Brand Mascot Designer & 3D Character Artist

We are developing a proprietary brand mascot that will become a central part of our brand identity and marketing strategy. The mascot will be used across: -Product packaging -Advertising and marketing campaigns -Website and social media content -Animation and motion graphics -Trade shows and events -Mascot costume production -Future figurines, collectibles, toys, and merchandise We are seeking an experienced Brand Mascot Designer & 3D Character Artist who can create a professional, production-ready character asset designed for both digital and physical applications. The ideal candidate has experience developing characters for brands, consumer products, entertainment properties, toys, or mascots and understands how to build assets that remain consistent across multiple media formats. Project Goals -Create a high-quality mascot system that can serve as a long-term brand asset. The character must be suitable for: -High-resolution marketing renders -Packaging design -Animation -Mascot costume fabrication -3D printing and figurine production -Future licensing and merchandise opportunities SCOPE OF WORK Phase 1 – Character Development Using our existing concepts, sketches, references, and brand guidelines: -Refine and finalize mascot design -Develop character personality and visual identity -Create production-quality 3D model -Establish character proportions and design standards -Create expression and pose variations Phase 2 – Production-Ready 3D Asset Creation Develop a complete production asset including: -High-resolution sculpt -Clean retopology -Animation-ready topology -UV mapping -Professional texturing and materials -Rigging suitable for animation -Optimized meshes for multiple use cases Phase 3 – Brand Asset Package Create assets specifically intended for marketing and packaging use: Hero marketing pose Packaging-ready hero render Multiple approved mascot poses Facial expression library Transparent-background renders Front, side, back, and 3/4 turnaround views Phase 4 – Physical Product Readiness Prepare the character for future physical implementations: -Mascot costume reference package -3D-print-ready version -Figurine and collectible reference model -Geometry suitable for future manufacturing adaptation Required Deliverables -Source Files -Native project files -High-resolution sculpt files -Rig files -Texture source files -3D Assets -High-resolution sculpt -Production-ready mesh -Rigged character -UV maps -Texture maps -Materials/shader setup Export Formats -FBX -OBJ -STL Additional export formats as required -Packaging & Marketing Assets -Hero mascot render -Transparent PNG renders -Multiple approved poses -Multiple facial expressions -Product-packaging-ready artwork renders -High-resolution marketing renders -Mascot Costume Package -Orthographic views -Character measurements and proportions -Costume fabrication reference renders -Detailed head and body reference views -Mascot Brand Style Guide (Required) The selected artist must provide a Mascot Brand Style Guide containing: -Character Standards -Official colors -Color values -Character proportions -Scaling guidelines -Approved design elements -Expression Library -Happy -Excited -Friendly -Confident -Surprised Additional expressions as appropriate -Pose Library -Hero pose -Greeting pose -Product presentation pose -Celebration pose -Neutral pose Usage Guidelines -Approved visual treatments -Consistency standards -Packaging usage recommendations -Marketing usage recommendations This guide will be used by future designers, animators, packaging teams, and manufacturers. Preferred Software Experience -Blender -Maya -ZBrush -Substance Painter Equivalent professional tools are acceptable. Required Qualifications -Strong portfolio of stylized characters, mascots, or branded characters -Experience creating animation-ready assets -Strong understanding of topology and rigging requirements -Experience preparing characters for multiple production pipelines -Ability to work from concepts and brand guidelines -Excellent communication and collaborative design process Highly Desirable Experience -Brand mascot development -Consumer products -Packaging design support -Toy and collectible design -Mascot costume development -Character licensing projects -Animation production Portfolio Submission Requirements Please include: -Mascot or character projects -Wireframe/topology examples -Rigged character examples -Packaging or marketing applications of your character work -Toy, figurine, or collectible projects (if applicable) -Description of your workflow and software stack -Proposal Requirements The objective is to create a premium mascot asset and character system that can be consistently deployed across packaging, animation, marketing, costumes, merchandise, figurines, and future brand extensions for many years.