We sit down with Jordan Bergren to discuss his exciting career in Motion Design.

What if you look forward in time and see how far your motion design career could go? Would you be okay with where your skills are now?

Today we chat with Jordan Bergren, a School of Motion Alumni that took part in our very first Animation Bootcamp ever. If you're curious what hard work, practice, and a few School of Motion  courses can do for your career, then this is your lucky day.

In the interview, Jordan chats about his upbringing in a small town, his transition from playing music to being an animator, his super impressive personal projects, and how he's landed amazing clients like NBC and TED.

We hope you gain a lot of encouragement through this article and walk away hopeful and optimistic about your own journey!

Now that you've been amazed by his reel, let's get this started...

Jordan Bergren Interview

HEY JORDAN, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and went to high school just north of town. There was a whopping 46 people in my graduating class, so needless to say, diversity and culture was in SHORT supply. However, I was in a unique situation. With my parents being separated, I got to spend split time with my mother, who actually traveled all over the country working for the Clinton Campaign in the mid 90’s. While I would spend a majority of the school year in my sleepy home town, I was able to experience quite a lot of amazing things while spending time with my mom in several different cities. I was also very fortunate to have a father and step mother that were very interested in the arts. In my dad’s younger days, he was a gigging Jazz musician (his five minutes of fame came when he was able to sit in with the Tonight Show Band back when Johnny Carson ruled late night television). My step mother at the time was/is a brilliant women that loved the activity of CREATING. Her enthusiastic curiosity was very contagious. The family history of creative minds goes on, but, long story short, it gave me a relatively unique outlook on the world. For someone growing up in Iowa anyway.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MOTION DESIGNER?

By the time I was old enough to comprehend where my dad went during the weekdays, he had become a video producer, editor, and camera operator. So, I grew up with a camera always around the house. I first dabbled in editing on Media 100 when I was around 10 or 11. I then moved onto Final Cut Pro in my mid teens. Although, I had absolutely NO DESIRE to become an animator, I actually used to use Media 100 to do stop motion pieces with my Buzz Lightyear action figure. That only lasted until I began to use my dads VHS camera to film my model cars being lit on fire. Now THAT was fun! It was like having an outpost of Industrial Light & Magic in my driveway!

Fast forward, and I was making a meager living coming out of high school. And throughout my wandering “college” years as a videographer I  made a WHOLE lot of wedding videos. It wasn’t until I was 24 that I really discovered After Effects. I, of course, always knew about it, but it took one night with absolutely nothing going on to figure out just how much I had been missing. After that my video career had become stable enough to make a sustainable living, and everything I created from After Effects was to support my professional video work. I had been using After Effects off and on for probably 2 or 3 years before one of my buddies, who had left the production business, gave me his license of Cinema 4D. I became completely infatuated with creating 3D work, which for one reason or another I have strayed away from. All in all, I can’t think of a particular date that I really got into motion. It was something that happened gradually over several years. However, if I were to set a date that I “got into motion” it would have to be when I enrolled in the first public course of Animation Bootcamp. No exaggeration, those two months changed my life!

THE PERSONAL PROJECTS YOU'VE DONE HAVE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSIVE! WHY ARE YOU DOING THEM AND NOT JUST CLIENT WORK?

Thank you! When I was a freelance videographer early on, I fell down the trap of waiting for the right client to come along. I would play these mental tricks on myself: “I know I’m capable of that kind of work, someday I’ll get the opportunity”.

This went on for years, and over time I became frustrated with where my career was at. I blamed the lack of growth on EVERYTHING except myself. I would think, I just need to move to the right city, I just need to spend more time networking, I just need this client to trust my vision. (Which of course was not aligned in any way with the clients requests, scope or goals for the project).

The year following Animation Bootcamp, I was working as a kind of “super” generalist (editing, color grading, animating, shooting) creating all things video, with a small production company. Every now and then I would create an opportunity for myself within the company to create Motion pieces, but for the most part all the motion I was creating was to supplement live action work.

Live Action Work By Jordan Bergren.

Personal project created using glows and gradients by Jordan Bergren

As a way to exercise the abilities I had, as well as to keep growing and learning in the other areas I didn’t, I dove into these little projects.  They were easy to keep in the rotation of the daily professional work as they were tiny bite sized chunks focused on one specific task. Ultimately, I could put in as little or as much effort as I wanted, it wasn’t like the issue I have now of having several minute and a half to two minute long personal projects to keep grinding on.

Style exploration project created by Jordan Bergren.

Walk cycle practice by Jordan Bergren

If you want to see more of my Mini Explorations, check out this page.

The other way I found to be VERY effective in fending off the dreaded creative block on these small personal projects, were all the collaborative opportunities our community offers. The, once alive and kicking, 9 Squares project was so much fun to be a part of. So much fun, in fact, I created three submissions instead of one. Even when the client is yourself, GIVE THE CLIENT OPTIONS!

‍P.S. I used Joey’s box rig from Animation Bootcamp’s Oscillation project for this. Not sure if that particular project is still used, but I’ve copied over that little rig on several occasions!‍

A 3D futuristic display personal project by Jordan Bergren.

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Liquids with squash and stretch for Jordans 9-Square.

You can learn more about my 9 Square project here.

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Ryan Plummer's #15minMograph Challenge! This little challenge was one of the primary reasons I got kicked into my bite sized personal projects in the summer of 2016.

Although I could NEVER keep it to 15 minutes, it didn’t matter. It was such a good way just to get my butt in gear to create something. Almost every time it started as:

“Well I’ll just give this 15 minutes”

HURRY, HURRY, HURRY!

*stopwatch dings*

“That could be better if I just…"

And on it would go for a few more hours.

Jordan Bergren playing with compositing and FUI for 15minmograph.

Jordan Bergren taking 15minmograph up a notch.

You can learn more about my #15minMograph work here!

There really are so many opportunities out there for you to jump in if you’re really wanting to create something and you’re just not sure where to start. Although, particular collaborations like our very own Nol Honig’s Motion Corpse aren’t around anymore, there are so many that have taken it’s place.

And just to prove that it doesn’t even have to be a direct collaboration to get your creative juices flowing, early on, maybe 5 or 6 months after coming out of AB, I was going through EJ Hassenfratz’s old Lynda.com course. He had individual assignments that you could follow along with and submit your work.

I started on the first assignment and NEVER completed the rest of the class, because it inspired me to create my first short film. All because I just wanted to learn a bit more about C4D. Go create something!

Check out more about my getaway project here.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PERSONAL PROJECT SO FAR?

Man, to pick a favorite is tough! I’ll have to break it down into my top three:

#1 - Forest Fire: One of my primary career goals (like many of us) is to work on Title Sequences for film and television. So, to stay true to the motto, “you won’t get paid for something you’ve never done before” I jumped at an opportunity to compete in a national competition from Film Supply and Music Bed.

To boil it down, you have a week to complete a title sequence. It can be of an existing series or film, or you can create your own story. Contestants get to download up to three pieces of music for the soundtrack, and you can also download as many as 40 clips from Film Supply. It cannot be longer than 1 minute.

I basically wrote my own pitch for a show, then began creating a title sequence that set the tone and told a condensed version of the story for the viewer. In the end I was one of two honorable mentions. I wish I could find the winning link, it was a completely original concept and very entertaining!

Check out my Forest Fire write up here.

#2 - Curious Beings: This goes to show, you don’t always have to complete a personal project to gain dividends from it. I’ve had a project that I’ve been creating off and on for the last two years. Although I DO plan on completing it at some point, I think it’s safe to say it’s accounted for many projects I’ve received within my first year of being freelance.

It originally started out when I was with my former company, it was meant to act as a kind of spec piece that we could show to clients to sell them on the idea of taking one of the interviews we did for them and creating a quality animation to help support it. Not a show and tell, but more of a cinematic narrative.

I have been holding off on doing any write ups until I complete it, but I have made this my centerpiece of capturing behind the scene screen captures and time lapses.

I could do an entire article on where I’m at up to this point, which is something like eleven completed shots of twenty one.

A quick look at Jordans Curious Beings personal project progression.

Out of this whole process I have become very comfortable in a technique that takes vector layers as the base, then digitally paints in the shadows and highlights to give it a unique painterly quality. Now that I think about it, I use processes and techniques I honed from this project almost on a weekly basis.

Jordan Bergren breaking down his process for creating Curious Beings.

#3 - Mystery Project - This is another title sequence I’m working on. I began work on this piece at the end of last year as an effort to further my experiences in this realm. Quite frankly, living in Iowa, this whole goal of creating Opening Sequences might be a long shot, but even if it never happens I’ll know I gave it my all. (Insert tacky, self soothing quote of the day here, folks!)

Unfortunately, I don’t have much to show of this at the moment, but the animatic is complete, music bought, and (thanks to a week long photo shoot with my good friend who happens to be a STELLAR photographer) all photos are ready for projection mapping and modeling.

