At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering® and Dungeons & Dragons® to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in!
How would you like to help bring some of the most exciting artists in Japan to a global stage? Magic: the Gathering, the world’s first and best-in-class Trading Card Game, is hiring a new Art Director to work on integrating Japanese and Asian art styles into Magic!
Are you a curious, highly engaged, and experienced visual creative who is immersed in fantasy art and passionate about Japanese pop culture? Are you interested in working within an established brand/IP while constantly looking to grow the brand’s audience and visual expression? If so, please apply today!
What you'll do
- Commission a high volume of artwork: identifying freelance illustrators in Asia and Japanese studios for Magic card art, providing continuous direction on individual pieces, and maintaining solid relationships with those partners.
- Research and understand pop culture trends in Japan, find ways to integrate these trends into the Magic TCG, and successfully art direct Japan-based artists and studios.
- Assist in-house and external illustrators in crafting concept art assets.
- Present creative direction and provide constructive feedback in meetings and stand-up critiques.
- Review print-ready, Japanese localized files to ensure final card quality.
- Participate in brainstorms on future Magic creative expressions.
What you’ll bring
- 2+ yrs commercial art illustration and/or commissioning Art Director experience
- Strong communication and organizational skills, attention to detail, and comfortable giving and receiving feedback
- Ability to demonstrate ownership over commissioned work and concept art, and to synthesize game mechanics, brand knowledge, and creative goals into clear and concise direction
- A portfolio demonstrating strong creative vision
- A passion for Japanese pop culture and a pulse on current entertainment industry trends across Asia
- You keep current with fantasy illustration market/talent and have an interest in discovering diverse, emerging artists
- Ability to operate with diplomacy and communicate with respect while collaborating with external partners/approvers.
- Understanding of Magic as both a game and a brand is a plus
- Fluency in Japanese is required. English is a plus, but not required
- Adept in Adobe Photoshop, proficient in Illustrator, InDesign and MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
In the Wizards TCG Studio, we believe diversity of experience is fundamental to creating broadly accessible and fun gaming experiences for *all* of our players. We encourage everyone to consider being a part of our team.
We are an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you are selected to move forward in our application process and need to request an accommodation, please let your recruiter or coordinator know.
