What does your role as a Motion Designer entail?

The team at Buff can take a project from its initial conception right through to the final animation. This process could look something like coming up with the initial concept, writing the script, exploring look-and-feel / design, working on the storyboard then animating.

As a motion designer, I could be involved in the whole process from start to finish or just a single section of it before handing it to someone else. Different parts of the creative process require you to think in different ways so I really enjoy having the variety. Even though I love animating, if that’s the only thing I do day in and day out I would soon become fatigued, burnt out and unmotivated. Being part of the whole process keeps it interesting for me.

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How did you get into animation?

I entered into motion graphics quite late. I’m in my late 30s. I was a chef for roughly 8 years before I decided to go to university to study graphic design where I first picked up After Effects.

After that, I went on to work in branding for 4 years. This didn't really fulfil me but it helped me reflect on the aspects of the work I enjoyed. I liked the emotional side of animation - creating a narrative, the movement and the character you can give a piece. I also liked the technical side, writing expressions and rigging.

So during the first lockdown in 2020, I started learning more about animation and gave myself a deadline of 6 months (because that's when I would run out of money to support myself) to build a portfolio and find a job. With that portfolio and a huge amount of luck, I managed to get a role here at Buff.

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What does a typical day look like for you?

It varies. We can have a few projects assigned to us at any one time but at different stages. So to give a little day-to-day overview, I could be collaborating with another designer on one project, creating a written storyboard for a day. Then while that’s sent off for approval, I’ll work on creating a final look visual storyboard on another project for a few days. Our production team are pretty on it and when it comes time to animate they try to block out a good chunk of time with no interruptions, solely to focus on animating.

How do you keep yourself developing as a motion designer?

After having a baby last year, I’ve found my energy levels can be up and down from day to day. But being around other designers and animators that also enjoy their work is a big motivator. Luckily I’m at the stage of my career where I will be learning something on almost every project, so I get a boost of energy and excitement from this.

But then there are times when I have an animation project that isn’t the most exciting or groundbreaking. I could easily smash this out and move on to the next one but instead, I use that project to learn something new - no matter how small. A new technique, programme, plugin or expression that I could dive into and test it out while I’m working on something that is maybe less demanding than the usual projects we take on.

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What has been a highlight of working at Buff?

There’s been loads of highlights. There’s nothing like working in a studio where everyone is amazingly kind and supportive. I’ve been able to progress as an animator much faster than if I was going solo. It has been great and I’m hugely thankful. Also seeing Buff grow and take on more exciting projects has been amazing.

I feel like Buff is really taking off but as with most things here, the transition has felt quite natural. This is because we’ve taken the time to reflect on how Buff’s trajectory affects each individual in the studio. If I was to point to a ‘thing’ then it would be our trip to Berlin. We went to Pictoplasma – a character animation festival – which has been great to get so much time together as a team but also we’ve all come back inspired and full of energy.