The third instalment of our three-part blog series, exploring what it's like to work in an animation and motion graphics studio.

Make no mistake, the world of animation and motion graphics is awesome.

You can let your imagination run wild to create all manner of weird and wonderful things, from life-like characters to abstract environments.

Most of the time, you’ll be rubbing shoulders with equally inventive people, who share your passion for conceiving ideas and making them a reality.

But what’s it really like to have a job in the animation and motion graphics industry?

In this three-part blog, Jumbla’s creative team have their say on what you should expect at a fast-paced animation and motion graphics studio.

You could even find out for yourself by signing up to Jumbla Academy...

Jump to Part One
Jump to Part Two
Jump to Part Three

Part One: What is the best thing about being an animator or motion designer?

“Literally everything about the job - I love the variety. We always have new projects that cover very different visual styles and stories. It’s challenging and interesting.”

 - Callan Woolcock, Creative Director

“Bringing totally made up and imaginary things to life. Have you got a ridiculous idea? Something completely nonsensical? Let’s make it real!”

 - Alyssa Smedley, Motion Designer & Jumbla Academy Professor

“You get to do heaps of different things, such as animation, design, modelling, texturing, rendering, and sound effects. It's hard to get bored being a motion graphics designer.”

 - Jiwoo Park, Motion Designer

“I get to do something that isn't exclusively about making a living. Also, I’m not doing data entry somewhere and can justify my enormous student debt.”

 - James Manton, Illustrator

“Getting lost in the detail (if time allows). Creating the illusion of life from nothing.”

 - Josh Le Good, Motion Designer

“Every day I do something really creative and get paid for it! There are probably very few jobs with as much creative freedom. This means you have to be disciplined and really feel empathy for the client so they are happy with the piece of art you create for them.”

 - Oz Smith, Creative Director

“Being around like-minded people. Also the ability to take your skills on the road.”

 - Laura Doddy, Motion Designer

“It’s a really cool, fun, and fast-paced job. The work is always really interesting because of the constant a stream of new content you need to create.”

 - Christie Reddoch, Motion Designer

“Job satisfaction. I get to create something that someone will love.”

 - Dileepa Solangaarachchi, Motion Designer

“You get to work on something different every day. You can also show off your work with cool designs, great animations, and awesome soundtracks!”

 - Frankie Lee, Creative Manager

“I really enjoy the creative atmosphere and being surrounded by other artists. It's always so inspiring to look over to your neighbour’s screen and see what they are producing.”

 - Glen Miralles, Motion Designer

Part Two: What are the biggest challenges you face as an animator or motion designer?

“Over the past few years, the industry has really exploded. Everyone is creating something, with the latest software making it easier to do so in a shorter amount of time. For me, the biggest challenge is trying to be different and unique for every project we work on, while also developing an original style of my own.”

 - Callan Woolcock, Creative Director

“Deadlines are every creative’s worst enemy. It's hard to put something down and let it go when you know there's so much more that you can do. If only there was more time!”

 - Alyssa Smedley, Motion Designer & Jumbla Academy Professor

“There's never enough time! You have a constant, pressing desire to create work that is different or original but sometimes you never get there because of time.”

 - Jade Ngo, Motion Designer

“The skillset required is infinite and ever-changing. Every time you acknowledge progress in your own work and skillset, you'll watch someone else's video and be reminded that you have an endless list of skills left to master.”

 - James Manton, Illustrator

“Balancing speed with quality.”

 - Josh Le Good, Motion Designer

“Balancing my workflow and knowing where to focus my attention. I have to create a lot of proposals, attend meetings, and give pitches. I also like to set-up projects, work on their styling, add key bits of animation, and brief others on how to continue them. This often means a lot of juggling projects and trying to keep all my plates spinning at the same time.”

 - Oz Smith, Creative Director

“Finding the motivation to develop my skills outside of work. Getting back on the computer to freelance and work on my own projects can be really taxing. This also ties into keeping a semi-healthy lifestyle, like not sitting down for too long and keeping in touch with people.”

 - Laura Doddy, Motion Designer

“Keeping pace with all the other amazing animators and designers out there…including in the studio! However, this challenge can also be an asset. It's great using others for inspiration to create better animations than I would have been able to previously.”

 - Christie Reddoch, Motion Designer

“Finding the time to do personal creative work”

 - Dileepa Solangaarachchi, Motion Designer

“Having to learn multiple programs and plugins in order to keep myself up-to-date with the latest trends in design, animation, and effects. It's just non-stop studying, learning, and problem solving.”

 - Frankie Lee, Creative Manager

“Staying inspired is a big one for me. I feel like animators fall into creative lulls and don't produce anything for a while. This is frustrating because you always have that feeling of wanting to do better work.”

 - Glen Miralles, Motion Designer

“Communicating to the people around you what it is you actually do!”

 - Elena Dunwoodie, Motion Designer

Part Three: What is the worst thing about being an animator or motion designer?

“Like all designers, I love to be creative and work on the tools. But I don't always get the chance due to other responsibilities eating into my creative time. To counter, I've started doing daily projects each night at home, like spending a couple of hours in After Effects or just illustrating to try new things and help me improve.”

 - Callan Woolcock, Creative Director

“Self-improvement. If you want to be good at this, you have to constantly keep learning. It's stressful sometimes.”

 - Jiwoo Park, Motion Designer

“Deadlines. Short, endless, crushing deadlines.”

 - James Manton, Illustrator

“Sitting in front of a computer all day for 20 years. When I'm not working, I like to go and do something vigorous, physical, and non-desk related.”

 - Oz Smith, Creative Director

“Crunch time. Art block.”

 - Laura Doddy, Motion Designer

“We've resorted to periodic planking behind our desks to shake off the stiffness of sitting at a computer all day. However, I have improved my core strength, so a blessing in disguise?”

 - Christie Reddoch, Motion Designer

“You often criticise your work when comparing it to designers you believe are better.”

 - Frankie Lee, Creative Manager

“Having to turn the creativity switch on at the tip of a hat. For me, I feel inspiration and creativity can hit at any point! Like at midnight I might have an idea and want to start executing it….”

 - Glen Miralles, Motion Designer

You could always sign up to Jumbla Academy and see what it’s like first-hand… you may even end up working at Jumbla one day.