What Employers Really Want: A Deep Dive into 100+ Motion Designer Job Descriptions

1. Introduction: Why Analyse Job Descriptions?

Over the past several months, I analysed more than 100 job descriptions for motion designers across Europe and the UK. These postings ranged from freelance gigs to full-time roles at global agencies and tech companies. The goal? To understand what employers consistently ask for, spot recurring patterns, and use this data to sharpen portfolios, CVs, and LinkedIn profiles.

Spoiler: motion design isn’t just about beautiful animations. It's about collaboration, marketing, storytelling, and a very specific toolkit. Here’s what I found.

2. The Most Common Words: A Snapshot of Employer Priorities

The top keywords reveal the heart of the role:

• Motion (701 mentions)

• Design (526)

• Creative (396)

• Team (320)

• Video (253)

• Brand (236)

Unsurprisingly, the core of this profession is animation within a collaborative and creative context, focused heavily on branding and storytelling. There is also an emphasis on commercial value, with frequent appearances of words like marketing, performance, and content.

3. Key Phrases That Shape the Role

Looking beyond individual words, common phrases clarify how roles are framed:

• Motion Design / Motion Graphics

• Adobe After Effects / Creative Suite / Premiere Pro

• Fast-paced environment

• Cross-functional teams

• Brand storytelling

• UI animations

• 3D animation / Blender / Cinema 4D

These patterns show a hybrid profile: someone who is both creative and technical, strategic yet adaptable, capable of working independently but embedded within larger teams.

4. Must-Have Hard Skills

Across the board, these tools and skills came up repeatedly:

• Adobe After Effects (essential)

• Premiere Pro

• Photoshop & Illustrator

• Figma (especially in UI/UX contexts)

• Blender / Cinema 4D (for 3D elements)

• Video editing & storyboarding

• Prototyping (Lottie, Rive)

Interestingly, experience with AI tools (like Midjourney or Runway) is beginning to appear, signalling a growing trend.

5. Experience & Project Types

The most frequent requirement: "X+ years of experience", where X is usually 2 to 5 years. But it’s not just about time served — it’s about what you've done:

• Designed for marketing campaigns

• Worked on social media content

• Created explainer videos or product launch materials

• Contributed to UI/UX animations

Storytelling is a recurring theme: "bring stories to life", "translate ideas into motion", "engage audiences visually". If your portfolio highlights narrative thinking and real-world impact, you're already ahead.

6. Collaboration & Soft Skills

Motion design is not a solo sport. These roles expect you to:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (designers, product managers, marketers)

• Bring strong communication skills to team discussions and projects

• Stay productive and focused in a fast-paced environment

• Be proactive and detail-oriented

Soft skills are not just add-ons. They’re embedded into how teams work. Phrases like "stakeholder communication", "feedback integration", and "collaborative mindset" appear often.

7. Emerging Trends: What’s Changing

A few new patterns stood out:

• AI-assisted workflows are gaining traction (e.g., using Runway or Midjourney)

• UI/UX motion is increasingly seen as a standalone skillset

• Remote work is common but still framed as collaborative ("work closely with producers/designers, even remotely")

• There's a growing interest in designers who can handle end-to-end production: concept, storyboard, animate, and deliver.

8. How to Use This Insight

If you're a motion designer, here’s how to apply this data:

• Update your LinkedIn headline to include "Motion Design", "After Effects", and your specialisation (e.g., "UI Animation" or "3D Motion")

• Ensure your About section includes phrases like "collaborate with cross-functional teams", "fast-paced environments", and "brand storytelling"

• On your portfolio, highlight projects with real-world outcomes, clear storytelling, and diverse formats (video ads, product demos, social media animations)

• Include both technical keywords ("Adobe Suite", "Figma", "Blender") and soft skills ("collaboration", "attention to detail", "communication")

9. Final Thoughts

Behind every flashy animation is a brief, a brand goal, and a team. Employers today aren’t just hiring animators — they’re looking for communicators, strategists, and team players who can shape stories in motion.

So whether you're refining your CV, reworking your website, or preparing for your next client pitch, let real-world data guide your positioning. The job market is already telling you what it values. All you have to do is speak its language.