Art Director / Senior Motion Designer (Temp to Hire)

About Hammer Creative Hammer Creative is a global game marketing agency that seamlessly collaborates with developers, publishers and brands of all sizes to craft world-class campaigns. From trailers to key art to social, we combine elevated storytelling and innovative techniques with precise strategy. We move fast, sweat every detail, and already love your game. About The Role We’re building a roster of talented Temporary (freelance) Art Directors / Senior Motion Designers who can both lead the creative and execute the work themselves. We’re looking for hands-on creative leaders who are comfortable directing designers, animators, and external partners, but are equally comfortable being on the box designing, animating, compositing, and developing visual work directly when the project calls for it. This is a Temporary/freelance, project-based opportunity, with bookings offered based on project needs, scope, and availability. Engagements may range from short-term assignments to longer project bookings, with the temporary engagement serving as an evaluation period and the potential to transition into a full-time position based on performance, business needs and mutual fit. Any transition to full-time employment would be subject to a separate full-time offer and compensation package and is not guaranteed. We’re looking for experienced creatives who can quickly plug into a team, take ownership of visual work from concept through execution, and bring a strong combination of creative direction, hands-on craft, and visual problem-solving to ambitious game marketing projects. Responsibilities Develop and execute visual concepts based on creative briefs, scripts, campaign direction, and client objectives. Lead visually driven projects and/or assigned portions of projects from concept development through final delivery. Develop compelling styleframes, comps, key visuals, storyboards, presentation decks, and other visual assets that clearly communicate creative ideas. Bring strong expertise across design, visual storytelling, typography, branding, illustration, 2D/3D motion design, compositing, and/or other relevant disciplines. Collaborate closely with Creative Directors, producers, writers, designers, animators, editors, and other creative partners to develop and refine ideas. Direct and provide creative guidance to designers, animators, and external production partners to ensure work meets the intended creative vision and quality bar. Brief internal team members and external partners on creative concepts, visual direction, deliverables, and expectations. Review work in progress and provide clear, actionable feedback to maintain creative consistency and quality. Review and help approve client-facing artwork, presentations, and other creative deliverables. Participate in creative reviews, client presentations, pitches, and feedback sessions when needed. Help translate creative ideas into strong visual solutions, identifying opportunities to elevate the work through design, animation, CG, VFX, in-engine, or other visual techniques. Work effectively in a high-speed environment where briefs, priorities, and creative needs can vary from project to project. Quickly understand new creative challenges and independently identify strong visual approaches and solutions. Collaborate with external creative and production partners as needed, including animation, CG, VFX, live action, and in-engine vendors. What We're Looking For Proven experience as an Art Director, Senior Motion Designer, or similar senior creative role, ideally within entertainment, gaming, advertising, or marketing. A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional typography, layout, visual design, motion, storytelling, and creative problem-solving. Ability to take a brief or creative concept and develop it into a clear, compelling visual direction. Strong understanding of design fundamentals: composition, typography, balance, hierarchy, layout, color, movement, rhythm, etc Experience working across multiple disciplines and collaborating with both creative and production teams. Ability to confidently provide creative direction and feedback to other artists and partners. Strong communication and presentation skills. Comfortable working independently and integrating quickly into existing teams and workflows. Ability to manage multiple priorities and move quickly while maintaining a high creative and quality standard. Professional, collaborative, and adaptable approach to freelance project work. Freelance Engagement This opportunity is intended for freelancers who are available to support projects on a temporary, project-by-project basis. Potential permanent staffing opportunities may become available in the future. Freelancers interested in transitioning into a longer-term or permanent role are welcome to apply; however, there is no guarantee that a permanent opportunity will become available or that a freelance engagement will lead to one. Work will be offered based on upcoming project needs, scope, and your availability. Booking length and hours may vary by project. Our standard remote working hours are 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM PT while booked. Some projects may require short-term support, while others may offer the possibility of extended or recurring bookings. Future or ongoing freelance work is not guaranteed, and joining our freelance roster does not constitute a promise of future bookings. Selected freelancers will be added to our talent roster and contacted as relevant opportunities arise. If you're an experienced creative who enjoys jumping into new challenges, collaborating with talented teams, and creating standout work across game marketing and entertainment, we'd love to hear from you. The pay range for this temporary role is $80 to $106.25 per hour (LA-based), depending on experience and qualifications. This is a temp freelance/project-based role, with the potential to transition into a full-time position based on performance, business needs and mutual fit. Any transition to full-time employment would be subject to a separate full-time offer and compensation package. This pay range applies only to the temporary freelance scope of this position and does not reflect any potential future full-time compensation. Equal Opportunity Employer Hammer Creative is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.