Hello! I’m Jess, a 2D/3D designer specialising in character, prop, and background design for Animation and Games.
Over the last 10 years, I have worked with studios such as Passion Pictures, Studio AKA, Dog Ears and Nexus for a variety of clients from the BBC to Apple and Netflix. I can bring a keen eye for detail and a love of creating visually engaging design to every project I am a part of.
When not designing, you’ll find me baking, walking on a windy beach or honing my pizza-making skills.
EXPERIENCE
Maddie + Triggs (CBeebies) Sun & Moon - Designer (April- November 2024)
Responsible for developing final design work for this inclusive series, developed to be accessible for children with visual impairments.
The role required maintaining clear, bold design, colour and layout principles which enabled children with a range of different visual needs to engage with the series.
Strong organisation, attention to detail and clear communication across departments was vital to ensure that work was completed accurately, that files could be easily translated between different departments and design inefficiencies/ asset duplications were avoided.
Software used: Adobe Animate
Career Break - Parental Leave (December 2022 - April 2024)
My Brother the Minotaur (Apple TV+) Dog Ears - Character and Asset Design Supervisor (March 2021 - November 2022)
After initially joining the design team, I took over the supervision of the character and asset design department, consisting of eight artists and two leads.
The department was responsible for all character, prop, and vehicle technical design, including model sheets, turnarounds, mouth charts, additional/special views, costume variations, etc.
The role included: overseeing the interviewing, selection, and onboarding of new artists, providing training for junior artists and leads.
Involvement in the wider structuring of the team and design workflow during the early stages of the project.
Responsibility for performance reviews for team members, understanding artists’ strengths and interests, and assigning work accordingly.
Creating style and workflow guides for artists as the style of the show was established.
Weekly reviews with the Art and Series Directors to ensure consistency of style across design.
Distributing workloads and ensuring deadlines for episode deliveries were met.
The role required strong collaboration between the design, posing, animation, and build departments.
Communication between these departments was vital to ensure that animation and rigging’s design requirements were fully considered, without losing the detailed aesthetic of the concept art.
Supporting the artists in translating concept art into technical drawings, and overseeing any necessary modifications to fit the needs of the other departments.
Responsible for reviewing final rigs to ensure the style of the show was maintained and consistent through the build process.
KittiKats (Netflix) Kids Cave Entertainment - Senior Designer (August 2020 - Feb 2021)
Assisting with the wider look development of the series; aiding visuals through environment sketches and providing paint-overs to refine colour, texture, and lighting.
Developing texture and FX concepts as a guide for the texture/surfacing department.
Creating character, prop, and environment designs.
Marvel Battleworld: Mystery of the Thanostones (Disney+) Funko - Lead Designer (January - June 2020)
I supervised a background team of six artists during this mini-series, which was created to support the release of Funko’s Marvel Battleworld tabletop game.
Key responsibilities included: scheduling and managing the team’s workload and ensuring deadlines were being met. Leading review sessions, keeping an active line of communication between Design and the Comp and Animation departments, as well as feeding information back to the HOD, Director, and Production team.
Day-to-day tasks also included creating stills to guide comp direction, concept designs, layout, and producing final backgrounds.
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (Apple TV+) Studio aka - Texture Artist (October - December 2019)
Responsible for creating environment and prop textures for several sequences, in the unique illustrative style of the author, Oliver Jeffers.
Software used: Substance Painter.
101 Dalmatian Street (Disney+) Passion Pictures - Prop Designer (January - May 2019)
Responsible for creating prop designs, model sheets, additional views, and turnarounds.
CardLife (Steam) Freejam - 2D/3D Designer (April - December 2018)
Role included conducting initial research, producing concept designs, 3D models and creating materials for a PBR workflow, and implementing these assets within Unity.
Maintained communication between code and design teams to keep an efficient workflow and quickly identify and solve bugs.
Robozuna (Netflix/ITV) Kids Cave Entertainment - 2D Designer (July 2016 - October 2017)
Responsible for creating prop, robot, weapon, and UI designs as well as assisting with the development of characters and environments.
Produced turnarounds, texture, and FX reference guides. This required a broader understanding of how concepts are modelled and animated, as well as consideration for potential asset reuse.
Facebook Groups (Facebook) Nexus - 2D Designer (April - May 2016)
Producing final background art for several short films created to promote Facebook’s launch of the ‘Groups Discover’ feature, in the distinctive style of director Nicolas Ménard.
Kazoops! (Netflix/ CBeebies) Nexus - Junior Series Designer (August 2015 - May 2016)
EDUCATION
Escape Studios Game Art Production (October 2017- January 2018)
Arts University Bournemouth Animation Production BA Hons, 2:1 (2011- 2014)
SOFTWARE
Photoshop, Maya, Unreal, Unity, Substance Painter, Animate