Segundo, California, United States (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Trek - Seasonal Sales Associate (Part Time)

Trek

Issaquah, Washington, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
WebFX - Web Design & Development Website Coordinator

WebFX

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Onward Search - Project Manager II

Onward Search

Cupertino, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Games For Love - Volunteer Marketer

Games For Love

Washington, United States (Remote)
6 Days ago
On Location - Lifecycle Marketing Manager - Olympic & Paralympic Games

On Location

New York, New York, United States (On-Site)
5 Days ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Animation Jobs

Ubisoft - Machine Learning Programmer (Character & Animation)

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Light Speed Studios - Lead Animator

Light Speed Studios

Osaka, Osaka, Japan (On-Site)
19 Hours ago
SmileGate - Animation Lead, LOST ARK Mobile

SmileGate

Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Techland - Animation Director

Techland

Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Techland - Animation Director

Techland

Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Larian Studios - Senior Animator

Larian Studios

Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
5 Days ago
Electronic Arts - Animator

Electronic Arts

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Remote)
3 Days ago
Epic Games - Tools Engineer

Epic Games

Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Framestore - Previs Artist - Launchpad Internship 2025

Framestore

England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
4 Weeks ago
Starbreeze Studios - Animation Programmer (Project Baxter)

Starbreeze Studios

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (Hybrid)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

The studio's latest theatrical release is "Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse," the highly-anticipated sequel to the Academy Award®-winning "Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse" and the second film in the Spider-Verse trilogy.


The division is also behind the visually-groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed "The Mitchells vs. The Machines," the hit film series "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," and "Hotel Transylvania," and the upcoming 2D adult comedy "Fixed" from visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky.


In 2023, the studio released its first two series - "Agent Elvis," an adult animated action comedy, and "Young Love," which expands on the story and characters introduced in the Oscar®-winning short film, “Hair Love.”


Sony Pictures Animation, which was founded in 2002, is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group for Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.


• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAnimation

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonyAnimRecruit

• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SonyAnimation


To send in a general application, please fill out this Express Future Interest Form and we will be in touch if we find a suitable fit: https://bit.ly/4akxrp3

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Sony Pictures Animation

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug