Hi, I’m Zainab Faidhi, a Visual Development Artist and Background Designer based in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience shaping environments, color, and storytelling for animated series, feature films, and illustrated projects. My dual background in architecture and animation gives me strong structural thinking, visual clarity, and a collaborative, storytelling approach to every project. I’ve led teams, built style guides, collaborated with directors, and supported productions from concept through delivery. I enjoy partnering with directors and art teams to define and refine visual language, translate concepts into production-ready assets, and translate style guides into clear documentation for in-house and overseas teams. I’ve contributed to Emmy-nominated projects and Annie Award-nominated productions, and I thrive in fast-paced environments that value cultural references, clarity, and cohesive design across departments.

Daby Zainab Faidhi

Hi, I’m Zainab Faidhi, a Visual Development Artist and Background Designer based in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience shaping environments, color, and storytelling for animated series, feature films, and illustrated projects. My dual background in architecture and animation gives me strong structural thinking, visual clarity, and a collaborative, storytelling approach to every project. I’ve led teams, built style guides, collaborated with directors, and supported productions from concept through delivery. I enjoy partnering with directors and art teams to define and refine visual language, translate concepts into production-ready assets, and translate style guides into clear documentation for in-house and overseas teams. I’ve contributed to Emmy-nominated projects and Annie Award-nominated productions, and I thrive in fast-paced environments that value cultural references, clarity, and cohesive design across departments.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Zainab Faidhi, a Visual Development Artist and Background Designer based in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience shaping environments, color, and storytelling for animated series, feature films, and illustrated projects. My dual background in architecture and animation gives me strong structural thinking, visual clarity, and a collaborative, storytelling approach to every project. I’ve led teams, built style guides, collaborated with directors, and supported productions from concept through delivery.

I enjoy partnering with directors and art teams to define and refine visual language, translate concepts into production-ready assets, and translate style guides into clear documentation for in-house and overseas teams. I’ve contributed to Emmy-nominated projects and Annie Award-nominated productions, and I thrive in fast-paced environments that value cultural references, clarity, and cohesive design across departments.

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Language

Arabic
Fluent
English
Advanced

Work Experience

Visual Development Artist / Background Designer / Assistant Art Director at Warner Bros. Animation
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2025
Led visual development and background design for multiple animated projects; produced concept art, environment and location designs, color scripts, and VFX-support visuals; translated the visual style guide into production-ready documentation; supervised background and color teams; collaborated with directors and overseas studios; contributed to Emmy-nominated Merry Little Batman.
Visual Development Artist / Background Painter / Props Designer at Cartoon Saloon
January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2017
Contributed to environment and location design, background painting, and prop development using a hybrid gouache‑digital workflow for The Breadwinner; Annie Award nomination for Best Production Design as part of the production design team.
Art Department Intern at Aardman Animation
January 1, 2014 - January 15, 2014
Assisted the Production Designer on Shaun the Sheep; supported set design tasks and observed art department workflows.

Education

Master of Arts in Character Animation & Storytelling at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
January 1, 2013 - January 1, 2015
Bachelor of Architecture Engineering at University of Jordan
January 1, 2003 - January 1, 2009
Academic Foundations at Baghdad
January 1, 2002 - January 1, 2002

Qualifications

Emmy - Nominated: Merry Little Batman
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2023
Oscar - winning Short Film: Ayny (My Second Eye) – Visual Development
January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2016
NOVA Awards Nominee: Best Graduation Project
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2015
Adobe Mentorship Programme
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2014
AnimArte Animation Festival, Brazil: Foreign Animation Gold Medal
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2015
British Animation Awards: Shortlisted
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2015
Baghdad International Film Festival: First Prize
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2015
Emmy Nomination - Best Special Animated Feature
January 1, 2023 - December 22, 2025
Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Production Design - The Breadwinner
January 1, 2017 - December 22, 2025

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Professional Services, Other, Software & Internet