Junior Motion Designer — Independent Contractor
Scarab Digital | Vancouver-based | Hybrid | Remote- across Canada considered
Project-based contract role on active productions, with the intention of building an ongoing working relationship with people we trust and want to work with again.
The Short Version
- have solid design fundamentals and are ready to apply them in production
- are comfortable learning quickly under real deadlines
- care about clarity, readability, and story—not just style
The opportunity
We are looking for a Junior Motion Graphics Designer to join Scarab Digital as a freelance independent contractor on active productions. This is project-based contract work with real deadlines and real deliverables, and our goal is to build ongoing working relationships with people whose work, judgment, and attitude make us want to keep bringing them back.
Most of our contractor work is remote. If you are in Vancouver and prefer to work in-studio always/sometimes, great. If you are elsewhere in Canada and work best remotely, that is also a fit. We care more about the quality of your contribution, your communication, and your follow-through than forcing everyone into one working style.
What makes this role different
Scarab Digital builds story-driven on-screen graphics for film and television: phones, text conversations, social interfaces, laptop screens, search results, dashboards, surveillance visuals, broadcast graphics, radar systems, and speculative UI/FUI. The work needs to read instantly on screen, feel native to the world of the story, and help move the narrative forward.
- This is not ad-campaign motion design dressed up as film work.
- This is not architecture visualization.
- This is not decorative motion for its own sake.
- The job is to design screens that feel believable, cinematic, and story-useful.
What you will do
- Support the build of UI and FUI systems for film and television.
- Design and animate on-screen graphics for phones, laptops, TVs, messaging, search, data, and interface moments inside scenes.
- Translate briefs, references, and feedback into production-ready design work.
- Iterate quickly as story needs, timing, and creative direction evolve.
- Protect the intent of the brief while still exploring stronger design ideas when there is room to elevate the work.
- Package files cleanly and communicate clearly so handoff is easy for the team.
You will do your best work here if you…
- are curious, coachable, and serious about getting better fast.
- take ownership of your part of the work instead of waiting to be managed through every step.
- care about readability, typography, timing, and visual hierarchy.
- can hear direct feedback without getting defensive.
- like being part of a small, rising team where people notice who consistently shows up well.
What usually does not work here
- Needing everything over-prescribed before you can begin.
- Treating notes as friction instead of part of making the work better.
- Presenting only agency or brand content with no evidence you can think in-story and in-scene.
- Confusing style with judgment.
Core requirements
- 1–3 years of professional experience, contract experience, or equivalent portfolio depth. Exceptional emerging talent is welcome if the work is there.
- Strong fundamentals in layout, typography, composition, pacing, and motion.
- Proficiency in After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
- A portfolio or reel showing design thinking, not just effects.
- Clear written communication and reliable turnaround.
Strongly preferred
- Any experience in film, television, trailers, games, or narrative screen graphics.
- Comfort with UI-heavy design or interface systems.
- Basic familiarity with Cinema 4D, Figma, or ProtoPie.
- An instinct for when to push the idea and when to protect clarity.
How we work with contractors
- This is freelance independent-contractor work, not an employee role.
- Projects vary in length and intensity depending on production needs.
- We scope work clearly, align on deliverables, and then trust people to do strong work.
- The people who tend to become go-to collaborators here are the ones who combine craft, ownership, and consistency.
Our Inclusive approach
We are interested in strengths, not sameness. We are not trying to force everyone into one narrow model of how a designer should think or work. We want strong people with different strengths, different instincts, and different ways of contributing; provided they care about the work, communicate well, and can be counted on. If your path has been non-linear but your work is strong and relevant, we still want to see it.
What strong candidates usually bring
Category - Junior Motion Designer
Typical level - Typically 1–3 years, or less with unusually strong relevant work
Core Tools - After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop
Strong Indicators - Solid fundamentals, clean file prep, responsiveness, coachability, signs of ownership
Helpful Extras - Figma or ProtoPie exposure, basic Cinema 4D, any narrative/UI/FUI work
Application process
Stage
What we’re looking for
Portfolio + short application
Relevance, judgment, communication, and whether the candidate understands the role they are applying for.
Structured questions
Ownership, taste, film/UI/FUI relevance, collaboration style, accountability.
CliftonStrengths Assessment Interview
Identifies personal strengths and overall team fit
A note from us
If this sounds like the kind of environment where you would do strong work and grow quickly, we would love to see your portfolio. We care about talent, potential, ownership, and the quality of your eye. We also care about how people work with others. Both matter here.
