Background Designer

Job Description

Location: North Hollywood, California (Hybrid/Remote)

Department: Design

Reports To: Art Director / Design Lead

Position Summary

The Background Designer is responsible for creating the spaces where props and characters perform. This role works closely with the lead Background Designer, Art Director, and production to receive scenes and create background. The ideal candidate is able to set a scene with exciting visuals and follow pre-existing designs within the show.

Key Responsibilities

• Creating 3D set designs and floor plans from multiple angles based on script breakdowns
• Designing key backgrounds based on Animatics
• Responding to and implementing feedback from direct supervisor and art director
• Meet production deadlines with smooth, clean work that is ready to move on to other departments
• Design location backgrounds that support the overall story goals of the show
• Create rough, revised, and final designs for approval by art director, design lead, and show directors
• Maintain appropriate and consistent file organization, naming conventions, storage, and delivery procedures
• Following the guidelines for show visuals to ensure consistency across episodes and seasons

Qualifications & Skills

• 1–3 years of experience as a background designer on animated features, or TV shows
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Excellent communication and follow-up skills
• Proficiency in tools such as Adobe Photoshop, ShotGrid, and Blender
• Strong understanding of perspective, composition, scale, proportions, architecture, and spatial relationships
• Ability to incorporate feedback and complete revisions efficiently
• Familiarity with working in a collaborative environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a union animation environment (e.g., The Animation Guild)
• Familiarity with working on model and following pre-existing guidelines
• Understanding of episodic or feature animation pipelines
• Experience with creating floorplans, orthographic designs, and multi-angle environment designs

Compensation

• $2,597.60 per week (union rates apply - The Animation Guild)

Work Environment

• Fast-paced, collaborative production environment
• Hybrid or onsite depending on studio needs
• May require extended hours during peak delivery periods

Why This Role Matters

A successful Background Designer combines strong artistic and environmental design skills with an understanding of visual storytelling and television animation production. They are able to translate storyboard and story requirements into clear, appealing, and production-ready environments while maintaining consistency with the established visual language of the series.

They understand that a background is not simply a picture behind the characters—it must support staging, camera, action, continuity, mood, and downstream production requirements while remaining consistent with the world of the show.