How to get into the tech industry as a motion designer

An interview with Sharon Harris

Tech companies are creating more and more opportunities for motion designers to work in UX design. Instead of the traditional studio work, this means working with one company on a specific product. But what does it mean to do this work and how is it different from other types of motion design?

Sharon Harris is a senior motion designer at Google. As part of the Google design team, Sharon works with the editorial design platform, conducts interviews and podcasts, and arranges the annual design conference, SPAN.

Today, Sharon and I speak about how to get into UX motion design and what it’s like working in the tech industry as a motion designer. As tech industries are utilizing motion design as part of the branding, the opportunities for motion designers are growing. As a result, it has become possible to work entirely within the tech industry creating UX/UI products.

Sharon has found that working in tech is incredibly exciting. She is able to come up with many of the ideas for products and be more involved throughout the whole creative process. If this is something that you’d like to be a part of, Sharon provides some actionable tips on how to get involved.

Why would working with a tech company be exciting for you? Tell me in the comments on the episode page!

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In this episode

Why Sharon moved from a career in advertising to tech
How motion designers can take advantage of the growing use of animations as branding elements
What it’s like working with one specific brand or product
Tips for finding work creating UX designs
Predictions for the future of UX/UI
How UX/UI design differs from advertising

Quotes

“Everything is interconnected. We don’t just think about what a button looks like, but how it moves, what is the spatial and hierarchical relationship, how it transforms. It’s about understanding the logic behind why we make those decisions.” [8:46]

“There’s just so many things you can do. It’s a very exciting field. There’s never a dull moment” [11:14]

“Stories move people. That’s what I see motion growing into more within tech.” [23:13]

“It’s work that is touching millions of people. You don’t focus on something that is seen for a few seconds and then disappears in a month or two. This is stuff that is implemented and people use it every day.” [31:47]

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Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

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dankoch.net

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