Smoking Gun Interactive (SGI) is a dynamic and innovative game development studio lead by industry veterans located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. We develop original IPs as well as partner with incredible companies and established brands such as Microsoft and NASA to create games and diverse interactive experiences, utilizing our own leading edge technology. 

We are looking for an experienced, driven, and highly skilled Lead Artist to join our veteran team. You will be a key member of the leadership group working directly with the IP holder in creating features and content releases. Reporting to the Studio Art Director, as the Lead Artist you will direct artists dedicated to the project, in planning and executing on content, and problem-solving creative and implementation challenges throughout the development.

As our ideal candidate, you have shipped multiple titles in an Art Lead role within the games industry or in relevant interactive field. You have hands-on experience in creating final quality concepts as well as integrating game-ready art assets into the game engine, preferably with focus on UI. You have a background in graphic design, strong illustration skills, and animation/motion graphics proficiency.

Responsibilities:

·         Own the game’s visual style and contribute to the development and evolution of the brand

·         Direct and manage the creation of all art, UI, animation, and FX content and own the quality of its implementation in the game

·         Create high fidelity art and animation concepts to set quality bar for the team, facilitate game design documentation, and prepare client-facing presentations

·         Analyze, adapt, and integrate high and low-level feedback from the Client, and from other departments to propose and achieve what is best for the product

·         Partner with the Producer and leads in development and maintenance of realistic art scope plans and schedule

·         Produce game-ready UI art and animation assets to help establish and maintain technical and memory specifications for target platforms

·         Take initiative to facilitate communication between disciplines during implementation of features

·         Proactively problem solve creative and technical issues to meet the highest level of presentation polish and user experience

·         Document and propagate organization and tracking procedures, maintain best-practices and style guides for the art team

·         Provide input and feedback on tools and pipelines

●      6+ years of experience within the games industry or in relevant interactive field

●      Multiple shipped titles as an Art Lead

●      Degree in Interactive Design, Graphic Design, or a related field, or equivalent work experience

●      Expert knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, proficiency in other Adobe Creative Suite software

●      Hands-on experience building UI using Adobe Animate (Flash) or equivalent GUI editor and pipeline

●      Demonstrated high degree of ownership and willingness to iterate on work until it shines

●      Ability to mentor and motivate others and establish trust among team members and peers

●      Excellent leadership, verbal and written communication skills

●      Sense of humor, passion for your work, and desire to grow yourself and those around you