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Character Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Human Computer Lab

Character Artist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$142K - $149K/yr

Design expressive motion - gestures, "emotional" states, and behaviors expressed through movement ... Build and maintain style guides and a character bible to keep the robot's expression consistent as ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Gatos, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Gatos, CA · On-site

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Vancouver, WA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses.

teamLFG

3D Character Art Lead

$153K - $230K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Do you have a passion for how 3D character art enhances gameplay clarity, supporting players in making split-second decisions, and how character design can ignite both fandom and strategic depth?

Skydance

Character Designer

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$2.9K - $4.0K/wk

Skydance Animation is seeking an experienced Character Designer to join our team on an upcoming ... From early concept exploration to final design execution, you will craft compelling, expressive ...

Skydance

Character Designer

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K - $4.0K/wk

Skydance Animation is seeking an experienced Character Designer to join our team on an upcoming ... From early concept exploration to final design execution, you will craft compelling, expressive ...

Side

3D Character Artist - Talent Pool (N Americas)

$123K - $130K/yr

Strong understanding of anatomy, proportion, weight, and volume as they relate to character design and animation. * Experience with high- and low-poly modeling, texturing, and shading techniques.

teamLFG

3D Character Art Lead

OR · On-site +1

Do you have a passion for how 3D character art enhances gameplay clarity, supporting players in making split-second decisions, and how character design can ignite both fandom and strategic depth?

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All JobsCharacter Design Jobs

Character Design information

See salary details

$10

$19

$37

How much do character design jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average hourly pay for character design in the United States is $19.08, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $13.46 and $24.28 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a character designer typically collaborate with other team members during the production process?

Character Designers work closely with art directors, animators, writers, and sometimes 3D modelers to ensure their designs align with the project's visual style and narrative. Regular meetings and feedback sessions are common, where designers present sketches, receive input, and make iterative changes. Effective communication and openness to feedback are essential, as character designs often need to be adapted for animation, merchandising, or game mechanics. Collaboration helps ensure the characters not only look appealing but also function well in different media formats.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a character designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Character Designer, you need strong drawing skills, a solid understanding of anatomy, color theory, and visual storytelling, often supported by a degree in art, illustration, or animation. Proficiency with digital illustration tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and drawing tablets is typically required. Creativity, adaptability, and effective communication help character designers collaborate with teams and bring unique concepts to life. These skills are essential for creating compelling, memorable characters that visually support narratives and resonate with audiences.

What is the difference between Character Design vs Character Modeling?

AspectCharacter DesignCharacter Modeling
Primary FocusCreating the visual concept, style, and personality of charactersBuilding the 3D digital model based on designs
Required SkillsDrawing, illustration, concept art, creativity3D modeling, software proficiency (e.g., Maya, Blender)
Work EnvironmentConcept art studios, animation, gaming companies3D animation studios, game development, VFX
Common UsageDesigning characters' appearance and personalityCreating detailed 3D models for animation or games

While both roles are essential in character creation, Character Design focuses on conceptualizing and visualizing characters, whereas Character Modeling involves transforming those concepts into detailed 3D models. Understanding these differences helps professionals and employers identify the right skill set for each stage of character development.

What is character design?

Character design is the process of creating the visual appearance, personality, and style of characters for use in media such as animation, video games, comics, and films. Character designers combine art skills and storytelling to develop unique and memorable characters that fit the project's narrative and aesthetic. This includes designing physical features, clothing, expressions, and poses, often collaborating with writers, directors, and animators to ensure the characters support the story and appeal to the target audience.
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What are the most commonly searched types of Character Design jobs?

The most popular types of Character Design jobs are:

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Character Design jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Design job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 88% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $39,680 per year, or $19.1 per hour.

Character Artist

Human Computer Lab

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$142K - $149K/yr

Full-time

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

Human Computer Lab is a research lab building character robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology.
Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.
What to expect
We're looking for a character artist to help define how LeLamp looks, moves, and feels - the visual and expressive language that makes a robot read as alive rather than mechanical. You'll work on everything from early concept sketches and mood boards to the motion, gesture, and lighting cues that give the robot its personality, translating character intent into something the hardware and software teams can actually build and ship. This role requires tight, fast-cycling collaboration with electrical, mechanical, and software teams - character decisions here don't stay on paper, they become motor curves, timing, and light behavior. You'll work closely with the CEO and founding team to shape the character identity of LeLamp and the robots that follow.
In this role, you will:
  • Create concept art, mood boards, and character studies that define LeLamp's personality and visual identity.
  • Collaborate with the hardware team on form factor, silhouette, materials, and color to keep the physical design aligned with the character.
  • Design expressive motion - gestures, "emotional" states, and behaviors expressed through movement, light, and sound.
  • Prototype and iterate quickly, moving between sketches, renders, and physical mockups.
  • Partner with robotics and software engineers to translate character intent into concrete behavior parameters (motion curves, timing, lighting cues).
  • Build and maintain style guides and a character bible to keep the robot's expression consistent as the team grows.
  • Review hardware and software prototypes against the character vision and give clear, actionable feedback.
  • Support brand and marketing assets to keep the character consistent across every touchpoint.

You may be a good fit if you:
  • Are pursuing a degree in screen-writing, animation, character design, industrial design, or a related field - or have equivalent hands-on portfolio experience.
  • Have a portfolio that shows character design or expressive design work, in 2D or 3D.
  • Document clearly and can explain the reasoning behind a design choice, not just the choice itself.
  • Are comfortable iterating quickly, moving from rough sketch to testable prototype without waiting for a perfect brief.
  • Are genuinely interested in physical products, not just screen-based or purely digital characters.

You will be a strong fit, if you:
  • Have designed characters or mascots that had to work within real hardware or physical constraints, not just on a screen.
  • Understand core animation principles (timing, weight, squash and stretch, anticipation) and know how to translate them into motors, servos, and lighting.
  • Are comfortable collaborating directly with engineers, turning an abstract sense of "feel" into concrete specs they can build against.
  • Move quickly through iteration cycles and don't wait for perfect information to make progress.
  • Take ownership over your work end to end, from first sketch to a behavior that's live in the robot.
  • Work well in small, collaborative teams where character, electrical, and mechanical are in constant conversation.
  • Care about what the character enables: warmth, expressiveness, and the feeling that the robot is alive.

The early team becomes the DNA of the company. We set ourselves and others to a high standard, and we respond with kindness when things get hard but keep everyone accountable. This requires us to be curious, creative, and diverse in our thinking and approach.
We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Studies show that women and underrepresented groups often hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria - we don't want that to be the reason we miss out on great talent.

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