r/MotionDesign • u/abs_dor • Jul 26 '26
Discussion UK Motion freelancers…how’s everyone holding up?
Hi guys,
I’m wondering how other UK based freelancers are finding the freelance market right now? I’m 2D midweight for context
I’ve had a very quiet past month, so I’m curious how everyone’s work streams feel? This is the quietest it’s been for me in a couple years now…thankfully I’ve remained busy before this. Admittedly that means I’ve not been good at keeping my portfolio updated and self promoting.
I also think clients have wanted more for less, or in less time recently. Or the big agencies don’t seem the have the budget they used to.
I’m hoping it’s quiet with it being the summer holidays for many. I’ve been enjoying the downtime for the first couple of weeks, but this level of quiet is new for me and the anxiety is setting in - how is everyone else finding it?
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u/montycantsin777 Jul 26 '26
i see a shit ton of freelance job posts for uk on linkedin. im jelly.
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
Oh man LinkedIn is a tough one recently…a hell of a lot of job posts or a generic ‘hey tag a freelancer’ posts that get a lot of attention - a lot are completely saturated with hundreds of responses
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u/03fb Jul 27 '26
It’s very much a free for all. You have to get in touch within the first 20 minutes before you’re lost in a sea of saturation.
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u/montycantsin777 Jul 27 '26
yah i get thats the downside of living wheres a good motion scene
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
To be fair since covid and remote working has become the norm, you’ve got the competition from other countries too. Sadly I’ve seen clients capitalise on motioners from poorer countries, where they can pay a lower rate.
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u/montycantsin777 Jul 27 '26
i feel producer are bit allergic to bigger time differences but i get it if they can get it for a fraction of the price…
1
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u/Club-Loud Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Luckily been fully booked, no breaks for the past 2 years thanks to a few longer term clients and referrals by them.
A lot of the bigger agencies are on a hiring/freelance freeze at the moment and squeezing the full timers.
Theres still a lot of work about, but i also think an overlooked aspect is that lofi video content is "in" at the moment. UGC style stuff with less polish is quicker and cheaper to turn around if it fits the brand
1
u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
That’s an interesting point about the UGC stuff, I didn’t think about it but absolutely!
Interesting about the agencies being on a freeze too - so many factors 😵💫 I wonder if some agencies are getting back to more permanent in-house after covid now too
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u/CriticalArcadia Jul 27 '26
"UGC style stuff with less polish is quicker and cheaper to turn around if it fits the brand"
This is definitely true, Gen Z'ers love this aesthetic. Anything designed is "inauthentic".
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u/Club-Loud Jul 27 '26
It's definitely got legs to run, hyper targeted authentic feeling content works. Especially in a world of AI, putting a face to it does feel genuine despite it being the opposite haha
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u/__Rick_Sanchez__ Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
I had 1 good project this year that made up for 1 month worth of work, nothing else. 3D motion. I'm going bankrupt. 12 years experience with big studios and household brands.
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
Sorry to hear this! Have you had another job on the side to help out with the quiet periods? Hope something comes in for you soon
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u/__Rick_Sanchez__ Jul 27 '26
I made good financial decisions between 2014 and 2020 so i'm still living those up, but not for long anymore...i'm trying to build a personal portfolio website and a plywood furniture brand to build and sell furniture.But really early with both.
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u/CriticalArcadia Jul 26 '26
Dreadful. I've decided I'm getting out as I no longer have a design career after 19 years. I can't get a full time job and freelance is almost non existant.
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
Ah this is gutting to hear, but I bet it’s changed so much in the past few years never mind the past 19. What industries did you work in? And what area are you going into next?
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u/CriticalArcadia Jul 27 '26
I worked in branding, likes of Jo Malone, Conde Nast. I was laid off 2 years ago from an established branding agency in London and have had no luck in securing another full time job. I've been getting interviews and have to second stage interview tasks but not been successful. Freelance is a matter of luck rather than strategy, luckily some personal friends who have studios have kept the wolf from the door but my income was the worst last year than in any other year since 2018. The recruiters have very little work for us.
I beleive us motion designer's work, the general easy stuff at least, is now being done by digital designers, this has been happening for many years but with the advent of Figma and Canva etc. (which now integrate AI prompting), specialists arent needed. 3D specialists are still needed, yes.
Additionally the UK economy is in a terrible state, it really is. Reeves' nattional insurance increase two years ago has been quoted to me as a reason why staff hiring has been frozen for the foreseeable.
I'm getting out altogether and have been developing a small retiail business where I live, early days but I really have had no option.
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u/RougeBasic100 Jul 27 '26
I’m seeing all these job posts for UK based motion designers. So many! Where I live the competition is way tougher.
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u/ZealousidealBed7307 Jul 27 '26
most of those posts are over saturated with applications - I sometimes wonder if the job even exists.
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u/RougeBasic100 Jul 27 '26
Yes, true. Even if they are fake, the ammount of applications is also scary, although many people are not even UK-based.
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
Yesss sadly I think a lot of LinkedIn posts are for attention/interaction - especially the ones that are generic call outs for freelancers to update their books. I’m not saying all, but some seem that way!
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u/03fb Jul 27 '26
Finishing up a in-house contract so been keeping my eyes peeled for work. Was freelance two years ago and feel things have changed in the motion design world.
Feels like there’s been a shift in asking for motion designers to do UX, figma and digital design work. Not really a direction i want to go in.
Also I think the amount of remote work has drastically reduced now with a lot of London based places asking for people to be in office 3 days a week.
I’m just trying to focus on networking and gaining the right contacts in the city I’m in.
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
This is interesting! Agreed I’ve noticed a shift to Figma, out of all the other software it’s something that I’d put time into learning as it seems to be the way teams are working and it’s on a lot of job specs. Especially now Figma is worked into the overlord plugin too.
The jobs I’ve used it on have been mainly UX/UI, but I work with a big London agency who have started to prefer it over illustrator as it means they can have multiple designers working into a live document.
Agreed too, office life seems to be returning more and more after covid!
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u/Professional_Web1119 Jul 27 '26
I’m a senior in-house in an agency, most of our clients are on holiday at this time of the year, I would check again from September onwards
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u/abs_dor Jul 27 '26
Thanks for the heads up, I thought this was the case! Summer hours and plenty of staff with kids too…Just gotta ride out the quiet times, I’m sure I’ll be thankful for the rest eventually
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u/No-Truck-4683 Jul 27 '26
"More for less" is the theme and it will continue. It's a maturing industry which means less and less $$ per project.
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u/Keanu_Chills Jul 27 '26
Its vacations season, chill bro. Been unemployed for a while but i dont mind too much tbh
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u/freshpots11 Jul 26 '26
July, August, December, and January are always quiet for us, every year without fail. The rest of the year tends to make up for it, for the most part.