Art director - gaming

The Art Director is responsible for the game art content, ensuring that visual elements are of the highest quality. The opening is for a self-motivated, keen and versatile Art Director who has proven ability to work on game art, manage and inspire a team of game artists. This person will have strong skills in conception, 2 D art with a clear understanding of technical pipelines and familiarity with optimizing and implementing art assets for game engines.JOB LOCATION : Remote or Navi MumbaiResponsibilitiesDefine and own the art vision, style guides, and visual identity for the game(s).Create concept art, mood boards, key frames, style frames, and reference guides to communicate direction.Contribute to the creation of 2 D art through hands-on tasks, along with providing art direction.Lead, mentor, and manage a team of artists (2 D, VFX, UI / UX) — hiring, performance reviews, training.Oversee all art production pipelines, scheduling, and task distribution to ensure timely delivery.Collaborate with game designers, engineers, and product managers to align art with mechanics, UX, monetization, and performance budgets.Review and approve art assets (character models, environments, props, animations, UI, effects) to maintain quality, consistency & technical feasibility.Optimize art assets for mobile performance (poly count, draw calls, texture resolution, LODs).Push visual innovation : explore new techniques, shaders, workflows, effects, rendering styles.Ensure assets adhere to platform constraints (i OS / Android / different hardware tiers).Drive creation of presentation and marketing materials to communicate the artistic vision to stakeholders and external partners.Conduct regular art reviews and feedback loops, maintain version control and art documentation.Keep an eye on industry trends, competitor visuals, and R&D to bring fresh ideas.Occasionally represent the art team in cross-functional leadership meetings and external presentations (e.g. with publishers, marketing).Create training materials and events which develop the skills of the art and raise the quality bar within the studio.Experience And QualificationsDiploma / Degree in 2 D, video game development or equivalent training / experience.10+ years experience of creating game art with minimum of 5 years at senior level or above.Strong portfolio showing a variety of game art styles, polished final assets, and concept-to-delivery work.Experience of working on a published game from conception to release.Experience in designing and developing game UX and UI.Experience working with world team, providing direction and feedbacks as required would be added advantage.Strong 2 D and concept art skills.Expert knowledge of Photoshop.Good grasp of mobile performance constraints, optimization techniques, and memory / draw call limits.Understanding of fundamental art theory including principles of color, light, composition and anatomy.Proven ability to balance esthetics with performance and usability.Proven ability to present clear documentation communicating ideas both within the art team and to external clients.Other SkillsExcellent communication skills in English (spoken and written).Positive influence and leadership skills.Motivates and inspires others to generate new ideas.Good organization skills. Anticipates, prioritizes and plans own work.Strong coaching skills.Considerable understanding of video games