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Character Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

TrueShort

Reference Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

Reference Designer About TrueShort TrueShort is one of the fastest-growing streaming apps in the ... Design character reference sheets, props, environments, and worldbuilding assets * Develop cohesive ...

Warnerbros

Designer, Combat

Chicago, IL

$47K - $88K/yr

The Job The Combat Designer will be responsible for significant contributions to game design, with ... Design, implement and iterate on in-game character actions. This includes attacks, reactions and ...

Warner Bros. Discovery

Designer, Combat

Chicago, IL · On-site

$47K - $88K/yr

The Job The Combat Designer will be responsible for significant contributions to game design, with ... Design, implement and iterate on in-game character actions. This includes attacks, reactions and ...

AGBO

Technical Artist, Character

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$90K - $110K/yr

You will partner closely with Character Artists, Animators, Riggers and Engineers to ensure our cast looks and moves exactly as intended. Key Responsibilities: * Define and maintain workflows for ...

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 ...

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 ...

AGBO Films LLC

Technical Artist, Character

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$123K - $147K/yr

You will partner closely with Character Artists, Animators, Riggers and Engineers to ensure our cast looks and moves exactly as intended. Key Responsibilities: * Define and maintain workflows for ...

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All JobsCharacter Designer Jobs

Character Designer information

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$19

$31

$47

How much do character designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 19, 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.

How do you become a character designer?

To become a character designer, you typically need a strong foundation in art and design, often gained through a bachelor's degree in illustration, animation, or a related field. Building a portfolio that showcases your ability to create diverse and compelling characters is essential, along with proficiency in digital tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Gaining experience through internships or freelance work can also help establish a professional network and improve your skills.

Is character design a good career?

Character design is a viable career for those with strong artistic skills, creativity, and proficiency in digital tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. It often involves working in entertainment, gaming, or animation industries, with opportunities for freelance or full-time employment. Success depends on building a strong portfolio, networking, and staying current with industry trends.

How hard is it to get a job in character design?

Securing a job as a character designer can be competitive, requiring a strong portfolio demonstrating creativity and technical skills in drawing and design. Relevant experience, proficiency with industry tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, and a good understanding of character development increase job prospects. Building a network and staying updated on industry trends also help in finding opportunities.

What is the job called where you design characters?

A character designer is a professional who creates and develops the visual appearance of characters for video games, animation, comics, or other media. The role involves sketching, concept art, and understanding anatomy, often using tools like Photoshop or Illustrator. Strong artistic skills and a portfolio are essential for this position.
More about Character Designer jobs
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Character Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Designer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $65,817 per year, or $31.6 per hour.

Machine Learning Infrastructure Engineer

Character.ai

Redwood City, CA • On-site

$150K - $350K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 29 days ago

Job description

About the role
We're looking for seasoned ML Infrastructure engineers with experience designing, building and maintaining training and serving infrastructure for ML research.
Responsibilities:
  • Provide infrastructure support to our ML research and product
  • Build tooling to diagnose cluster issues and hardware failures
  • Monitor deployments, manage experiments, and generally support our research
  • Maximize GPU allocation and utilization for both serving and training

Requirements:
  • 4+ years of experience supporting the infrastructure within an ML environment
  • Experience in developing tools used to diagnose ML infrastructure problems and failures
  • Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Compute Engine, Kubernetes, Cloud Storage)
  • Experience working with GPUs

Nice to have
  • Experience with large GPU clusters and high-performance computing/networking
  • Experience with supporting large language model training
  • Experience with ML frameworks like Pytorch/TensorFlow/JAX
  • Experience with GPU kernel development

About Character.AI
Character.AI empowers people to connect, learn and tell stories through interactive entertainment. Over 20 million people visit Character.AI every month, using our technology to supercharge their creativity and imagination. Our platform lets users engage with tens of millions of characters, enjoy unlimited conversations, and embark on infinite adventures.
In just two years, we achieved unicorn status and were honored as Google Play's AI App of the Year-a testament to our innovative technology and visionary approach.
Join us and be a part of establishing this new entertainment paradigm while shaping the future of Consumer AI!
At Character, we value diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly uphold a non-discrimination policy based on race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability. Your unique perspectives are vital to our success.

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