Happy Worker Toys & Collectibles is looking for a full-time Production Designer & Graphic Designer (aka “Happy Designer of Great Things”). This new teammate’s main mission is to collaboratively design and art direct our toys, so that each new toy is our best ever!
Happy Worker designs and manufactures toys and collectibles for a variety of studios and clients in the video game, film, music, and other industries. Our small team is passionate about great work, getting all the little details right, and delivering happiness to fans and studio partners. For more about us, please visit www.happyworker.com. .
• You are: an excellent written and visual communicator; experienced with Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, photography, and packaging design; experienced with, or some exposure to, art directing creative products.
• Your mission: guide new collectibles and toys with careful reviews throughout design, development and production, providing clear and comprehensive written and visual art direction; create packaging dielines and structural designs, laying out blueprints and guides, and preparing and proofing many types of print-ready artwork. Work collaboratively, cheerfully supporting teammates.
YOUR MISSION
- Design Reviews & Art Direction: Evaluate and refine works in progress at all stages of design and production, from drawings, renders, 3D models, photographs, samples, and in-person reviews, with an exacting eye for fine details and quality. Distill goals, while problem-solving design and production challenges. Art direct internal teammates and freelance creative collaborators.
- Documentation & Production Support: Help create, proof, and edit a plethora of documents, including toy design specs, product blueprints, prototype and sample review documents, production guides and checklists… plus all sorts of other things. Communicate clearly and concisely through words, photos, sketches and diagrams.
- Packaging & Graphic Design: Create, review, edit and proof packaging art templates, dielines, structural designs, and mockups. Prepare error-free production-ready artwork. And more!
- Photography: Take high-quality DSLR photos of prototypes for review and marketing.
- Learning and Innovating: Research and recommend materials and methods for new toys and collectibles. Improve our design and development skills, capabilities, process, templates, and standards.
- An Integral Team Member: Be a key part of a small, very busy, hard-working and energetic team. Work collaboratively with and in support of all our teams (toy design, client happiness, production).
- Cheerful Customer Service: Help our team better respond to client requests and inquiries by understanding project goals, participating in e-mails/phone calls, laying out project options/specifications, and helping with budget estimates and schedules.
- General Office Help & Various Odd Tasks: Help proactively pitch in on anything and everything that helps the team and creates happiness.
- Constant Bettering & Going Above and Beyond: Make everything that we do better!
- Creative Community: Help nurture our happy creative community— Happy Worker’s network of freelance designers, sculptors, modelers, painters, pattern makers, etc.
- Traveling to China: Some periodic travel to China to work directly with our factory partners if/as needed.
- Happiness: Bring fun & happiness to all that you do!
EXPERIENCE + TALENTS
- Excellent Writer and Communicator: Excellent written communicator; able to write detailed but easy to understand emails/documents; a great listener; able to get a point across clearly when working with people with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Talented Designer and Creative: Strong expertise with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and demonstrates good process techniques and ability to assimilate constructive criticism. Experienced working on a wide range of creative projects/assignments.
- University Education, Lifelong Learning: A university degree in something; Someone who likes to learn new things and regularly devotes time to learn and practice outside of work.
- Print Production Experience: Experience leading graphic design and handling artwork in a busy production environment, from concepts through to final artwork and print production.
- Photography: Experience with DSLR photography in a production environment, working with lighting, angles/framing, depth of field, etc.
- Detail-Driven Perfectionist: Great memory for details; ensures every “t” is crossed and “i” is dotted.
- Well Organized: Great at setting and managing priorities, task lists and schedules.
- Analytical and Good with Numbers: Know how to calculate things like volume, scale adjustments, imperial to metric conversions, and costs-per-unit.
- Expert Problem Solver: Able to find solutions to challenges, exhibiting good judgment and making the impossible happen.
- Highest Integrity, “We before Me”, Accountability: Highest level of integrity, ethics and honesty. Follower of the “golden rule”. Puts the team first and gives credit to “we” for achievements, while taking personal responsibility and accountability.
