20 brilliant motion designers and animators whose work you can't miss

But with such a diverse landscape, it's easy to miss the most inspiring work. So to make it easier, we've teamed up with Created, the online academy offering world-class motion design training, to compile a list of must-see motion designers in 2021.

If their stellar work inspires you to learn motion design yourself, Created is the place to head. On its Motion Design Foundation and Motion Design Professional courses, you're mentored by top industry names, and work on real briefs, so can be sure to get the specific skills employers are crying out for right now.

Read on to discover some of the top motion design talent within the Created and Creative Boom communities right now. (And make sure you check out this thread on Twitter, too, where many more have been suggested by you.)

1. Laura Porat

Laura is a motion designer based in Los Angeles who’s worked for both Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren’s election campaigns, as well as commercial clients including Disney, Netflix, Apple Music, NBC Universal and Snapchat. She does a fabulous line in fun and colourful animated GIFs.

2. Danielle Rhoda

Originally from Poland, illustrator and animator Danielle is now based in Manchester, UK. Her delicate and painterly style is beautifully distinctive and has won her work for clients including CNN's Great Big Story, New York Times and the Washington State Medical Association. Learn more about Danielle in this Creative Boom podcast interview.

3. Idrees Saleem

A fledgeling motion designer oozing with talent, Idrees graduated from Created in 2019 and has recently been hired into a full-time position at Iris Worldwide. Based in the Greater Reading area, his work is typically colourful, zany and focused on self-empowerment.

4. Ana Tortos

Ana is an art director, illustrator and animator based in Paris. With a charmingly surreal flair to her work, she works on music videos, advertising and TV, and her clients include Apple, the New York Times, India Mahdavi and Le Bon Marché.

5. Charlotte Temple

Charlotte is a 2D designer and animator based in London. Since graduating from Created, she's worked as a freelancer with clients including BBC Three, Cosmopolitan and Vice. This January, she took on a permanent position as a midweight designer at We are Social.

6. Rob Birnie

It isn't just 'glamorous' clients who need motion design. In 2015, Rob launched DBM Motion Graphics to help organisations from banks to police forces to harness the power of high-quality animation in their B2B and internal communications.

7. Josh Wright

Coming from a digital advertising background as a graphic designer, Josh recently moved into motion design. Having graduated from Created in 2020, he's already making waves and has been hired by Nordic Entertainment Group as a motion graphic designer.

8. Dave Kiehl

Dave is a freelance motion designer based in Wisconsin, USA. He has more than ten years of experience creating content for top brands, as well as short films that have been screened in festivals worldwide. "I really try to bring my imagination back to when I was a kid into my work," Dave tells us. "I always try to capture a sense of wonder in my creativity, and to spark that curiosity in the viewer to get them to think about what's possible."

9. George Dyson

George is a London-based director and motion designer who works with big brands, including Adidas, Apple, EA, Puma and Ray-Ban. He is also a mentor on the Created Motion Design course and is renowned for setting one of the students' favourite briefs: a 10-day social media campaign of a top 10 billboard artist.

10. Wayne Creativ

Moses Wainaina, aka Wayne Creativ, is a London-based motion graphic designer, whose clients include Depop, MTV, Gorillaz and Stella McCartney. Breaking away from the norms of traditional design, he uses striking imagery and a subtle sense of the surreal to celebrate art, culture, fashion, and identity. He's also delved into dreamscapes and artificial architecture @wayxstudio, which he says "visualises spaces and explores infinite ways to conceptualise utopian worlds".

11. Laurie Rowan

Laurie Rowan is an animator, illustrator and director represented by Nexus Studios and based on the South Coast of England. Known for his surreal, whimsical 3D characters, his clients include BBC, Channel 4, Disney and Google. Laurie shares his talent as a regular speaker at events, universities and as a mentor at Created. His inspiring talk as part of the Created Lates series is available to watch here.

12. Oliver Sin

Oliver Sin is a director, animator and illustrator based in Cheltenham and the founder of the freelance studio, Good Sin. His work is known for its bright colours, playful characters and whimsical storytelling and clients thus far include Apple, Dropbox and Amazon.

13. Jocie Juritz

Jocie Juritz is an animation director based in London with an instantly recognisable style. She's worked with clients including The New York Times, CNN, Kings College and the RSPCA, won Best In Show at Spark Animation Festival last year, and has had multiple Vimeo Staff picks. Jocie says that she "thoroughly enjoys teaching and mentoring" and is currently a mentor at Created.

14. James Huson

Born in Halifax and based in Manchester, James is an independent animator and motion designer. His work is typically bright, colourful, and infused with a mischievous sense of fun.

15. Dexter George

Dexter is a multidisciplinary creator, designer and artist based in London, working in the fields of motion design and live visuals. He's worked on the live shows for the Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue and recently designed the visuals for the Motion Awards. Dexter is also a valued mentor at Created, bringing his knowledge of live events and motion design to the students.

16. Teresa Tang

Teresa is a freelance motion graphics designer and animator based in London who's worked on several projects for Google, YouTube and Unilever, as well as studios such as BBH, Anomaly, Unreasonable Studios and AKQA.

17. Fee Sheal

Fee is a freelance motion designer from Edinburgh whose broad range of clients span the likes of Facebook and Adobe to smaller independent brands and agencies. She also runs the local chapter of Ladies Wine Design and heads up events and 'The Collective' for The Delicate Rebellion.

18. Neus Vich

Neus is a freelance motion designer and digital nomad from Mallorca, Spain. Passionate about motion design, she helps big brands like Mini, Google, and Santander stand out from the crowd on social media. She also the founder of the Motion Designer's Vault, a directory of 350+ resources to help fellow motion designers on their journey.

19. Emily Redfearn

Emily is an illustrator, animator and designer based in Sheffield. A familiar face to Creative Boom readers, she's created work for DCMS, The Leadmill, Crooked, Hooch, The Scout Association, and Sheffield Hallam University, among others.

20. Karolin Gu

Currently based in Stockholm, Sweden, Karolin Gu took a diversion from her academic path of becoming a scientist to follow her passion for motion design. Today, the motion designer and illustrator works for clients including Uber, Ericsson, AEG and Sony Music.

Want to add motion design to your skillset? Read this article on The Journey of a Motion Design Student, and discover exactly how Created can help you achieve your career goals.