Graphic Designer / Character Animator Needed for Learning App

Join our team to create engaging and educational content for a learning app inspired by Duolingo. We are seeking a creative professional to design characters and animate them in a 2D style. The ideal candidate will have experience in illustration and character design, with a strong portfolio showcasing their work. We are building a fun, engaging mobile app that helps people learn the scriptures through interactive lessons and quizzes. We're looking for a talented graphic designer and animator who can create a cast of original, expressive characters inspired by the charm, personality, and emotional appeal of Duolingo's characters (without copying them). We like the playful, expressive, rounded style. Project Scope: We need approximately 20 original characters representing a wide variety of ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, including children, teenagers, adults, and older adults. Each character should have a friendly, approachable personality and be designed in a clean, modern vector style suitable for mobile apps. Animation Requirements: The characters should include simple animated reactions such as: * Celebrating when a user answers correctly * Looking disappointed after an incorrect answer * Waving hello * Clapping * Jumping with excitement * Giving a thumbs-up * Thinking or pondering * Encouraging the learner to keep going Animations should be smooth, expressive, and optimized for use in a mobile application. Deliverables: * Approximately 20 unique characters, each with 3 statuses: -- 1) neutral: waving, thumbs up, etc -- 2) happy: they got the answer correct -- 3) sad: they got the answer wrong * Original vector artwork (AI files) * Transparent PNG exports * Animation files suitable for mobile development (please specify your preferred format) * Commercial usage rights transferred to us upon completion Ideal Candidate: We're looking for someone who has experience with: * Character design * 2D illustration * Motion graphics or character animation * Mobile app graphics * Creating expressive, emotionally engaging characters Experience creating educational or gamified apps is a plus. To Apply: Please include - * A portfolio of character illustrations and animations * Examples of work with expressive characters * Your preferred animation workflow and export formats * Your estimated timeline * Your estimated cost for the complete project We are looking for a long-term creative partner, as this app will continue to grow with additional characters, animations, and visual assets over time.