Lead Artist (full-time)

“Kawaii” (Japanese for cute) is now the #1 subculture for women globally. Blind boxes. Claw machines. Gashapon machines. But most importantly… never-ending cuteness. 

Founded by a former TikTok executive, Utopic aspires to be the next big name in kawaii culture. By building a live service mobile game and portfolio of collectible toys, we aim to popularize a new generation of cute characters for kawaii fans around the world. 

We are looking for a Lead Artist to own art development for our mobile game and social media accounts, leading creative direction for a multidisciplinary art team while staying hands-on with art asset development yourself. This is a remote full-time role. Join us to create a cultural phenomenon.

What you'll do:

• Develop a distinctive art and UI style for our game, balancing creativity, brand alignment, and consumer appeal
• Create polished 2D graphics, illustrations, textures, particles, icons, and visual assets across character, prop, environment and UI art
• Develop concept art, mockups, and visual prototypes, especially when a piece needs to model what "good" looks like for the rest of the team
• Coordinate processes, timelines, and resource allocations for art-related pipelines, ensuring deliverables land on time and in scope
• Facilitate collaboration across multiple art disciplines (2D, UI, 3D, Anim, and VFX) and oversee quality assurance
• Work closely with Game Design to ensure visuals reinforce play style, game mechanics, and the broader game vision

What you’ll bring:

• 3-5 years of professional art experience, ideally in a video game or animation capacity
• Familiarity with kawaii and adjacent art styles and subcultures, including anime/magical girls, Y2K/McBling, and alt/goth
• Passion for otaku/kawaii culture, gacha/cozy games, and toy collecting preferred
• Strong portfolio demonstrating original art and art from client projects or formal employment
• Strong command of design principles, typography, color, composition, and visual storytelling
• Proficiency with 2D art and animation tools required; familiarity with 3D art and animation software preferred
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and project management skills required
• Ability to move comfortably between strategic direction-setting and hands-on detail work

Pay range:

The annual base salary range for this position is between $65,000–$100,000 USD for US-based candidates, £35,000–£55,000 GBP for UK-based candidates. This range is indicative of projected hiring range, however annual base salary will be determined based on a candidate’s work location, skills and experience. Candidates outside of the US and UK are welcome to apply.