I’m going to be using a heavy dose of Redshift to create a more photo realistic cinematic approach. Another case of using a personal project to learn something I know very little about.

CARE TO TALK ABOUT HOW YOU MADE YOUR WEBSITE LOOK SO GOOD? WHY DID YOU PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO IT?

I’m super happy you think it looks good! I’m coming up on one year as a freelance artist. (Fun fact, I actually quit my job on my 30th birthday last year. I figured why not kick off the next decade of my life in complete uncertainty, and utter elation?)

The way I viewed my website early on was: This is my product, THIS is what I’m selling. Although, as a freelance artist, what you’re actually selling is your creative abilities and peace of mind for your clients. It really helped me to think of my site in this way before leaving my old employer.

Of course we all know your Reel is your calling card, but I came to think of my website as the other half of the equation. When I reach out to studios and companies who have no idea who I am, I want to know with certainty that I have got something worth looking at.

The verdict is still out on whether it’s accomplishing that, but more than anything it’s given me a sense of peace, knowing that at the very least, the company I’m reaching out to can tell I’ve put a substantial bit of effort into it.

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on the School of Motion Alumni Facebook Group about what website building platforms to use. I can’t say it enough: If you’re wanting easy control over the look of your site, go check out Semplice!

It’s a Wordpress plugin that is built to be modular, so you can easily design and keep your website up to date in any style and fashion you wish. (Note: I wish I was being paid by this company because I say it so much!)

CASE STUDIES SEEM TO BE A LARGE PART OF YOUR SITE, WHY DO YOU WRITE THOSE?

I don’t put money toward a marketing budget. Of course, if I were trying to get more direct to client work that wouldn’t be the case, but because my target market is producers, directors, motion designers and other people that actually work in the industry, I like to focus on giving a glimpse into my process.

The case studies (if you can really call them that) become my way of marketing myself. Now, I honestly have no clue if people even look at these things outside of when I share a new write-up. But to hearken back to the previous question, I think it shows that I’m proud, professional, and passionate about the work I create.

DESIGN SEEMS LIKE A HEAVY FOCUS, AND YOU RECENTLY JOINED IN ON A TITLE DESIGN WORKSHOP. CARE TO DIG IN TO THAT?

MANNNN, Sarofsky Labs was an AMAZING experience!

Although I, of course, was super excited to get an opportunity to spend a weekend with these ridiculously talented creatives and learn from them, I have to lay out a little bit of back story to appropriately put this into perspective of what it really meant for me and my career.

I want to preface this by saying, I know I run the risk of sounding opportunistic, but that’s not at all my intention! I just want share the idea that no matter where you’re located, there are opportunities everywhere to move your career forward toward the work you ultimately want to create. Outside of the gold mine that is Joey’s Freelance Manifesto, and a few podcasts, I haven’t seen a whole lot written about how to position yourself for opportunities as a remote freelancer.

On with the story…

I used to sit in bed with my wife, watching whatever binge worthy series we happened to be on at the time, and just think to myself, how can I do THAT? Not just how do I do that, but how do I work on these projects while still living near my friends and family here in Iowa. Call it having your cake and eating it too. but that’s my goal.

About 4 months into my freelance career, I completed a project with our fellow alum, and super lovely person, Maple Shipp, for The New York Post. In which I created the opening sequence. Although, it was not a title sequence, per se, it was an opening sequence for a nationally recognized brand.

This opened my eyes that it JUST might be possible to see my dream come true. Knowing that we live in a truly amazing time, in which there is more entertainment content being created for streaming services than ever before, I sent out a message to my MoGraph friends on a slack group, which consists primarily of School of Motion Alumni, asking if anyone knew of small studios across the country that were creating graphics packages for content on Netflix or Hulu.

Traci Brinling Oswoski (A.K.A TBO) said, why not shoot for the top and reach out to Sarofsky? What’s the worst that could happen, you don’t hear back from them?

A month went by and I finally heard back from them saying I was on their freelance database. Another couple months went by without any word from them, coincidentally I had just received an email about the upcoming FITC Toronto event in which Erin would be one of the speakers.

I immediately booked tickets. After the event I got a short chance to chat with Erin over a beer, and she mentioned to me that they were starting Sarofsky Labs. I signed up in the hopes that if I could work with them not only would I learn a TON, I could also maybe make enough of an impression to be called in for some actual work, when the time came that I fit the bill. I have since been called in to work with Sarofsky three times now, and they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

I know I kind of high jacked this question into a different direction, but I feel it’s important to let all the artists that are thinking of becoming a remote freelancer there’s hope!

I put together a full write-up on the actual experience of the workshop on my website, so if you’re interested check it out.  It was an absolutely amazing weekend of designing, and I met so many great people. My fellow attendees included!

I won’t dive too far in here, but I will share this, Erin was able to articulate why us motion designers are so infatuated by the idea of the Title Sequence.

I’m paraphrasing here, but it went something like this: “While much of our jobs as motion artists are based around the endless cycle of trending styles to promote and sell products for corporations and brands, there’s something so attractive about the idea that we might be able to influence, and actually become ,a part of this moment in the history of pop culture…” PREACH ERIN!!!

Seriously, take the time to join one of these workshops if you’re able. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

Jordan Bergren setting the mode for a Homeland mock-up.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE CLIENT PROJECT SO FAR?

For coming up on one year as a freelance artist, I am already light years beyond where I thought I’d be at this point. I’ve been very fortunate to work on some super fun pieces with a bunch of AMAZING people and it just seems to keep getting better. At a certain point, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop! So, this is a super tough one to answer. I guess I’ll break it into two parts: The most rewarding project I’ve worked on, and the most enjoyable piece to work on.

A look at the set design for the Vancouver TED Conference

The most rewarding job I’ve worked on was this years main TED conference in Vancouver.

I think there’s a lot of reasons for that, but the primary reason was that, I had put so many late nights and long days into the project that when the sprint to the finish had finally ended and I could see my work up in the theater next to so many other RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED artists, I could look back content.

It was a super gratifying feeling to see it all come to life, and be part of that team. I used to do a lot of live event work ,in which we would work on video pieces for a year or more, but nothing to date has compared to that feeling of a complete two month sprint for something as highly touted as TED Talks. I really knew I was a part of something that would push me when I began to have serious cases of anxiety and impostor syndrome barging in.

Although, I had worked on quite a few really cool projects up to that point, I had always felt in control and confident in what I was doing. There were several times throughout the TED process where I was reeling in the complete opposite direction of that confidence.

To be animating someone’s work as talented as Eleena Bakrie of We Are Royale was the most enjoyable part of the actual production process.

Although there was a group of us taking this on, we knew that Jorge Canest Estrada and Victor Silva of Ordinary Folk, and Stephanie Stromenger of Psyop had worked on last years TED Conference. And that left us with pretty big shoes to fill! I feel so fortunate to have been among this crazy crew that Anthony Diehl and Gordie Cochran over at Colours & Shapes put together.

As for the most enjoyable project I’ve worked on, it has to be an NBC show package I just finished up. Fellow alum and all around rad dude, Brandon Van Auken, hooked me up with a gig with NBC Bay Area.

They needed a full graphics package re-brand on one of their existing shows, so I giddily jumped in. This was my first step into creating content for on-air entertainment, but since it was for a documentary style show, I felt very much at home since this was the kind of thing I did with the production company I used to work with.

Although, I feel I could have done better work on the opening sequence, I’m very happy with how the show package as a whole turned out. There was very minimal feedback from NBC on changes, so not only was I one step closer to realizing my dream, they were also a GREAT team to work with!

You can check out the full write-up I put together on my experience over at my website.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CAREER DREAMS?

Well, I’ve got to say, I am very much infatuated with the whole entrepreneurial spirit involved in freelance work. There’s a certain freedom and feeling of self-worth that comes when you’re career and financial success are determined by the time and effort you put in.

It’s definitely not for everyone, and there’s NOTHING to feel bad about if it’s not for you. At this point in my life, with a wife, a house, and a step-daughter, I now have a reason and purpose to succeed, so it makes all the sense in the world.

I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to be living in a time when I can try to sustain a healthy income doing something I love in my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa while not having to compromise my ambitions.

Of course, as I’m sure you’ve sussed by now, I want to get consistent work designing and/or animating for the entertainment industry. I also want to continue working with national brands, building upon my creative abilities, as well as pushing my income further for my family.

With that being said, a lot of my professional growth over the last year has been focused on the business side of things. I’ve started a company with three other people (two developers, and an online marketer), which had all stemmed from a session that Joey gave at 2018’s NAB!

We’ve created an online platform, in which companies and ad agencies can easily version and iterate custom built motion videos to use within social media marketing efforts. There’s such a MASSIVE demand for engaging online video content that we’ve decided to focus our brand on quality motion design that is both easy to create and version.

