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Animation Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

loyalkaspar

Senior Designer / Animator

New York, NY · On-site

$116K - $132K/yr

Loyalkaspar is on the lookout for a Senior Designer / Animator to help across teams and projects ... Qualifications 6+ years professional design & animation experience for entertainment brands Mastery ...

loyalkaspar

Senior Designer / Animator

New York, NY · On-site

$116K - $132K/yr

Loyalkaspar is on the lookout for a Senior Designer / Animator to help across teams and projects ... Qualifications • 6+ years professional design & animation experience for entertainment brands • ...

Epic Games

Character Animation Lead

Cary, NC · On-site

Collaborate closely with engineers and technical designers to design scalable, flexible animation systems. Excite those around you with creative and clear thinking * Own animation quality and ...

NEW YORK EDGE, INC

Jr. Animation Specialist

Hollis, NY · On-site

$25 - $30/hr

This program is designed for elementary, middle, and high school students participating in our afterschool program. As an Animation Specialist, you will have a pivotal role in nurturing the next wave ...

Aquent

Technical Motion Designer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$57.48 - $63.87/hr

Own animation logic, state machines, and data binding within interactive animation files * Optimize motion systems for performance, scalability, and reusability * Partner with visual designers ...

Swaybox Studios

Rhino Designer

New Orleans, LA

Ensure sets are designed with camera angles, character movement, lighting, and puppet/animation scale in mind. * Integrate story and visual language to craft environments that enhance character ...

IDW

Motion Designer

Oakland, CA · On-site

W work collaboratively with clients, internal designers, and production artists to create stand-alone animations and compelling high-quality videos. The role includes start-to-finish motion design ...

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Animation Designer information

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$35.5K

$83.1K

$110K

How much do animation designer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation designer in the United States is $83,148.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $58,000.00 and $109,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How much does an animation designer make?

Animation designers typically earn a median annual salary of around $60,000 to $80,000, depending on experience, location, and industry. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced professionals with advanced skills in software like Adobe After Effects or Maya can earn higher salaries. Salaries can also vary based on whether they work freelance or for a company.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Animation Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animation Designer, you need a solid background in art and design principles, animation techniques, and a degree or certification in animation or related fields. Proficiency with industry-standard software like Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya, or Blender is typically required. Strong creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help Animation Designers collaborate and innovate within production teams. These skills are crucial for producing engaging, high-quality animations that meet creative briefs and client expectations.

What are some common challenges Animation Designers face when working on collaborative projects?

Animation Designers often work closely with illustrators, writers, sound designers, and developers, which can present challenges in aligning creative visions and managing revisions. Balancing artistic expression with project requirements or client feedback is a frequent hurdle. Additionally, meeting tight deadlines while ensuring consistency and high-quality animation across various platforms requires excellent communication, flexibility, and strong organizational skills. Embracing feedback and adapting quickly are key to thriving in this collaborative environment.

Does Disney still hire 2D animators?

Disney Animation Studios continues to hire 2D animators, especially for projects that preserve traditional animation techniques. While 3D animation has become dominant, there is still demand for skilled 2D artists for specific films, television, and educational content, often requiring proficiency in software like Toon Boom or Adobe Animate.

Is AI replacing 3D animators?

AI technology is increasingly used to assist 3D animators by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing workflow efficiency. However, the role of an animation designer remains essential for creative direction, storytelling, and complex character work that require human judgment and artistic skills. AI tools serve as complements rather than replacements in the animation industry.

What are Animation Designers?

Animation Designers are creative professionals who develop visual effects and animated sequences for various media, such as films, television, video games, and online content. They use specialized software to create 2D or 3D animations, working closely with directors, illustrators, and other team members to bring ideas to life. Their job often involves storyboarding, character design, and ensuring the animation aligns with the project's vision. Animation Designers play a key role in shaping the look, feel, and movement of characters and environments. Their work requires a blend of artistic talent, technical skills, and attention to detail.

What do animation designers do?

