Located in the heart of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Cuddle Barn is a designer and manufacturer of animated plush gifts that sing, dance, and play! Pairing popular tunes with cutting-edge animation, our unique animated plush gifts bring joy and laughter to children and adults alike.

Since being founded in 2009, Cuddle Barn has continued to grow through the development and innovation of new products. More recently, we have expanded our efforts and established a new rapidly growing line of soft plushies under #PLUSHGOALS. The plush community quickly fell in love with our Wawa the Froggie, Mooshakes, and PlushGoals Planet characters. Come be a part of a fun, exciting growing company!

We are looking for an eager-to-learn and creative Junior Designer experienced with art & character design. This candidate must be attentive-to-detail and organized, to assist with various administrative tasks related to product development and graphic design. Proficiency in Adobe CC and other design software is required.

You will be reporting to the Director of Brand & Product Development on a day-to-day basis. The Junior Designer will work with the product development team to ideate new concepts and design new plush characters. In addition, they will help coordinate various administrative tasks and assist with the creation of various graphic design-related tasks as needed. To excel in this role, this individual needs to be organized, creative, have a good eye for color, and have their pulse on what is trending in the marketplace and in pop culture.

Your responsibilities include:

Market Research

Be kept up to date on what’s trending and what’s popular, including but not limited to music, colors, materials, characters, movies, TV shows, viral videos, etc. Identify trends and present to Director in the form of mood boards, power point, and/or Pinterest boards.
Visit different retail stores to understand the customer base and what they are buying. Take photos, notes, and create presentations for the President, Director, and/or customers as needed.
Creatives

· Come up with new product ideas to pursue, based off doing their own research and input from marketing/sales

· Create drawings for approved ideas, and revising based off feedback

· Render the drawings for sample room to mock up the samples

· Assist with coming up with scripts and lyrics for animated items

· Assist with the graphic creation for product packaging (hangtags, PDQs, etc.) as needed

· Assist with marketing graphic creation as needed (banners, ads, other creative assets) as needed

Administrative

· Assist the team in reviewing samples that come in, providing thoughts & feedback on any potential issues or areas of improvement

· Take photos and videos of new prototype samples that come in

· Measure and maintain a well-organized record of product dimensions and information

· Help maintain a system to track the development of each product

Technical Requirements:

Excellent written and oral communication skills with a strong creative flair.
Computer and software skills - high proficiency in Outlook required.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office and other office software required.
Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator required.
1+ Years Experience in Product Development or Design-Related Role
Bachelor’s Degree in Art, Fine Arts, or a related field required.
Required Skills:

Proactive in offering creative input and thoughtful perspectives in collaborative settings.
Demonstrates curiosity and initiative by asking thoughtful questions.
Excellent organization skills, being able to juggle multiple projects at once.
Have the tenacity for problem solving.
Work well under pressure.
· High attention to detail.

· Possess a sense of urgency and determination while continuing to accommodate the rapid changes in the product development life cycle.

Recommended Skills:

Toy experience is a plus!
Send a copy of your resume and portfolio, mood boards, or anything relevant when you apply.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $20.00 - $22.00 per hour

Expected hours: No less than 40 per week

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Employee discount
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Parental leave
Vision insurance
Work Location: In person

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