For example, rather than a company going to a freelance motion designer to create a single video that will be used over a short period, Simplate will be able to pair up talented freelance artists with a company to create a piece that can live for the entirety of the campaign. This is, for the most part, because a company can easily manipulate multiple videos without the need for a motion designer who knows After Effects.

Before you think I’m out to kill the industry, please know that this is meant to supplement primary marketing pieces. Simplate is offering a solution for this massive need, while still leaving room for the studios that are making ridiculously engaging brand pieces.

One of our ultimate goals is to create a marketplace where freelancers, like myself, can sell their creative pieces directly to the end user. There are marketplaces available right now that sell templates to other motion designers, however, there is not a substantial number of marketplaces open that offer finished pieces that can be used for an established brand.

Along with my freelance goals, I am wholeheartedly excited to build Simplate from where it is now to a sustainable position in which freelance motion artists look to us as a viable option for passive income.

We’re not live yet, but if you’re interested check us out!

HOW DID YOU LIKE ANIMATION BOOTCAMP? DID IT HELP YOUR CAREER?

Oh man! Not only did AB change the trajectory of my career, it quite literally changed my life! That’s no overstatement.

I still remember how excited I was to enroll when I watched Joey’s promo on the course. It was everything I had been looking for, as well as everything I had no clue I was looking for. If that makes sense.

I never in a million years would have thought I’d become passionate about something like Design and Animation, yet here I am. I’ve got Joey, the team he’s built, and the community that’s been born out of it to thank for where I’m at today.

What came out of Animation Bootcamp was so much more than just the fundamental knowledge of animation principals. It gave me a community, a professional identity, and sparked a new found passion in my life as a whole. I’m gushing, I know, but it’s all 100% true!

Jordan's Eye-tracing assignment from Animation Bootcamp

YOU'RE A WALKING CASE STUDY OF A SEASONED MOTION DESIGNER. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FRESH SCHOOL OF MOTION ALUMNI?

I take that as a compliment, so thank you! While I would, definitely, admit that I’m quite seasoned in creating video, I can’t say I’m anywhere close to a vet in the motion world. I haven’t even hit my 5 year mark as being a part of the industry. I’ve got ya fooled!

Kidding aside, get involved with the community. The network of artists has been one of the biggest upsides to this whole experience. I’ve literally got a freelance career that has blossomed as a direct result of the connections I’ve made with many of these amazing alums.

Also, something that a lot of us didn’t have when we enrolled in the early courses, are the many alumni that have been in motion for a while now and have become EXTREMELY talented artists. Reach out to them if you want to pick anyone’s brain.

I have yet to hear a single story of someone reaching out to another alum and being intentionally snubbed. This, coincidentally, is something that really drew me toward cutting ties with the video production business in favor of turning strictly toward motion. The people in our industry are amazingly supportive, and, as a whole, VERY open to fellow MoGraphers, fresh or seasoned.

DID DESIGN BOOTCAMP GO WELL WITH ANIMATION BOOTCAMP?

Animation Bootcamp was the spark, Design Bootcamp was the fuel.

This course kicked my ass, and had it not been for my complete introduction to the industry, I would say this ultimately did more for my career than AB did. And that’s saying something.

Michael Frederick does an amazing job of letting you live inside the head of a true pro designer for two months. By the time I came out, I felt confident of creating work that was my own. Previous to this, I would rely heavily on what I saw from others.

While I still very much take inspiration from other designers work, I now can create something that is unique, because I’ve got a firm grasp on the principals of design. This course was so addictive. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed absorbing all the information Michael and the team put together. It was like someone was finally letting me in on the secret I’d heard whispered around for so many years.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE STARTING OUT IN MOTION DESIGN?

Just go create something.  ANYTHING!

Don’t wait for the right time, the right client, or a clear schedule. The best way to learn, and grow quickly, is to just push out little pieces of work. I’m not talking about one-a-days, though if you’ve got the wherewithal then by all means have at it!

I mean when you’re feeling inspired, jump into Photoshop to mess with a design, or into After Effects to just animate, and comp simple shapes into something that feels cool. Honestly, go bananas, go overboard, throw everything you want into a single little piece, and make it a cluttered mess.

The more you do that, the better prepared you’ll be when you’re in the position of creating a concise piece for a client and you need to know, will adding this other additional element really make a stronger piece?

It’s still one of the things I struggle with to this day, but my gut will always tell me when I’ve crossed the line of too busy because I’ve been there MANY times before. Personal projects are how you grow and lead to the work you want. Simple as that!

