Senior UI Artist | Unannounced title, New Games

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UI Artist | Unannounced title, New Games

Company: Xbox Media Solutions (Formerly Activision Blizzard Media)

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Art & Design / Creative & Media

Date Posted: 2026-05-20

Experience Level: Intermediate to Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in shaping the visual identity, feel, and motion language for a new, unannounced mobile game, focusing on UI art and direct implementation.

• The Senior UI Artist will be responsible for creating high-quality UI assets and ensuring their seamless integration within the Unity engine.

• Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including game designers, art directors, and developers, is key to translating game design needs into polished, responsive, and visually appealing user interfaces.

• A strong emphasis is placed on UI optimization for mobile performance, readability, and adaptability across various screen sizes and aspect ratios.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the input data specifies "Xbox Media Solutions (Formerly Activision Blizzard Media)," the job description explicitly mentions "King" and its games. This suggests the role is within King's New Games Studio, which is now part of Xbox/Microsoft. For operational roles, understanding the specific studio and its product focus (casual mobile games) is crucial.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute the visual direction, motion language, and overall feel of the user interface for a new mobile game title.

• Design and create high-fidelity UI art assets for all game screens, including HUD elements, menus, buttons, icons, pop-ups, reward systems, and feature interfaces.

• Implement, polish, and maintain UI elements directly within the Unity engine, ensuring a high level of visual fidelity and responsiveness.

• Translate UX wireframes, game design documentation, and artistic direction into intuitive and engaging user interfaces optimized for casual mobile players.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive UI style guide, covering typography, iconography, color palettes, visual hierarchy, and interaction feedback mechanisms.

• Collaborate closely with Game Designers, Art Directors, VFX/Animation artists, Technical Artists, Developers, and Producers to ensure UI consistency and integration with overall game development.

• Establish and document reusable UI components, layout patterns, and implementation standards to streamline the development process and maintain visual integrity.

• Design and implement UI motion, transitions, animations, and visual feedback that enhance clarity, user satisfaction, and the overall "game feel."

• Ensure all UI assets and implementations are optimized for mobile performance, memory usage, readability, and compatibility across diverse screen sizes and aspect ratios.

• Proactively identify and propose solutions for UI-related visual, technical, or workflow challenges, contributing to process improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are tailored to a hands-on UI Artist role with a strong emphasis on implementation within Unity, aligning with the input's focus on "hands-on Unity implementation." The mention of "casual mobile games" and "free-to-play" implies a need for UI that drives engagement and monetization, which should be a consideration for candidates.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and demonstrable experience are prioritized over formal education. A background in Graphic Design, Digital Art, or a related field is beneficial.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of experience in UI Art and/or UI Design, with a significant portion dedicated to game development, specifically casual mobile free-to-play titles. Proven hands-on experience implementing UI directly within the Unity engine is essential.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience creating UI for games, with a strong preference for casual or mobile free-to-play titles.

• Proficient, hands-on experience implementing UI directly within the Unity engine.

• Exceptional visual design skills, encompassing layout, visual hierarchy, composition, color theory, typography, and iconography.

• Proven ability to create high-quality UI art assets for mobile screens, including HUDs, menus, pop-ups, buttons, icons, reward systems, events, and feature flows.

• Experience working with design tools such as Figma for creating clear design files, specifications, and assets for implementation.

• Solid understanding of mobile UI constraints, including readability for small screens, touch target sizes, safe area considerations, aspect ratios, and asset optimization.

• Familiarity with Unity UI performance considerations, such as canvas setup, batching, overdraw, draw calls, texture usage, layout rebuilds, and animation costs.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with UX designers and game designers without necessarily owning the entire UX process.

• Experience in creating reusable UI components, style guides, detailed design specifications, or visual systems.

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across art, UX, design, technical art, engineering, and production departments.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Unity UI Toolkit.

• Prior experience working within agile or cross-functional game development teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills are directly extracted and organized from the job description's "Skills to create thrills" section, with an emphasis on the "hands-on Unity implementation" requirement. The "preferred skills" are also explicitly listed. The experience level is inferred from "Senior UI Artist" and the explicit "Significant experience" mentioned.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio in English is mandatory for application.

• Showcase strong examples of UI design and art specifically for mobile games, particularly casual or free-to-play titles.

• Include visual polish, examples of UI motion and animation, and critically, evidence of hands-on Unity implementation.

• Prioritize case studies that demonstrate the complete UI creation process, from initial concept or direction through to final in-game implementation and polish.

Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in establishing and documenting reusable UI components, layout patterns, and implementation standards.

• Showcase the creation of UI style guides, including typography, iconography, color, hierarchy, motion, and interaction feedback.

• Provide examples of translating UX wireframes and design needs into polished UI assets and specifications.

• Evidence of understanding and optimizing UI for mobile performance, including asset optimization and in-engine performance considerations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are directly taken from the "Portfolio requirement" section of the job description, with an emphasis on demonstrating the full lifecycle of UI creation and implementation, particularly within Unity. The "Process Documentation" section infers typical documentation expected for a senior role based on the responsibilities listed.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on the role's seniority (Senior UI Artist), location (Barcelona, Spain), and the company's standing as a major player in the mobile gaming industry (King, part of Microsoft), a competitive salary range is estimated. For a Senior UI Artist in Barcelona with 5-10 years of experience, the estimated annual salary would likely fall between €50,000 and €75,000 gross. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in major European tech hubs, considering cost of living and market demand for specialized game art talent.

Benefits:

While specific benefits are not detailed in the provided text, King (as part of Microsoft) typically offers a robust benefits package. This commonly includes:

• Competitive salary and potential performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision).

• Generous paid time off (vacation, sick leave, public holidays).

• Retirement savings plans (e.g., pension contributions).

• Professional development opportunities, including training, workshops, and conference attendance.

• Employee assistance programs and wellness initiatives.

• Potential for stock options or grants, especially within Microsoft.

Working Hours:

The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, aligning with the input data. The role is on-site, suggesting a standard office-based schedule, though flexibility may be available depending on team needs and King's internal policies.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary range is an estimate based on role, location, and company profile. Benefits are inferred based on King's parent company (Microsoft) and common industry standards for senior roles in large gaming companies. The working hours are directly from the input.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Interactive Entertainment / Mobile Gaming. King is a leader in the mobile gaming space, known for its highly successful casual games like the Candy Crush franchise. This industry demands creativity, user-centric design, and a strong focus on player engagement and retention.

Company Size: King is a large organization with a global presence, employing hundreds of "Kingsters" across multiple international offices. As part of Microsoft, it benefits from the resources and structure of a major technology corporation.

Founded: King was founded over 20 years ago, giving it a long-standing history and deep experience in the gaming industry. Its mission is "Making the World Playful."

Team Structure:

• The role is within the "New Games Studio," specifically for an unannounced project, suggesting a dynamic and potentially smaller, focused team environment within the larger King organization.

• The Senior UI Artist will likely report to an Art Director or Lead Artist, with direct collaboration across disciplines such as Game Design, UX Design, Technical Art, VFX/Animation, and Engineering.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated for this role, King's success in mobile gaming suggests a data-informed approach to game design and UI development, likely involving A/B testing and player feedback analysis to optimize engagement and monetization.

• Agile Development: The mention of "agile or cross-functional game teams" implies that the development process likely follows agile methodologies, emphasizing iterative development, flexibility, and close team collaboration.

• Focus on Polish and Game Feel: The emphasis on "visual polish," "game feel," and "satisfying" UI indicates a commitment to high-quality execution and player experience.

Company Website: king.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Company context is derived from the "About King" section and general knowledge of King's market position and its acquisition by Microsoft. The "Methodology" section infers common practices in the mobile gaming industry based on King's success and the job description's emphasis on quality and collaboration.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role. It goes beyond basic UI asset creation to include defining visual identity, motion language, and establishing best practices and reusable components. The expectation is for the individual to be self-reliant, proactive, and capable of mentoring or guiding more junior team members implicitly through their work and contributions.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UI Artist will report to a Lead Artist or Art Director within the New Games Studio. They will work closely with Game Designers, UX Designers, Technical Artists, and Developers, acting as a key stakeholder in the UI development pipeline.

Operations Impact: The UI is critical to the player's experience, directly influencing engagement, retention, and monetization in a free-to-play mobile game. A Senior UI Artist's impact is significant, shaping how players interact with the game, understand its features, and perceive its overall quality and polish. Their work directly affects player satisfaction and the game's commercial success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in UI: Opportunities to take ownership of UI direction for entire features or even new game mechanics, potentially leading to a Lead UI Artist role on future projects.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like UI animation, motion graphics, or advanced Unity UI implementation techniques.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain deeper insights into UX design, game design principles, and technical art workflows through close collaboration.

