United Kingdom Art Director / Apr 17, 2026 in Cardiff

United Kingdom Art Director / Apr 17, 2026 in Cardiff

Cardiff Full-Time 60000 - 80000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead creative direction and ensure top-notch visual quality for exciting projects.
  • Company: Join a dynamic studio known for its innovative approach in the gaming industry.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working hours, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Be part of a creative team that values innovation and quality.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of game art while collaborating with talented artists and clients.
  • Qualifications: 7+ years in game art, strong leadership skills, and a diverse portfolio.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.

We are hiring an Art Director who brings two things:

  • Creative leadership. You own the visual quality of what we deliver to our clients. You set art direction across projects, maintain consistency at scale, establish and enforce quality standards, and make sure every asset that leaves the studio meets the bar our clients expect from a AAA outsource partner.
  • Commercial presence. You join pitches and client meetings. You help shape proposals, present our creative capabilities, answer hard questions about how we deliver quality, and build the trust that wins contracts. Your experience and portfolio carry weight in the room.

What you will do

  • Art Direction and Quality (60%)
    • Set and maintain visual direction across active client projects. Define style guides, material standards, color palettes, and quality benchmarks per project.
    • Review and approve work from concept artists, 3D artists, and animators. Give clear, actionable feedback. Reject work that doesn't meet the standard.
    • Ensure visual consistency across large asset deliveries. When a client needs hundreds of assets that look like they belong to the same game world, you are the person who makes that happen.
    • Define material and lighting standards. Ensure PBR correctness, appropriate detail levels, and genre-appropriate visual language across everything we ship.
    • Lead QA alignment with clients. Establish shared acceptance criteria early. Build reference libraries. Spot-check production batches. Catch drift before it becomes a problem.
    • Work across genres and styles: fantasy, sci-fi, realistic, stylized, mobile, console. You adapt your direction to whatever the project demands.
  • Client-Facing and Business Development (25%)
    • Shape production proposals alongside the founder. Own the creative sections: approach, quality methodology, team capability, portfolio presentation.
    • Present to prospective and active clients. Explain how we work, walk through our portfolio, demonstrate that Inviox has serious creative leadership. Your credibility helps win work.
    • Be the primary creative point of contact during engagements. Present deliverables, handle art feedback, negotiate creative direction with client art leads.
  • Team and Studio (15%)
    • Mentor and develop artists across the studio. Raise the overall quality of the team through standards, reviews, and direct guidance.
    • Contribute to hiring decisions for art roles. Help the studio identify and attract senior talent.
    • Advise on studio capability development, new service offerings, and creative strategy as a senior voice in the leadership team.

What you must bring

  • 7+ years in professional game art or 3D production, with at least 3 in art direction or lead artist roles. AAA or AA experience required.
  • Deep technical knowledge of 3D production: modeling, texturing (Substance 3D expected), PBR materials, lighting, rendering. You evaluate work technically, not just aesthetically.
  • Experience across multiple genres and art styles. You can art-direct a realistic medieval RPG and a stylized mobile game in the same month.
  • Experience maintaining quality and consistency across large asset sets. You know how visual coherence breaks at volume and you know how to prevent it.
  • Strong client-facing communication. You present work to non-artists, explain creative decisions in plain language, and hold your own in front of senior stakeholders at client studios and publishers.
  • A portfolio that shows range, quality, and leadership. We want to see work you directed, not just work you made.
  • Experience with AI-assisted art production workflows. Familiarity with AI image generators, AI 3D tools, or procedural content systems. You don't need to be an engineer, but understanding what these tools can and cannot do is increasingly relevant.
  • Experience in outsource or vendor-side studios where managing client relationships is part of the art director's responsibility.
  • Business development instinct. You understand that winning work matters as much as delivering it, and you are comfortable contributing to both sides.

United Kingdom Art Director / Apr 17, 2026 in Cardiff employer: Invioxstudios

At Inviox, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a vibrant and collaborative work culture. As an Art Director, you will not only lead creative projects but also have the opportunity to mentor talented artists, ensuring your growth alongside the team. With a focus on quality and innovation, our studio offers a unique environment where your expertise in AAA game art can flourish, making a meaningful impact on both client relationships and the artistic direction of our projects.

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Contact Details:

Invioxstudios Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land United Kingdom Art Director / Apr 17, 2026 in Cardiff

Show Off Your Skills with a Killer Portfolio

As a graphic designer, your portfolio is your secret weapon! Make sure it's not just a collection of your work but showcases your creative process too. Use platforms like Behance or Dribbble to share your designs and gain visibility within the design community.

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We think you need these skills to ace United Kingdom Art Director / Apr 17, 2026 in Cardiff

Creative Leadership
Art Direction
Visual Quality Management
Style Guide Definition
Quality Standards Enforcement
Client Communication
Proposal Shaping

Some tips for your application 🫡

Showcase Your Portfolio:Your portfolio is your visual CV! Make sure to include a link to your best design projects that showcase your creativity and versatility. Tailor it to include works that relate to the kind of design work Invioxstudios does, so they can see you in action.

Tailor Your CV for Design:When crafting your CV, highlight your design skills and software proficiencies, like Adobe Creative Suite or Sketch. Mention any relevant experience you have with branding, UI/UX design, or typography, as we want to see how you fit in with the creative team at Invioxstudios.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:In your cover letter, share your design philosophy and what excites you about working at Invioxstudios. Let us know how you approach your design projects and any specific campaigns or themes that resonate with you, showing we’re not just a good fit but a perfect match!

Highlight Collaboration Skills:As a graphic designer, you often work with various teams and stakeholders. In your application, mention experiences where you've collaborated with others to bring a project to life, whether it's with clients, writers, or developers. This shows you can thrive in a team environment, which is key at Invioxstudios.

How to prepare for a job interview at Invioxstudios

Get Your Portfolio Ready

Your portfolio is your secret weapon in graphic design interviews! Make sure it's showing off your best work, with a variety of styles and projects that highlight different skills — from branding to digital illustration. Be prepared to talk through each piece, focusing on your creative process and the tools you used.

Know Your Design Tools Inside Out

Familiarity with software like Adobe Creative Suite is a must! Brush up on your skills with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as interviewers might dive into specific technical questions or ask for your workflow. If you’ve worked with any innovative tools or techniques, don't hesitate to showcase that expertise!

Prepare for Design Challenges

Some companies may throw a design challenge your way during the interview! This might involve sketching out ideas or solving a branding issue on the spot. Practising these quick thinking exercises beforehand can help us show off our creativity and adaptability.

Passion Counts

For a full-time position, showing genuine enthusiasm for design is key! Talk about your inspirations, the projects you're excited about, and why you're drawn to Invioxstudios. They want to see not just a skilled designer, but someone who'll bring passion and fresh ideas to the team.