Freelance Motion Graphics Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Sköna is seeking a Motion Designer to be our first in-house motion hire, helping shape how motion shows up across client work, pitches, and internal brand storytelling. This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to do more than execute deliverables. You’ll help define our motion offering, establish scalable workflows and best practices, and influence how motion fits into the Agency at every level.

As our first motion designer, you’ll collaborate closely with designers, writers, creative directors, and clients on a wide range of projects, from brand motion identities to campaign assets to product videos. You have a strong eye for craft, pacing, and detail, and understand how motion can elevate a brand when it’s integrated seamlessly into a larger creative idea. You’re comfortable owning projects end to end, moving fluidly from rough explorations to fully polished execution, managing multiple workstreams and adapting your motion style to fit a wide range of brands and executions.

Come join us at Sköna

We’re a small (but mighty) global creative agency with roots in Stockholm and a heart in San Francisco - think Scandinavian minimalism meets West Coast quirkiness. We help B2B and tech companies transform into brave brands through strategy, design, campaigns, events, and digital experiences.

You won’t be a cog in a machine here. You’ll have real autonomy and a direct hand in shaping the brands of high-growth tech companies at the edge of AI and beyond. Our team runs flat, collaboratively, and with no room for bureaucracy. Culture isn’t a perk, it’s the point: we take work-life balance seriously, every day is “Bring Your Dog to Work Day”, and we unite our two global offices every year for a retreat. Ultimately, we are committed to providing an environment that allows you to both thrive and do meaningful work.

Responsibilities

• Design and animate motion graphics across brand systems, campaigns, social and digital assets, videos, pitches, and presentations
• Lead motion projects from concept to final delivery, including storyboarding, style exploration, animation, and production-ready exports
• Identify opportunities where motion can strengthen storytelling, user experiences, and creative concepts
• Help shape Sköna’s motion offering by establishing best practices, refining our motion process, and contributing to how we package motion work for clients
• Collaborate closely with creative directors, designers, copywriters, and producers to ensure motion is conceptually strong and well integrated into the final product
• Maintain consistency with brand and campaign guidelines where appropriate, while ensuring visual quality across all outputs
• Manage multiple projects and deadlines, delivering high-quality, production-ready work
• Support internal marketing efforts through design and animation of social media graphics, case studies, and agency reels
• Proactively identify opportunities for motion within existing brand and campaign platforms
• Collaborate with freelance motion designers or external partners when appropriate

Requirements

• 5–8+ years of professional motion design experience, ideally in an agency or studio environment
• Strong foundation in design and branding, with a keen eye for typography, layout, composition, and visual hierarchy.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating both conceptual thinking and high-quality execution
• Advanced proficiency in After Effects and strong animation fundamentals
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite
• Strong foundation in design principles, with the ability to create compelling layouts, visual systems, and compositions across both motion and static applications
• Solid understanding of typography, layout, composition, and design systems
• Experience creating motion for branding, campaigns, and digital/social platforms
• Experienced in leveraging AI in your workflow
• Comfortable taking work from concept to final execution
• Proficient working within a collaborative creative team
• Bachelor’s degree in design, animation, or related field preferred

Nice-to-Haves

• 3D experience, C4D and Redshift
• Cavalry
• Rive, Lottie
• UI/UX and web prototyping experience

6 Signs That You Are the Right Candidate - Sköna's values

• Creative problem solver - you have an entrepreneurial spirit, and you are proactive
• Dogged curiosity - you have a curious spirit
• Fun to work with - You make work fun and you have great people skills
• Humble confidence - You know what you know, own what you don't
• Team Sköna first - You defend the work, back the team, and push back when it matters, because clients come and go, but Sköna endures.
• Embrace discomfort - you think outside the box and are open to new ideas, types of work, and ways of doing things.

Benefits

• Salary commensurate with experience
• 401(k) plan matching
• Competitive vacation policy + tenure program
• 10 work-from-anywhere days
• Paid federal company holidays + winter holiday closure
• Full medical/dental/vision package to fit your needs
• Commuter benefits
• Weekly team lunch and snacks provided
• Learning & development budget

Salary Range

$110,000 - $140,000

Sköna is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race (including traits associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyles like braids, locs, and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic or combination of those characteristics.