Application Guide

How to Apply for Motion Designer - The Heist

at Thinkingbox

🏢 About Thinkingbox

The Heist is the motion design, live action, and post-production studio within Thinkingbox, a 'Brief-to-Built' agency known for blending craft and curiosity. Working here means collaborating with directors, designers, animators, editors, and technologists on brand films, broadcast spots, social campaigns, and experiential content. The culture values open feedback, real collaboration, and a healthy balance of serious work and playful attitudes.

About This Role

As an Intermediate Motion Designer, you'll be a versatile generalist with strong 2D and 3D skills (leaning 2D), specializing in thoughtful typography, composition, and UI-driven storytelling. You'll collaborate with designers, animators, and creative leads to push ideas further, working on high-end motion, visual identity systems, and polished UI animation across various mediums. This role is ideal for someone who brings curiosity, initiative, and craft to every project.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve collaborating with a creative lead to refine a storyboard for a brand film, animating typography for a UI-heavy social campaign, and giving feedback on a colleague's 3D render. You'll balance hands-on design work with team meetings, always pushing for polished, high-end motion that aligns with the client's vision. The atmosphere is collaborative and open, with a mix of serious craft and lighthearted camaraderie.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

AI-powered, tailored for Thinkingbox

Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Thinkingbox Is Looking For

  • A motion generalist with solid foundations in both 2D and 3D animation, but with a primary strength in 2D design and animation.
  • Possesses a superpower in typography, composition, and UI-driven storytelling, demonstrated through a portfolio of polished, high-end motion work.
  • Brings curiosity, initiative, and craft to everything, and thrives in a collaborative environment with designers, animators, and creative leads.
  • Passionate about visual identity systems and UI animation, with experience across brand films, broadcast spots, social campaigns, or experiential content.

📝 Tips for Applying to Thinkingbox

1

Tailor your portfolio to highlight 2D motion design, typography, composition, and UI animation—these are the core strengths they seek.

2

Include at least one project that demonstrates 3D skills, but ensure your 2D work is front and center, as the role leans 2D.

3

Showcase work that involves visual identity systems or UI-driven storytelling, as these are specifically mentioned as key areas.

4

In your cover letter, mention specific The Heist or Thinkingbox projects that resonate with you and explain how your skills align with their craft-focused approach.

5

Demonstrate your collaborative spirit by describing how you've worked with cross-functional teams (designers, animators, creative leads) to push ideas further.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your expertise in 2D motion design, typography, and composition, with examples of how you've used these to elevate storytelling.", 'Your experience with UI animation and visual identity systems, and why you find this work exciting.', 'Your ability to collaborate effectively with designers, animators, and creative leads, and how you contribute to a culture of open feedback.', 'Your curiosity and initiative—share a specific instance where you pushed an idea further or learned something new to enhance a project.']

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore The Heist's portfolio on their website and Vimeo/YouTube to understand their style, clients, and the types of projects they produce.
  • → Research Thinkingbox, the parent agency, to understand their 'Brief-to-Built' approach and how The Heist fits into the larger creative ecosystem.
  • → Look up recent work by The Heist's directors, designers, and animators on LinkedIn or personal sites to get a sense of their individual styles and inspirations.
  • → Check out any interviews or case studies with The Heist team to learn about their creative process, culture, and values.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk us through your creative process for a motion design project, from concept to final delivery, especially one that involved typography or UI animation.
2 How do you balance 2D and 3D techniques in your work? Can you give an example where you chose one over the other and why?
3 Describe a time when you collaborated with a creative lead or another designer to refine an idea. How did you handle feedback?
4 What draws you to The Heist's work? Which projects or styles resonate with you, and how would you contribute to our team?
5 Tell us about a challenging project where you had to learn something new or push your skills further. How did you approach it?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a portfolio that is heavily 3D-focused without demonstrating strong 2D typography and composition skills.
  • Using a generic cover letter that doesn't mention The Heist or Thinkingbox specifically, or fails to show enthusiasm for their work.
  • Neglecting to highlight collaborative experiences, as the role emphasizes working closely with other designers and creative leads.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Thinkingbox!

← Back to Job Listing Apply Now →