Principal Art Designer, Trading Card Games (TCG)

About the Team

Fanatics TCG is a new trading card game business, the newest member of the Fanatics Collectibles family.  We are here to build the best TCG studio and games in the world.

If you have passion, and skill, and if you believe trading card games represent the very best of what games have to offer, please reach out to us.

Role Summary

The Principal Art Designer is the creative authority responsible for translating the TCG’s visual vision into execution, owning art systems, style guides, and set-level direction while working hands-on with internal teams and external artists.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve visual style guides and art systems
• Lead art direction for sets, expansions, and major releases
• Provide hands-on art direction to illustrators and external vendors
• Partner closely with Design and Production to ensure cohesive delivery
• Maintain visual consistency while introducing new artistic expressions
• Mentor senior and mid-level artists and art directors

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 8 years of professional art direction or illustration experience
• Shipped experience on card games, collectibles, or premium products
• Experience working with external artist pipelines and licensors
• Strong portfolio demonstrating both creative range and consistency

Skills & Abilities

• Strong visual storytelling and composition skills
• Deep knowledge of illustration workflows and print production
• Clear, actionable feedback and collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple sets and timelines simultaneously

Location & Compensation

Achieving our goals requires strong collaboration and partnership between our teams and internal stakeholders. To best support this, the person who accepts this role is expected to be onsite in-office five days per week.

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally. 

Fanatics Collectibles is a new model and vision for the hobby, fundamentally changing the experience for current and future collectors, leagues, and players across many U.S. and international professional and college sports. The organization has long-term, exclusive rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards for several sports and entertainment properties, including MLB, MLBPA, the Premier League, MLS, UFC, Formula 1 as well as Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, among others. In January 2022, Fanatics Collectibles announced the acquisition of Topps, establishing the preeminent licensed trading card brand as the cornerstone of Fanatics’ trading cards and collectibles business, and jumpstarted its MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards