Job Description
The role
As a Senior UI Technical Artist at Sharkmob, you will serve as a bridge between art and technology, specializing in user interface (UI) elements. You’ll play a pivotal role in creating visually stunning and interactive UI designs, collaborating with artists, designers, and engineers to ensure that the game’s user interfaces are not only aesthetically pleasing but also function seamlessly within Unreal Engine 5.
Responsibilities
- UI Artistry: Lead and contribute to the creation of visually captivating and functional UI designs, including menus, HUD elements, in-game displays, and interactive components. Ensure that the UI aligns with the game’s artistic direction.
- Technical Integration: Collaborate closely with engineers to implement UI assets and systems into the game engine. Ensure that UI elements are correctly integrated, responsive, and optimized for performance.
- Shader Development: Develop and maintain shaders and materials for UI elements. Create visually engaging and interactive effects, animations, and transitions within the UI to enhance player immersion.
- Interactive UI Elements: Create interactive UI elements that respond to player actions and enhance the overall gameplay experience. This includes designing and implementing UI animations, button interactions, and feedback systems.
- UI Optimization: Optimize UI assets and systems to meet performance targets while maintaining visual quality. Work with engineers to minimize memory usage and reduce rendering overhead.
- UI Tools and Workflow: Contribute to the development and improvement of UI tools and workflows. Streamline the UI creation process and collaborate with the UI/UX design team to ensure efficient iteration.
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Collaborate with artists, designers, and engineers to understand UI requirements and align technical solutions with artistic and gameplay goals. Act as a communication bridge between these disciplines.
- Documentation: Maintain documentation for UI processes, techniques, and best practices. Ensure that knowledge is accessible to the UI team and other relevant stakeholders.
- Quality Assurance: Conduct thorough testing and debugging of UI elements within the game engine. Ensure that UI functions correctly, is user-friendly, and aligns with design specifications.
Skills & Requirements
Requirements
- Professional Experience: Minimum of 5-7 years of experience as a technical artist or UI technical artist in the video game industry, with a strong portfolio showcasing contributions to published games.
- UI Expertise: Exceptional skills in UI design and implementation, including a deep understanding of user-centred design principles, typography, layout, and interactivity.
- Technical Proficiency: Strong technical skills, including experience with shader development, scripting (e.g., Python, C#), and the integration of UI elements within game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine).
- Problem-Solving Skills: Proven ability to identify and solve complex technical challenges related to UI elements, interactions, and performance optimization.
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively with artists, designers, and engineers to achieve project goals.
- Adaptability and Innovation: Willingness to adapt to changing project requirements and embrace emerging technologies and trends in UI and game development.
- Portfolio: A portfolio showcasing your senior-level UI technical artwork, including examples of UI designs, interactive elements, shaders, and successfully resolved technical UI challenges.
- Passion for Games: A genuine passion for video games and a strong understanding of game design principles. A commitment to contributing to the creation of immersive and engaging gaming experiences.
How to Apply
Sounds good? Send in your CV and your portfolio. We are really looking forward to meet you!
Remote work environment.
About the Company
Sharkmob is on an epic journey, and we want you to join us! Come explore new territory in the realm of AAA online gaming. Our studios are working on three new titles, the first being a battle royal twist to Vampire: The Masquerade that launched in 2022. We are looking for people who want to have fun at work, share ownership, and make smart decisions. Responsible people who have a positive attitude, are passionate and value professionalism. People that follow our guiding principle, “don’t be an asshole.”
We are fortunate to work with things we are passionate about and we have the privilege of creating entertainment for others to enjoy. We believe that if we have fun making games, people will have fun playing them. Fun is also about daring to do mighty things that allow us to reach levels of achievement. All things said, we want a fun, professional experience & so we all must lead by example.
We want everyone to feel like they have a stake in the games we make. Our games are not the brainchild of a few people – we own them together. Everyone’s contributions, opinions, and feedback matter. For this to work, everyone needs to respect the big picture and high-level goals of the project. Shared ownership is at the heart of the Sharkmob adventure.
We embrace a system of “disagree and commit”. This means that we accept that we might not always get our way but we wholeheartedly support the decisions we make as a team. Doing more with less and making an extra effort to find the optimal way forward is always valued. We rely on smart decisions to take us further than otherwise possible. Making games is kind of like rocket science—but harder!
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