• Mentorship: Opportunity to informally mentor junior artists, sharing knowledge and best practices in UI design and implementation.

• Project Variety: As part of King and Microsoft, there's potential to move between different projects and studios, experiencing diverse game genres and development challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Career Level" and "Operations Impact" are adapted for a creative role, focusing on the artistic and strategic influence of the UI Artist. "Growth Opportunities" are tailored to career progression within the art/design discipline in a gaming context.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is specified as "On-site" in Barcelona. This indicates a traditional studio environment where collaboration and in-person interaction are valued. King has modern office spaces designed to foster creativity and teamwork.

Office Location(s): Barcelona, Spain. This location offers a vibrant cultural scene and a strong tech/gaming community. King's Barcelona office is likely equipped with collaborative spaces, art studios, and the necessary technical infrastructure for game development.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a studio setting with open-plan areas, meeting rooms, and breakout spaces designed to encourage spontaneous interaction and idea sharing among team members.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard hardware and software, including powerful workstations, design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), and the Unity game engine.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities to interact with a diverse team of artists, designers, engineers, and producers, fostering a dynamic and communicative work atmosphere.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is likely Monday to Friday, approximately 40 hours per week. While on-site, King may offer some flexibility in start/end times, provided project deadlines and team collaboration needs are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Work Environment" section is inferred based on the "On-site" designation and the typical setup of modern game development studios, especially those within large corporations like Microsoft/King.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

The interview process for a Senior UI Artist at King/Microsoft typically involves several stages:

1. Application & Portfolio Review: Initial screening of your resume and a critical review of your submitted portfolio. Ensure it directly addresses the requirements for mobile game UI, visual polish, and Unity implementation.

2. Recruiter/Hiring Manager Screen: A preliminary call to discuss your experience, career goals, and fit for the role and team. This is also an opportunity to ask initial questions about the project and team.

3. Technical/Art Test (Potentially): Some companies may issue a small art test or a case study scenario to assess specific skills, such as UI layout, asset creation, or problem-solving within a given brief.

4. On-site/Virtual Interviews: Multiple interviews with the hiring manager, Art Director, Lead Artist, and potentially key team members (e.g., Game Designer, Technical Artist). These interviews will delve into your portfolio, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration style. Expect to discuss your approach to UI challenges and your experience with Unity implementation.

5. Final Interview/Offer: A final discussion, often with senior leadership, followed by an offer if successful.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Tailor to the Role: Highlight projects that specifically demonstrate your skills in mobile UI, casual game aesthetics, and Unity implementation. Prioritize quality over quantity.

• Showcase Process: For each project, clearly articulate your role, the problem you were solving, your design process (from concept to polish), and the final outcome. Use visuals to illustrate key stages.

• Demonstrate Unity Implementation: Include examples or descriptions of how you implemented your UI designs in Unity. If possible, provide video walkthroughs or interactive prototypes.

• Highlight Polish & Game Feel: Emphasize how your UI contributes to the overall "game feel," responsiveness, and visual satisfaction of the player experience. Show examples of animations, transitions, and micro-interactions.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and includes a brief introduction. Use English for all descriptions.

Challenge Preparation:

• UI Problem-Solving: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach designing UI for specific game features or addressing UI challenges (e.g., optimizing for different screen sizes, improving clarity of information).

• Unity Implementation Deep Dive: Be ready to discuss your experience with Unity's UI systems (UGUI, UI Toolkit), performance optimization techniques, and common implementation pitfalls.

• Collaboration Scenarios: Prepare examples of how you've collaborated effectively with designers, developers, and other artists, and how you handle feedback and differing opinions.

• Art Direction Alignment: Understand how to interpret and apply a given art direction to UI design.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides a structured approach to preparing for the application and interview process, focusing on the specific requirements of a Senior UI Artist role in the gaming industry, with emphasis on portfolio presentation and technical skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unity: Essential for hands-on implementation. Proficiency in Unity's UI systems (UGUI is standard, UI Toolkit is a plus) is critical. Understanding of Canvas setup, performance optimization within Unity, and asset integration is expected.

• Figma: Used for design, wireframing, prototyping, and creating detailed specifications and assets for implementation. Strong skills in Figma are a requirement.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Proficiency in Photoshop for asset creation and editing, and potentially Illustrator for vector graphics and icons, is standard. After Effects may be useful for UI animations and motion design.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this UI Art role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools and technology stack are directly derived from the job description's requirements and common practices in game development for UI artists. The emphasis is on design and implementation tools.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Making the World Playful: This is King's overarching mission, driving a culture focused on creating fun, engaging, and accessible experiences.

