Volley · 4 hours ago
Visual Development Artist (Contract)
United States
Contract
Remote
Senior Level
$100/hr - $150/hr
5+ years expVolley is building innovative gaming experiences that reach millions of players across Smart TV platforms. As a Visual Development Artist, you'll create original IP and visual foundations for games that bring families and friends together, focusing on character design and world-building.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Casual GamesDigital EntertainmentGamingMedia and EntertainmentPodcastSpeech Recognition
Responsibilities
Create visual IP from scratch, developing protagonist and antagonist characters, themed environments, and overall visual worlds that support engaging game experiences
Lead style exploration and visual direction, researching competitors, exploring multiple visual approaches, and defining distinctive looks that capture the essence of each game concept
Design characters with personality and appeal, ensuring they resonate with family audiences across all ages and work effectively within TV/Smart TV technical constraints
Develop comprehensive style guides including color scripts, mood boards, character sheets, environment concepts, and key art that establishes the visual language for entire games
Partner with game designers to bring thematic visions to life, translating gameplay concepts and narrative beats into compelling visual moments
Collaborate with user research to test concepts early, incorporating player feedback and iterating on character designs and visual directions to ensure broad appeal
Work closely with UI/UX designers to ensure your visual language translates effectively into functional game screens and maintains consistency throughout
Create key art and marketing visuals that can be used for promotional materials and platform featuring
Consider technical constraints including Smart TV performance, texture budgets, and the need for clear readability at 10-foot viewing distances
Qualification
Required
5+ years in visual development, concept art, or character design with a strong portfolio showcasing original IP creation, character work, and style exploration
Exceptional character design skills with ability to create appealing, memorable characters that work for family audiences and diverse age groups
Strong visual storytelling and world-building abilities, translating thematic concepts into cohesive visual languages
Experience developing style guides and design language that other artists can successfully implement and maintain
Collaborative mindset for working with game designers, UI designers, motion designers, and user researchers throughout the creative process
Comfort with iteration and feedback, pivoting visual directions based on playtesting and stakeholder input while maintaining creative vision
Understanding of casual/party game aesthetics and what makes visuals appealing for family-friendly, entertainment-focused experiences
Preferred
Experience with casual games, party games, or entertainment-focused game IP
Comfort using AI tools as part of the creative process to accelerate iteration and exploration (we see AI as augmenting artistic vision, not replacing craft)
Background in animation or motion-friendly character design
Familiarity with designing for TV/console platforms and technical constraints
Experience creating character rigs or assets for implementation by other artists
Understanding of accessibility and inclusive character design principles
Company
Volley
Volley builds voice-controlled entertainment experiences for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and smartphones.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Volley has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (4)
2024 (5)
2023 (3)
2022 (2)
2021 (2)
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$107.27MKey Investors
Lightspeed Venture PartnersAdvancit CapitalY Combinator
2024-07-09Series C· $55M
2021-12-30Series B· $37M
2021-01-10Series B
Leadership Team
Max Child
Co-Founder & CEO
James Wilsterman
Co-Founder & CTO
Recent News
Android Headlines
2025-12-30
Company data provided by crunchbase