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DESIGN ASSISTANT

Location: Chicago, IL

Objective:

Optimus Design is looking for a dedicated, passionate, and driven motion designer to join our team as a Design Assistant. The ideal candidate should not only have a solid base of technical and artistic abilities, but should also have an intense desire to expand those skills in a professional environment. You will work closely with other animators and designers in creating visually compelling projects for a wide range of agency and brand clients.

Candidates should be familiar with the work shown at design.optimus.com and should apply with cover letter, resume and links to examples of relevant work.

Primary Duties:

  • Create dynamic, original, and inspired animated elements to be integrated into edited videos.
  • Work alongside other animators, designers, editors, finish artists, and others involved in the entire post-production process.
  • Collaborate within project files as well as in meetings, brainstorms, and discussions of the overall project scope.
  • Be unafraid to take a lead on a job when our project load demands independence. Don’t worry, senior artists are here to help if needed!

Secondary Responsibilities:

  • Find inspiration for quick reference for new work. This will involve scouring Vimeo, YouTube, studio websites, design blogs, Behance, Pinterest, etc. As a project begins, having a sense of what else has been done and what can be done is essential to setting and then exceeding expectations.
  • Assist with prep work. On the 2D side, this can involve cutting mattes, rotoscoping, keying, etc. This can also involve editing selects in After Effects or Premiere to help senior artists begin projects. On the 3D side, this can involve modeling, texturing, ZBrush, simulations, pre-lighting, etc. in support of the senior artist in the creation of realistic executions.
  • Assist with internal administrative needs. This will be both practical (like helping to archive and restore projects) and casual (like social media experiments and management, edit project case-studies, etc.).

Additionally, our Design Assistant can expect to:

  • Shadow our artists – and ask questions! We do not want any barriers to learning. You should feel comfortable asking about process and techniques, even opening projects and looking at how we do what we do!
  • Share your perspectives/opinions – We value feedback and we know that more input always beats less. Working individually can, at times, become so focused that we can’t see the bigger picture. If you have an idea on how to improve a design or a technique that could help simplify a process, speak up!
  • Listen in on client calls/Join client Zooms. This is critically important at Optimus as we pride ourselves on client service, and we know every successful project begins by truly listening for what the client wants to achieve.
  • Join us as we collaborate throughout the building. Meet the editors, assistants, audio engineers, colorists, etc. and learn how they contribute to our projects and/or how we support their work.
  • Learn even more. Utilize our professional accounts for tutorials and training in areas that you have never explored or in software that you hope to improve.

Qualities we are looking for:

  • Self-Awareness. It takes a healthy ego and a good amount of courage to want to create something from nothing. But none of us are experts. We’re always learning. Knowing your limitations and asking for help and guidance is not a flaw, it’s a sign of confidence in your own growth path.
  • Generosity of Spirit. Share your knowledge and put your learning into action. If you learned a tutorial, turn it into a 5 second piece and share it with all of us. If you open one of our projects, show us what you learned, or ask us procedural questions like “why did you do it THIS way?”
  • Curiosity. We are creative professionals. Let’s always remember which of those words come first: creative. If you have a chance to walk down some tangential path that yields something unexpected, do it! We have often been surprised at how detours on one project become clear paths on the next one.

Minimum Requirements. Candidates should:

  • Have a degree (or similar professional experience) in a relevant media field, i.e., Animation, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Editing, Film Production, etc.
  • Possess a working knowledge of the Adobe Suite as a base for Design (Photoshop, Illustrator) and Animation (After Effects). Additional Adobe knowledge for Editing (Premiere) or other relevant tools is a plus.
  • Experience in at least one 3D software package (i.e, Cinema 4D, Maya, etc) and a basic understanding of different renderers.
  • A hunger and passion for moving images, from abstract to realistic, from typography to visual effects.
  • Have excellent communication skills.
  • Be open to constructive criticism.
  • Have a “client comes first” attitude.
  • Be a team player.

Employment Status/Benefits:

  • Location: Chicago.
  • This position is a full-time, non-exempt (inclusive of overtime) staff position with full company benefits.
  • The position will report to the Design Creative Director.
  • General hours are from 9am to 6pm, Monday-Friday, but flexible as projects demand.
  • The position will start with a training period, either in-person or remote, and become mostly in-person when it is deemed safe to return to office work per company policy.

Company Summary:

Optimus is a leading commercial post-production company based in Chicago that represents a diverse team of award-winning editors, artists, designers and engineers, and that delivers top-notch commercial work and branded content. Together with production division One at Optimus, we offer all production services from shoot through post, under one roof – a singular, streamlined creative force.

Instructions:

Optimus and One at Optimus are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.



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