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Character Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Duolingo

Senior Narrative Designer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$116K - $124K/yr

Duolingo's designers care about creating high-quality experiences that look and feel fun. From ... Own and evolve a character experience within a New Subjects area (e.g., Math, Music) * Write dialog ...

Dunkin

Baskin Cake Decorator

Reston, VA

$14.75 - $19/hr

Exceptional decorating skills including gel, icing, airbrush, decorating kits, edible images, floral designs, and licensed character designs. Portfolio submission required; candidates must provide ...

Dunkin

Baskin Cake Decorator

South Riding, VA

$13.75 - $17.50/hr

Exceptional decorating skills including gel, icing, airbrush, decorating kits, edible images, floral designs, and licensed character designs. Portfolio submission required; candidates must provide ...

Aquent

Visual Designer

Orlando, FL · On-site

$58.60 - $65.11/hr

As a Sr. Product Designer, you will play a crucial role in enhancing our digital experiences by ... Create 2D and 3D character animations, motion graphics, and interactive motion experiences for ...

Marriott

Character Actor

Aurora, CO

POSITION SUMMARY Provide theatrical entertainment for guests while in character. Promote a fun and ... We're proud to offer a wide range of benefits designed to support you and your family, enrich your ...

Stillfront

Game Designer

Miami, FL

$143K/yr

Our collaborative team of developers, designers, and storytellers pushes the boundaries of ... Players simulate a character's entire life, making decisions that range from the mundane to the ...

Marriott

Character Actor

Aurora, CO · On-site

POSITION SUMMARY Provide theatrical entertainment for guests while in character. Promote a fun and ... We're proud to offer a wide range of benefits designed to support you and your family, enrich your ...

Absurd Ventures

Character Technical Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$130K - $165K/yr

As a Character Technical Artist at Absurd Ventures, you will collaborate closely with Character Artists, Riggers, Animators, and Engineers to develop and maintain character pipelines, solve complex ...

Absurd Ventures

Character Technical Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$130K - $165K/yr

As a Character Technical Artist at Absurd Ventures, you will collaborate closely with Character Artists, Riggers, Animators, and Engineers to develop and maintain character pipelines, solve complex ...

TapBlaze

Senior Narrative Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$65K - $100K/yr

You will write the dialogue, character arcs, and world building that make our games feel alive, partnering closely with game designers, artists, and community support team so that story beats are ...

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How much do character designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 7, 2026, the average hourly pay for character designer in the United States is $31.64, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $28.85 and $36.30 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Character Designers face when collaborating with other departments during production?

Character Designers often collaborate closely with animators, modelers, and directors, which can present challenges such as aligning on the visual style, ensuring designs are animation-friendly, and accommodating technical limitations. Balancing creative vision with practical constraints—like simplifying details for animation or adapting designs based on feedback—requires strong communication and flexibility. Successful Character Designers are proactive in seeking input, open to revision, and skilled at translating character concepts into workable assets that serve the story and production pipeline.

What are character designers?

Character designers are artists who create the visual appearance, style, and personality of characters for animation, video games, comics, films, and other media. Their work involves conceptualizing and illustrating characters based on story requirements, often working closely with writers, directors, and animators. Character designers develop everything from facial expressions and costumes to body shapes and color schemes, ensuring each character is visually appealing and communicates the intended traits or emotions.

What is the difference between Character Designer vs Character Artist?

AspectCharacter DesignerCharacter Artist
Primary FocusCreating original character concepts, designs, and visual stylesRendering and illustrating detailed character artwork based on designs
Skills & ToolsConcept art, illustration, creativity, design software (Photoshop, Illustrator)Digital painting, rendering, shading, software skills (Photoshop, Painter)
Work EnvironmentGame studios, animation, film, advertisingGame studios, animation, film, freelance projects

While both roles involve working with characters, a Character Designer focuses on creating original character concepts and visual styles, whereas a Character Artist specializes in bringing those designs to life through detailed illustrations and rendering. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the industry.

What Does a Character Designer Do?

As a character designer, you create the look and animation of a cartoon character in a film, TV show, or video game. Your responsibilities are to develop physical features, design costumes and clothes, pose characters, and collaborate with team members from concept to production. Your duties include working with mouth charts, expression sheets, shadow and color indications, and marketing artwork. You sketch, draw, illustrate, and animate by hand and through computer software. You also work with different drafts and copies and maintain artwork storage. To be successful in this field, you must be able to balance creativity with the needs and requirements of the project.

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 and illustration skills, a deep understanding of anatomy, color theory, and character development, often supported by a degree in art or design. Proficiency with digital design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Procreate, and 3D modeling software like ZBrush is typically required. Creativity, strong communication, and the ability to accept feedback help designers collaborate effectively and bring unique characters to life. These skills are essential to create compelling, visually distinctive characters that resonate with audiences and fit seamlessly within projects.
More about Character Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Character Designer jobs? Cities with the most Character Designer job openings:
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Character Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Designer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 73% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $65,817 per year, or $31.6 per hour.
Senior Narrative Designer

Senior Narrative Designer

Duolingo

Seattle, WA • On-site

$116K - $124K/yr

Other

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It's a big mission, and even though we've made a lot of headway, we still have work to do - and that's where you come in!

Duolingo's designers care about creating high-quality experiences that look and feel fun. From animators to writers, product designers to researchers, Design brings purpose, feeling, and delight to every interaction with our brand, inside the app and out. As a designer, you'll join a culture of creativity and craft, where we have a high bar for excellence and an endless curiosity about how to bring more unexpected quirk and fun to the pursuit of learning. 

Join us in our mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

About the role...

We're looking for a Narrative Designer to add delight and depth to our characters by shaping how they behave and show up across new learning experiences beyond Language-like Math, Music, and more.

  You will...

  • Own and evolve a character experience within a New Subjects area (e.g., Math, Music)
  • Write dialog and UI strings that capture our characters' established style and tone
  • Integrate character personality into lessons and core product moments
  • Shape how characters behave across surfaces, balancing systems that guide their performance
  • Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering to define and iterate on character-driven features

  You have...

  • Excellent creative writing skills and expertise in crafting character-rich dialogue
  • Strong ability to mine the zeitgeist for themes (and memes!) to keep content fresh and fun
  • Deep experience collaborating with engineering, art, and product management partners
  • Experience working on interactive products or systems (not just linear content)

  Exceptional candidates will have...

  • Game design experience, especially a deep understanding of narrative system design

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