Fanatics

Principal Visual Artist

Fanatics$180K — $225K *
Media
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Portfolio showcasing concept art, illustration, texture work, 3D modeling, and overall production skills.
  • Proven leadership in directing visual features or projects with sound artistic judgment.
  • Experience in mentoring and developing artists in a team setting.
  • Strong skills in visual development, including style frames and color theory.
  • Proficiency in Blender or similar software for creating 3D assets.
  • Solid 2D skills in Photoshop or Illustrator, particularly in texture and graphic design.
  • Understanding of constraints related to real-time assets and runtime performance.

Responsibilities

  • Lead visual direction for projects, translating creative visions into detailed production guidance.
  • Establish and uphold visual standards across output as the team evolves.
  • Mentor and guide a team of artists, providing constructive feedback and support for their growth.
  • Create 2D art assets to integrate within 3D interactive environments, ensuring high quality.
  • Model, texture, rig, and animate 3D assets while adhering to performance budgets.
  • Produce motion references and concepts to assist with technical implementation.
  • Collaborate with the creative team to ensure efficient handoffs and integration for runtime.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health insurance options.
  • Flexible working schedule including remote opportunities.
  • Generous vacation and paid time-off policies.
  • Professional development and career growth support.
  • Access to a wellness program and resources.
Full Job Description
Principal Visual Artist

We're building a small, senior team to create exceptional real-time, web-first interactive experiences across our portfolio. Work that pushes what WebGL can do and sets the bar for high-craft fan engagement. We blend the creative sensibility of top interactive studios with the technical ambition of game development, and we're hiring the founding members who will shape everything that follows.

We're looking for a Principal Visual Artist to lead the visual identity and art direction of our interactive work. You'll partner with the Creative Director to define the look and feel of each project, set the visual standard for the team, and drive that quality from early concept through to production-ready assets across 2D and 3D. As the team grows, you'll lead and mentor artists, shape workflows, and own the visual direction of features end to end.

You care about craft at every stage. You understand that great real-time art starts with smart decisions made early, and you're comfortable taking ownership across disciplines in a small team where your judgment sets the quality bar.

What you'll do
  • Lead the visual direction of features and projects, translating creative vision into clear production direction through concepts, style frames, and visual references
  • Define and maintain the visual language, tone, and quality standard across all output as the team and portfolio grow
  • Lead, mentor, and grow a team of artists, providing feedback, direction, and career development support
  • Produce concept, illustration, and 2D art assets (textures, surface detail, iconography, UI elements, graphic work) that integrate into 3D and interactive environments
  • Model, UV, texture, rig, and animate 3D assets to production standard, working within defined real-time budgets
  • Use motion and animation tools to produce motion references and effects concepts that guide technical implementation
  • Collaborate closely with the wider creative team to ensure clean, well-structured handoff for runtime, iterating based on how art behaves in-engine
  • Shape art production workflows, asset pipelines, and standards as the team scales


What we're looking for
  • A portfolio that spans disciplines: concept and illustration, texture and surface work, 3D modelling, and asset production, showing both range and depth
  • Proven experience leading visual direction on features or projects, with the judgment to make art decisions that serve the overall experience
  • Experience leading, mentoring, or growing artists on a team
  • Strong visual development skills: style frames, mood boards, colour theory, and composition thinking
  • Proficiency in Blender (or equivalent) for 3D modelling, UV layout, texturing, rigging, and animation
  • Strong 2D skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, or equivalent, with a focus on texture creation, graphic design, and illustrative work
  • Understanding of real-time asset constraints: poly budgets, texture resolution and atlasing, material complexity, and what makes assets performant at runtime
  • A collaborative approach: you hand off cleanly, communicate constraints clearly, and take technical feedback without friction


Bonus
  • Background in game development (highly preferred) or experience producing assets for a real-time engine
  • Experience with motion design, animated asset production, or creating animation references to guide a technical team
  • Familiarity with glTF pipelines and well-structured, runtime-ready exports
  • Experience with shader authoring or authoring tools


The salary range represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation. This salary range is specific to New York City and may not be applicable to other locations. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

NYC Salary Range

$180,000-$225,000 USD

The salary range represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

USA Remote Salary Range

$155,520-$194,400 USD

About Fanatics

Fanatics is a leading retailer of licensed sports merchandise. The company was founded in 1995 and has grown to become the largest online retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise in the world. Fanatics offers a wide range of products, including jerseys, hats, and other apparel, as well as collectibles and memorabilia. The company has partnerships with all major sports leagues and teams, as well as with individual athletes. Fanatics is committed to providing a seamless shopping experience for its customers and has invested heavily in technology and logistics to ensure fast and reliable delivery.
Learn more about Fanatics
Size
5,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1995

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