Art Director

Overview

This role is responsible for the artistic design of IGT’s products through engaging elements such as 2D art, 3D elements (logos, backgrounds, reels, characters, symbols, etc.), and animation. The scope of responsibilities may include the creation of art from scratch or the adaptation of existing sets of art assets from initial concept through delivery of final art package. This process spans the initial sketching and outlining of graphic elements and animations to delivery of the final graphic files. Artists work on a variety of game products and technical elements of IGT products that depend on the Studio’s product mix and project assignments. Conceptualization and ideation of art for each project is guided by the Game Producer’s design vision. The deliveries of the role are further influenced by market trends, customer requirements, and technical specifications. Artists work in close collaboration with Game Designers/Producers, Technical Artists, and Software Developers to create new and innovative concepts and graphic support for games and players. The role functions within a cross-functional game development team that also includes Project Managers, Mathematicians, and Test Engineers.

Essential Functions

• Perform project assignments and work tasks independently while leading and supporting others on the team.
• Design & develop innovative and engaging graphics, and animations tailored to a target market in partnership with Producers and Product partners. 
• Develops & drives key visual cornerstone identity for each product while keeping all elements consistent in style for both the base game and all subsequent bonus games.
• Responsible for developing (original and/or licensed) game logos, backgrounds, logos, user interface, innovative themes, character designs, animations, and story board graphics of the highest caliber to create a product that is a complete entertainment package.
• Test different layouts, models, textures, animation, rendering, lighting techniques, and tools to fully utilize IGT’s state of the art game engine.
• Creates game-ready digital and print artwork in accordance with the capabilities & requirements of the target product line.
• Drives and contributes to marketing and/or merchandising for specific products and releases to market, if applicable.
• Drive, contribute to, & participate in interdepartmental communications and meetings.
• Example of mindset of giving & accepting feedback and constructive criticism with positive intent and professionalism.
• Execute idea(s) visually through the development process, conceptualizing the artistic look and style of a game.
• Value add to the graphic department by mentoring, creating new ways of implementing components, developing generic approaches, & realizing new visual concepts and ideas.
• Continuous improvement to define processes, improve tools, develop documentation, & identify efficiencies among others.
• Mentor lower-level art team members.
• Drive and develop the philosophy of art where it matters with innovative concepts and uniquely designed displays to engage consumers and enhance user experience. 

Skills Development

Business & Role

• Proven track record leveraging knowledge of IGT and casino gaming products or product lines, corresponding artistic design, & that of competitive products to elevate team output.
• Frequently and consistently mentoring others on IGT processes and system, the artist roles & responsibilities, and how those integrate into game development activities and projects.
• Ability to organize, plan, and administer training to art team and/or studio.

Technical

• Frequently and consistently mentoring others and implement improvement solutions for the development of a wide variety of game content & real-time content in IGT game engine.
• Continue expanding ability to design in new artistic styles, refine existing artistic skillset, & ability to mentor others on a variety of artistic styles.
• Strengthening ability to anticipate future needs & proactively identify solutions in new industrial trends & tools.

Soft Skills

• Effectively able to mentor junior & senior team members.
• Able to leverage project and task prioritization to streamline efficiency.
• Example and role model of continuously seeking out approaches to tasks & projects and confidence in asking for feedback.
• Continuously networking with cross-functional members of game development team.
• Continuously strengthening written & verbal communication skills; ability to effectively communicate project or task status verbally and digitally, share best practices across studios, and lead without authority.

Industry & Market

• Expert in leveraging knowledge of market trends & features to elevate IGT products & product lines.
• Developing proficiency in leveraging knowledge of market demographic needs & wants to enhance user experience.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• 10+ years of experience and/or proven success developing art or animation with industry standard art software in the casino design industry or other relevant fields.
• Fluent in market standard artist software stack and able to give direction on what to use, for what purpose, and why.
• Expert with Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, Spine, or special effects plugins among others.
• Post-secondary diploma or bachelor’s degree in graphic design, art, 2D/3D animation, or equivalent working experience & experiential knowledge.
• Ability to design in a variety of artistic styles.
• Ability to resolve common computer issues including fonts or software/driver updates.
• Ability to use systems to organize and keep track of information including Basecamp, Jira, shared docs, and calendars.
• Excellent interpersonal, spoken, written, and visual communication skills.
• High degree of innovation, analytical ability, and creative, technical, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently while remaining accountable to the objectives and evolving priorities of a larger cross-functional team.
• Practice positive intent and be responsive to feedback and change.
• Expert of evolving visual trends in entertainment, slot, and/or casino industry.
• Proficiency with version control software.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in creating graphics with Unity 3D, Maya 3D, game optimizing, marquee lighting, extending backgrounds, creating new elements for existing brands, games or equivalent.
• Expert in Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, Spine, or special effects plugins among others.
• Enthusiasm for casino games with understanding of core demographic needs and wants.

Keys to Success

• Building collaborative relationships
• Decision making
• Drive results
• Foster innovation
• Personal energy
• Self-leadership