Animation designers create visual content by designing and producing animated images, sequences, and characters for various media such as films, video games, and advertisements. They use tools like Adobe After Effects, Maya, or Blender and often collaborate with other creative professionals to develop engaging visual stories. Strong artistic skills, knowledge of animation principles, and proficiency with animation software are essential for this role.

What is the difference between Animation Designer vs Motion Graphics Artist?

AspectAnimation DesignerMotion Graphics Artist
Required CredentialsTypically a degree in animation, graphic design, or related fieldOften a degree in graphic design, multimedia, or animation
Work EnvironmentFilm, TV, advertising, gaming, digital mediaAdvertising, broadcast, digital media, social media content
Employer & Industry UsageMedia companies, animation studios, game developersAdvertising agencies, TV networks, digital content creators

Animation Designers focus on creating animated sequences and characters, often for films, games, or digital media. Motion Graphics Artists specialize in designing animated graphic elements for videos, commercials, and digital platforms. While both roles involve animation skills, Animation Designers typically work on character and scene animation, whereas Motion Graphics Artists focus on animated visuals and text. The roles often overlap, but their primary applications and outputs differ based on industry needs.

More about Animation Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Animation Designer jobs? Cities with the most Animation Designer job openings:
What states have the most Animation Designer jobs? States with the most job openings for Animation Designer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Animation Designer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Designer jobs are:
Animation Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Designer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, and 33% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $83,148 per year, or $40 per hour.
Senior Technical Artist, Animation - Unpublished R&D Product

Senior Technical Artist, Animation - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$136K - $163K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 22 days ago

Job description

As a Senior Technical Artist (Technical Animation), you'll define and maintain the systems that bring our characters and creatures to life including complex animation state machines, layered interactions, and IK-driven behaviors in our upcoming MMO. Working at the intersection of animation, design, and engineering, you'll build scalable animation graphs, ensure believable motion, and optimize performance across a vast, dynamic world.
You'll collaborate with animators, designers, and engineers to develop robust Unreal Engine animation systems that balance scalability, fidelity, and efficiency. As a key bridge between creative intent and technical execution, you'll drive the evolution of our animation framework and ensure seamless, high-quality integration across the game.
Responsibilities:
  • Build and maintain complex animation state machines, layered animation systems, and override logic supporting split-body for player characters, NPCs, creatures, and props.
  • Collaborate with animators, character tech artists, and designers to develop efficient, believable, and tech-friendly animation flows.
  • Define best practices for animation setup while owning the debuggability, documentation, maintainability, and long-term health of animation blueprints and graphs within Unreal Engine.
  • Partner with engineers to build and evolve animation runtime systems and debugging workflows.
  • Drive optimization efforts across animation assets and graphs to meet performance and memory targets.
  • Collaborate with cross-discipline partners to ensure character systems scale effectively across massive multiplayer environments.
  • Develop scalable animation retargeting strategies to support characters and creatures of varying proportions while minimizing animation counts.

Required Qualifications:
  • 5+ years of professional experience as a technical animator or technical artist in games or related industries.
  • Deep expertise with Unreal Engine animation workflows, including complex Animation Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces, and layered animation systems.
  • Proven experience designing scalable, reusable animation systems for large-scope character setups, including players, NPCs, and creatures.
  • Strong art foundation with a deep understanding of animation principles, anatomy, and motion.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across art, design, and engineering disciplines

Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience with Unreal Control Rig and Sequencer
  • Familiarity with C++ and/or Python within Unreal Engine.
  • Expertise in Autodesk Maya for rigging and animation support.
  • Experience working with software likeKawaii, Chaos, Havok.
  • Prior experience supporting MMO or large-scale games with complex character ecosystems.
  • Experience with runtime IK, or motion warping

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!
Our Perks:
Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.
At Riot Games, we put players first . That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you're working directly on a new player-facing experience or you're supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we're better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we're looking forward to your application.
It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.
Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:
  • Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
  • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
  • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
  • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.
  • (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.
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About Riot Games

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Riot Games was founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill with the intent to change the way video games are made and supported for players. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to worldwide acclaim. The game has since gone on to become the most played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Players are the foundation of our community and it's for them we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Angeles, CA, US

Year founded

2006

Social media

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