Adam Augustyn
adammaugustyn@gmail.com
amaugustyn.com/portfolio
(773) 991-5570 Chicago, IL
ART DIRECTION AND CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Art and Creative Vision • UI/UX Strategy • Production and Pipeline • Live-Service Games • Team Scaling and Leadership
PROFILE
Art Director, UI/UX Director, producer, designer, and game development leader with 20+ years of experience shipping live-service, console, PC, and mobile titles across AAA and independent studios. With a foundation in animation, visual design, art direction, and game design, I have led multidisciplinary teams of designers, artists, animators, and engineers to deliver high-quality, cohesive, player-centered experiences at scale. Proven success guiding UX organizations through operational change, pipeline modernization, and evolving player expectations while bridging creative vision, game design, and technical execution. Experienced building scalable workflows, mentoring leaders, aligning cross-functional teams, and fostering collaborative environments where creatives and engineers can thrive.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
WARGAMING USA Chicago, IL
Chicago based studio responsible for the live-service title World of Tanks Modern Armor.
UI/UX DIRECTOR [FEB 2024 – PRESENT]
Lead UX vision, strategy, and execution for live-service titles at Wargaming Chicago, overseeing multidisciplinary teams of designers, artists, animators, and engineers from concept through implementation and live release. Serve as advisor to studio leadership and strategic partner to Game Design, Production, and Engineering to improve player experience, modernize workflows, and align UX initiatives with product and business goals.
Select Contributions:
Direct the full UX lifecycle including research, ideation, prototyping, implementation, usability testing, and live iteration for ongoing high-quality feature development and platform initiatives.
Partner with Game Design and Live Operations to develop and refine player-facing systems, UI features, and usability improvements informed by player research, analytics, and community feedback while raising overall quality.
Lead rapid-response strike teams focused on high-priority features, production challenges, and prototype initiatives, improving cross-functional collaboration and accelerating implementation timelines.
Established and improved UX workflows, pipelines, and team standards to increase production efficiency, strengthen communication across departments, and improve consistency in feature delivery.
Mentor team leads across creative and technical disciplines, helping improve organizational alignment, team morale, and leadership development.
Collaborate with Technical Directors to evaluate and implement new tools and technologies for rapid prototyping and UI modernization, including Unreal Engine 5, Coherent Gameface, internal development tools, and AI-assisted workflows.
Led UI strategy and execution for internal demos, platform ports, and pitch initiatives, contributing UX direction, implementation oversight, and supporting presentation materials for studio stakeholders and external partners.
Work closely with Production leadership to develop roadmaps, improve feature estimation processes, identify workflow inefficiencies, and ensure successful delivery of live-service content while advancing long-term UX modernization efforts.
CHEWY SOFTWARE LLC Chicago, IL
Independent game development studio that creates high-quality games, apps, and interactive digital experiences for major entertainment and toy brands across a wide range of platforms.
ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCER [OCT 2006 – JAN 2024]
Led creative vision, UX strategy, game design, and art production operations across 150+ shipped titles for clients including Wargaming, Amazon, Disney, Nickelodeon, Wilson, and Age of Learning. Played a key leadership role in scaling the studio’s creative capabilities, building multidisciplinary teams, developing production pipelines, and delivering high-quality projects aligned with client, player, and business objectives.
Select Contributions:
Responsible for the creative vision, directing art, UX, and feature implementation for client and internal projects spanning console, PC, mobile, and connected devices.
Built and led internal art and production teams, hiring, mentoring, and managing artists, animators, designers, and external contractors across multiple simultaneous projects and platforms.
Established scalable art pipelines, workflows, and development standards that improved production efficiency, strengthened collaboration between creative and engineering teams, and supported continued studio growth.
Developed client proposals, game concepts, and game design documentation tailored to defined business, marketing, and player engagement goals, helping secure new projects and align production teams around clear creative and technical direction.
Collaborated with technical leadership on game design documentation, user flows, implementation planning, and production roadmaps to ensure alignment between creative vision and technical execution.
Oversaw project scheduling, budgeting, scope management, milestone delivery, and resource planning across multiple concurrent productions, consistently delivering high-quality work on schedule.
Continued contributing as a hands-on artist, animator, designer, and problem-solver when project needs required rapid execution or specialized creative support.
ARTIST/ANIMATOR TRANSITION TO SENIOR ARTIST/ANIMATOR [AUG 2002 – JUL 2017]
Developed a broad multidisciplinary foundation across animation, game design, visual development, and technical implementation while contributing to shipped titles across multiple genres and platforms. Progressed into senior-level responsibilities through increasing ownership of art direction, gameplay implementation, and cross-functional collaboration.
Select Contributions:
Created 2D and 3D animations for characters, vehicles, visual effects, cinematics, and UI elements
Developed style guides and visual standards that helped define artistic direction and maintain consistency.
Rigged, skinned, and implemented animation systems including blend trees, animation state machines, and gameplay-driven animation controls.
Designed and implemented levels and gameplay encounters, using environmental lighting, scene composition, and in-engine presentation to support world building, visual storytelling, and gameplay experience.
Researched and implemented new tools, workflows, and production techniques that improved creative flexibility and development efficiency.
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP & CONSULTING
Provided creative direction, UX strategy, game design, and production leadership for interactive entertainment, connected devices, and branded media projects across gaming and digital platforms.
Co-founded and operated an independent game studio focused on original game concepts.
Led UI/UX and art direction for interactive products and connected-device experiences for clients such as Intel, HBO, and McDonalds.
Gallery-represented artist.
PROFICIENT WITH
Unreal Engine 5, Unity, Coherent Gameface
Collaboration & Design: Figma, Miro
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Premiere)
3D Software: 3d Studio Max, Motion Builder, Maya
Production & Collaboration Tools (ShotGrid, Basecamp, Jira, Mantis, Box)
AI-Assisted Development & Rapid Prototyping Tools
EDUCATION
Full Sail University, Associates of Computer Science
[References available on request.]