• Player-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and delighting players, ensuring the UI is intuitive, satisfying, and enhances the overall gameplay experience.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Emphasizing a supportive environment where individuals work together effectively across disciplines to achieve shared goals.

• Excellence & Polish: A commitment to high-quality execution, attention to detail, and delivering polished, professional results.

• Proactivity & Ownership: Encouraging individuals to take initiative, own their work, and contribute actively to the team's success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires seamless collaboration with Game Designers, UX Designers, Technical Artists, and Engineers, ensuring UI vision is aligned with game mechanics and technical feasibility.

• Feedback-Driven: An open culture where constructive feedback is welcomed and utilized to refine designs and implementations.

• Iterative Process: Working within agile or similar development cycles means continuous iteration and refinement based on testing, feedback, and evolving game requirements.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, techniques, and insights, particularly regarding UI design, Unity implementation, and mobile optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Team culture and values are inferred from King's mission statement, the emphasis on collaboration in the job description, and common values in successful game development studios.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining a New Visual Identity: Establishing the unique look and feel for an unannounced title requires creativity, strong vision, and the ability to translate abstract concepts into concrete UI elements.

• Balancing Polish with Production: The constant need to balance high visual fidelity and player satisfaction with the realities of mobile development timelines, performance constraints, and technical limitations.

• Cross-Disciplinary Alignment: Ensuring the UI effectively serves game design goals, UX principles, and technical requirements while maintaining artistic integrity.

• Mobile Optimization: Continuously adapting UI designs and implementations to perform optimally across a wide range of mobile devices, screen sizes, and operating systems.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Unity UI: Deepen expertise in Unity's UI Toolkit and UGUI, exploring advanced features and performance optimization strategies.

• UI Animation & Motion Design: Enhance skills in creating dynamic and engaging UI animations, potentially through tools like After Effects or Unity's animation systems.

• Game Design & UX Fundamentals: Gain a more profound understanding of player psychology, game mechanics, and UX principles to create more effective and impactful UI.

• Technical Art Integration: Learn more about the technical pipeline for art assets and UI implementation, working closely with technical artists to ensure efficient workflows.

• Cross-Project Exposure: Potential to contribute to different projects within King, offering exposure to various game genres and design challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are derived from the inherent difficulties of the role and industry, while growth opportunities are tailored to skill development within the UI art and game development domain.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for taking a UX wireframe and turning it into a polished, high-fidelity UI asset for a mobile game." (Focus on your workflow, tools, and decision-making.)

• "Walk us through a challenging UI project from your portfolio. What were the key challenges, how did you overcome them, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare to discuss specific examples of visual design, implementation, and problem-solving.)

• "How do you approach ensuring UI elements are optimized for performance and readability across various mobile devices and screen sizes?" (Highlight your understanding of mobile constraints and optimization techniques.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about working on an unannounced mobile game project at King?" (Research King's recent mobile titles and their approach to game development.)

• "How do you see your role contributing to King's mission of 'Making the World Playful'?" (Connect your skills and passion to the company's core values.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: For each project, tell a story: the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the results.

• Visual Emphasis: Let your visuals do the talking, but be ready to explain your design choices, technical implementation details, and any challenges overcome.

• Unity Focus: Clearly demonstrate your hands-on experience with Unity implementation. Show how you put the UI into the engine, not just the final screens. Video walkthroughs or short gameplay clips featuring your UI are highly effective.

• Metrics & Impact: If possible, discuss how your UI designs contributed to specific game metrics like engagement, retention, or conversion rates.

• Concise Explanations: Be prepared to present your portfolio efficiently, focusing on the most relevant examples and answering questions directly.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice is structured around common interview questions for creative roles in game development, emphasizing the specific requirements of this Senior UI Artist position and the importance of demonstrating both artistic craft and technical implementation skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UI Artist position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Xbox gaming careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio is tailored specifically to the requirements of this role, highlighting mobile game UI, visual polish, and hands-on Unity implementation. Prepare a concise, English-language version.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your experience with casual mobile games, Unity development, and your senior-level contributions to UI art and design. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, technical skills (especially Unity), and collaboration experience. Prepare specific examples from your portfolio for discussion.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with King's portfolio of games, their mission ("Making the World Playful"), and their general approach to game development. Understand their position within the mobile gaming market.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.