Motion Designer (social first) [AQ-23857]

Aquent; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent Studios is seeking a talented motion designer to craft social-first content across a diverse portfolio of brands. You will blend motion craft with social performance, translating briefs and brand systems into captivating, platform-native motion that stops the scroll.

Work closely with Creative Directors, designers, copywriters, and the Social/Brand teams from concept through delivery, while adapting to evolving trends and maintaining brand consistency across channels.

Qualifications

• 4–6+ years of professional motion design experience in agency, in-house, or studio.
• Portfolio showing strong craft, timing, and storytelling in short-form content.
• Expert proficiency in After Effects and Premiere Pro; working knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Strong typography, composition, and dynamic pacing in motion.
• Fluency with social media platforms and creator trends.
• Ability to work within established brand guidelines across multiple brands.

Responsibilities

• Design and animate social-first content across brands: short-form video, looping assets, and key campaign moments.
• Adapt concepts across platforms, ensuring native-fit content while preserving brand guidelines.
• Translate brand identity into dynamic motion language and evolve the brand’s motion language.
• Develop reusable motion templates and scalable systems for efficiency.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors, designers, copywriters, editors, and Social/Brand/Production teams from concept to delivery.
• Integrate sound, captions, and subtitles for sound-off viewing on all platforms.
• Monitor platform features and trends to bring innovative ideas to the team.
• Iterate on designs and animations based on feedback for agile delivery.

Skills

Motion design

Social-first content

Adobe After Effects

Premiere Pro

Typography & pacing

Collaboration

Tools

Adobe After Effects

Premiere Pro

Illustrator

Photoshop

Cinema 4D

Blender

Job description

Aquent Studios is proud to partner with a leading international technology client, a true pioneer at the forefront of innovation, to find an exceptional creative talent. This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic team where your vision and skill will directly shape how groundbreaking technology and diverse brands connect with global audiences. You will be instrumental in crafting visually stunning, social-first content that captures attention, drives engagement, and leaves a lasting impact across various platforms, truly making a mark on how the world experiences technology.

About The Opportunity

Step into a pivotal role where you’ll be the creative force bringing dynamic, social-first content to life across a diverse portfolio of brands. This isn’t just about design; it’s about blending exceptional motion craft with a deep understanding of social media performance to captivate millions. You will translate bold concepts, creative briefs, and brand systems into captivating, platform-native motion content, designed to stop the scroll in today’s fast-paced, creator-driven digital landscape. Working hand-in-hand with the Social team, your work will produce culturally relevant experiences that significantly drive engagement, participation, and brand impact, shaping conversations around cutting-edge technology.

Your Impactful Contributions

• Design and animate social-first content for a diverse portfolio of brands, including short-form video, animated graphics, looping assets, and key campaign moments.
• Adapt creative concepts across various platforms and formats, ensuring each piece is native to the channel while maintaining consistent brand guidelines.
• Translate brand identity, typography, color, and visual systems into dynamic motion, actively contributing to the evolution of the brand’s unique motion language.
• Develop reusable motion templates and scalable systems to enhance efficiency and consistency for the Social team’s content creation.
• Collaborate closely with Creative Directors, designers, copywriters, editors, and the Social, Brand, and Production teams from initial concept through to final delivery.
• Integrate sound, music, captions, and subtitles to optimize content for compelling sound-off viewing experiences across all platforms.
• Stay ahead of the curve by monitoring platform features, creator-driven formats, and emerging cultural trends, consistently bringing innovative ideas to the team.
• Iterate quickly and effectively on designs and animations based on feedback received during review rounds, ensuring agile project delivery.

Essential Qualifications

• 4–6+ years of professional motion design experience gained in agency, in-house, or studio environments, with a strong emphasis on social-first or digital content creation.
• A compelling portfolio that clearly showcases strong craft, impeccable timing, and engaging storytelling in short-form formats and platform-native work.
• Expert proficiency in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, complemented by working knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Strong command of core animation principles, the effective use of typography in motion, sophisticated composition, and dynamic pacing.
• Fluency in social media platforms, an understanding of creator content, and a keen awareness of evolving social trends.
• Skilled at working effectively within established brand guidelines across multiple brands and business priorities, while consistently contributing fresh and creative ideas.
• A highly collaborative, adaptable, and energized professional who thrives on solving new creative challenges in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with 3D tools such as Cinema 4D or Blender.
• Proficiency with Figma, Lottie, or experience with template-based motion workflows.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted video tools.
• Prior experience working with technology or consumer electronics brands.

Client Description

Aquent Studios is a global creative studio that delivers scale, speed and efficiency to the world’s most recognized brands. We create the work that matters the most to them—work that has a real impact on their business. As an Aquent Studios team member, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with the largest and most influential companies in the world, solving design challenges and extending their brands across tactic types and platforms, including digital design, UI/UX, video, motion, content, print design, web development, and more. If you want to do work that matters in a collaborative setting that values ingenuity and personal growth, you have found the right place!

Compensation Range

Compensation Range: $110,000-$120,000 annually. The range provided is our reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The actual amount may be higher or lower, based on factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and location.