- Tech Savviness: If you decide to apply, mention in your cover letter which software you know and love.
- Well Rounded, Versatile Work Experience: If you decide to apply, we’d appreciate seeing a resume that lists all of your previous work experiences – not just the recent positions or the ones you feel relate most to this role.
- Comfort in Fast-Paced Environments: If you decide to apply, please take a moment in your cover letter to tell us about your busiest work experience.
- Other Unique Talents: Extreme ironing? Duct tape artistry? Hikaru dorodango? If you decide to apply, let us know what other specific talents or know-how you’d bring to Happy Worker. Anything goes!\
- Something we want to know: Please let us know your favorite toy and favorite snack.
NICE-TO-HAVE (BUT NOT REQUIRED) EXPERIENCE + TALENTS
- 3D Modeling: Expertise with 1 or more flavors of 3D modeling (NURBS/polygon) and/or CAD software: Zbrush, Blender, Maya, Solidworks, Fusion, Rhinoceros. Ideally some experience with 3D print pre-processing. Readiness to learn other software to be cross-functional and deploy the best tool for each project.
- Knowledge of Materials and Production Methods: For example, 3D printing, injection molding, rotational casting, resin molding and casting; fabric cutting, printing, and sewing; painting techniques including washes, dry brushes and airbrushing; short-run prototyping, offset and digital printing, vacuum forming, blow molding, etc.
- Product Design and/or Toy Experience: Real-world work experience designing in a busy production-oriented environment, preferably with toys, collectibles, or aesthetic, high detail consumer products; knowledgeable with the prototyping and model making process, designing to cost, and designing for manufacturability while pushing conventional limits
- Understanding QA & QC Testing: Some exposure to QC testing, sampling, AQLs, and industry best practices in QA.
- Informed about Social and Regulatory Compliance: Some exposure to consumer product safety regulations (e.g. Health Canada, CPSC/CPSIA, ASTM F963, EN:71).
- Geek Culture, Gaming, Toys, and Collectibles: A passionate toy, design, and gaming fan, with an understanding of and appreciation for digital culture, gaming, comics, toys, and collectibles.
MORE ABOUT THE ROLE
- Employment Type: This is a full time, permanent position.
- Location: Toronto, Ontario. The Happy Worker HQ is downtown, at Richmond and Spadina. Our office is small, open-concept, and a little crazy.
- Start Date: The successful new team member may begin immediately, or within a couple weeks of being hired.
- Salary/Compensation: $50K to $80K, varies on experience; growth opportunities and benefits will be provided after one year.
- Office Hours: 9am – 6pm (sometimes later) Monday to Friday. Providing happy service to our clients/partners and keeping projects on-schedule often means some evening and weekend work.
- Your Team Leader: The new teammate will report to Kris Schantz, our co-founder and creative director.
ABOUT HAPPY WORKER
- What We Do: Happy Worker designs and manufactures toys and collectibles together with many of the world’s greatest gaming, entertainment, and corporate brands.
- Culture: Hardworking, communicative, reliable, fun, honest, reflective, self-critical, entrepreneurial, and family-like.
- What Motivates Us: Making our next toy our best toy ever; spreading happiness to our clients, their fans, and everyone else we come in contact with.
- Team Size: We currently have 6 full time staff in Toronto, and a bunch of contract and freelance teammates in other locations. We will grow our in-office team to 8 to 10 members in 2015.
APPLYING TO BECOME A HAPPY WORKER
To apply for this happy mission, please send an e-mail with your portfolio, resume, and cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line: “I’d like to be a Happy Toy Production Designer!” Please also include links to or sneak peeks at anything else you're really proud of.
In your cover letter, please answer the following 3 bonus questions:
- Where do you see yourself in 2-3 years?
- Outside of school and work time, how do you learn new things, and improve your skills and knowledge?
- Tell us about a product (toy or otherwise) that you collaboratively designed, developed and produced in some way, and what challenges you and your project team overcame to ensure the best finished product with the happiest clients/users.