I would also say, make a habit of perusing the internet (not the useless dog video perusing) and keep anything you’ve found that sparks your interest. These are all well documented tactics for developing your taste, and things I learned from Michael Frederick, Joey, and Carey Smith of Division05 at way too late a point in my career.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO LEARN NEXT?

Well, the biggest thing for me, that has been a continual growing pain, is learning how to keep up a continual juggle of multiple projects, growing a business, and everything that a healthy personal life brings. There’s a handful of people in my life that always have several irons in the fire and seem to handle the stress and heavy work load with such grace. That’s what I want to be like when I grow up.

As for the “technical” front, I hope to get some time to go back on to the latest Title Sequence Personal Project. I’ve finally got a capable rig, Cinema 4D R20 and Redshift, so now all I need is more pressing matters to subside a bit so I can start busting my chops in Redshift. As I’m sure you can notice from my work, I’ve been neglecting my interests in 3D for quite awhile now.

WHO SHOULD PEOPLE BE FOLLOWING, OR LEARNING FROM, THAT YOU'VE BENEFITED GREATLY FROM?

Shoot! Well of course School of Motion! But outside of that, lately it’s more inspiration and looking at others work that I’ve been learning the most from. Going through Ordinary Folk’s work frame by frame is a god send (Thank you Vimeo). Speaking of Ordinary Folk, a huge shout out goes to School of Motion Alumni Greg Stewart! I’ve long been a fan of his work when he was working with Open Book, and I’m so happy to see his success since. Dude’s been killin’ it, and he deserves every bit of it!

I’m also very drawn to cinematic work, so I really enjoy looking at color grade break downs on films. This is amazing inspiration when looking toward narrative color palettes, as well as super helpful when considering inspiration for compositing work.

One thing I’m fascinated by, and have yet to really nail down, is taking “traditionally MoGraph-y” type work and being able to add some element of compositing to it. It can very easily muddy the image, but I know somehow there’s a way to pull it off to consistently add that extra element that lends itself well in certain situations! I think.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE INSPIRATION SOURCES THAT MOST ARTISTS DON'T KNOW ABOUT?

I actually REALLY love Instagram for inspiration. It’s not so much the kind of inspiration you go out searching for when you’re starting a project, but more in the vein of mindlessly thumbing around the internet. Diving into the concept art, digital or traditional painting hashtags is a GOLD mine of jaw dropping work that is super inspiring to me. Outside of that, I’ve got the whole heap of sites presented in Design Bootcamp that I still use consistently.

Also, for those that are more interested in the Graphic Design side of Motion Graphics, Taschen offers a few huge books of graphic design laid out chronologically. These have been really helpful when trying to design a piece that needs an aesthetic from a certain period in history.

Plus, there’s something very satisfying about seeing quality design in physical form, and not just through a computer screen.

These aren’t sources, but these artists are absolutely worth the time in checking out (some of my favorites at the moment):

• Phill Borst
• James Gilleard
• Jenny Yu
• Thiago Steka

OUTSIDE OF MOTION DESIGN, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT GET YOU EXCITED IN LIFE?

As I’ve mentioned, building Simplate probably tops this list, but outside of all things professional, music is for sure one.

While I’ve left my music “career” behind for the greener pastures of Motion, I still enjoy playing out from time to time. Unfortunately, it’s been long removed as a true passion of mine. Nothing in motion can compare to the immediate satisfaction of playing a show for an engaged and involved crowd, but motion offers up other creatively satisfying perks that music can’t touch. I guess it goes both ways.

HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOUR WORK ONLINE?

As you’ve seen throughout this piece, you can head over to my website to read more about other work I’ve done. There’s a whole lot of other projects I would have loved to have mentioned! You can also find me on all the regular social media channels. I will say, I haven’t been great about getting Behance or Dribble rolling along. It’s on my ever increasing To-Do list!

Feel free to friend me on Facebook as well. I’m not all that active and use it more for messenger than anything, but when I am it’s primarily MoGraph related. And dog videos, I’m guilty.

Website: https://jordanbruce.tv/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jordanbergren

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanbergren/

Ready to level up like Jordan?

Jordan was one of our first ever Alumni, and he's definitely shown amazing progress as an artist! If you're looking to build a similar foundation, make sure to check out our courses page and see how we can help you grow in your animation career. Our lessons are hard, but with a little bit of elbow grease you can come out on the other side an After Effects Ninja!

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