Description
Microsoft Studios Global Publishing within the Xbox Game Division is looking for a talented Art Director who is passionate about establishing strong artistic vision for next gen real-time experiences! We work with many of the best Game Development Studios around the world and partner to push the limits of visuals and technology to delight our audiences.
We currently need exceptional artists to help us visualize the future of interaction. In particular, we have an incredible opportunity for an Art Director who wants to live at the intersection of technology and art, with the aesthetic skills to understand what quality looks like and the technical skills to make it real and performant in-game. We’re looking for someone with strong communication skills, a self-driven approach to work to the highest quality with an eagerness to partner closely with engineers and other creative disciplines to deliver complete and compelling solutions. The Publishing Art Director must bring consistently high artistic standards to both his/her work and that of the Art team, defining the artistic vision whilst delivering compelling real-time experiences.
You thrive in an environment of innovation and excellence.
Responsibilities
· Advise, direct, and facilitate internal and external teams in development of art content for a diverse range of entertainment experiences across multiple platforms.
· Long term relationship management with internal teams and external partners, consistently raising the quality bar for Microsoft Studios titles.
· Ability to manage a full spectrum of artists, across multiple experience levels.
· Cross-functional collaboration and leadership.
· Participate in coordinating the aesthetic targets and technical processes in order to realize the visual and design goals.
· Demonstrate and communicate clear expectations for quality of work, productivity, communication and professionalism to the Art Team and our Development Partners.
· Work with Animation Lead, Design team, our Developers and Producers to define and manage key milestones.
· Work closely with both internal and external development teams to meet consistently high quality bar across all products - while doing so within platform performance limits.
· Participate in developing and supporting run-time game Art procedures & pipelines.
· Bring your passion for artistic innovation and the highest quality.
· Motivate and mentor less-experienced Artists.
Skills & Requirements
5+ years of experience as a Senior Visual Designer, Art Director or Production Designer for minimum of 1-2 next-gen titles (or comparable product), with added experience in film/TV VFX design and supervision (or comparable photo realistic entertainment product).
· Solid understanding of cutting edge art development processes, limitations and dependencies across mediums, including interactive (games, web, devices) and VFX (for film or TV –including matte painting, compositing, art direction).
· Ability to work with large external teams.
· Must demonstrate an understanding of a range of Art/Design styles, with confident foundation of Art/Design history and also up-to-date with current visual influencers across the entertainment and tech industries.
· Strong leadership abilities and interpersonal confidence.
· Hands-on art talent: ability to create concept art, storyboards, sketches, animatics, assemble reference and mood boards, write creative briefs and visual guidelines.
· Strong narrative and problem-solving skills; able to visually express different types of story sequence as well as illustrate functionality.
· Task driven, self-motivated, proactive and works well under deadline pressure.
· Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, both verbal and written in addition to strong time-management and organizational skills.
· In-depth mastery of 2D and 3D art and animation packages, including Photoshop and at least one industry standard, such as Maya, Houdini, 3D Studio Max or Softimage. Experience of ZBrush or MudBox considered a plus.
· In-depth development experience using multiple games engines, like UE3, UE4, CryEngine, Unity and proprietary solutions considered a plus.
· Thorough understanding of all aspects of game development process, from design methodology to craftsmanship and production.
· BA or BFA in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or similar.
· Must be willing to travel.
How to Apply
All candidates must deliver a full resume with portfolio/reel to be considered for this position.
Team portfolio/reel review required.
https://careers.microsoft.com/jobdetails.aspx?ss=&pg=0&so=&rw=1&jid=286064&jlang=en&pp=ss
About the Company
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to askstaff@microsoft.com.