© forceWERK 2019

    ABOUT

    Nice to meet you! I’m Michael Jakob, a Motion Designer and FUI (Future User Interface) Geek.

    I’ve been working as a Motion Designer in the advertising industry for 8 years and counting. Over the past 4 years, I’ve created state-of-the-art content for premium brands at international car shows (when I wasn’t driving through the Australian Outback in my ’95 Mitsubishi Pajero).

    I’m originally from Freiburg, Germany, the gorgeous capital of the Black Forest. These days you can find me in thrilling Beijing, China. My motion design skills are definitely still better than my Mandarin though. 加油!

    I excel in conceptual thinking and handling data for massive, multi-LED-screen setups while working under tremendous time pressure. I’m a team player who pays attention to detail and keeps the big picture in mind at the same time. I take an organised, structured approach to work, which is how I keep tens of thousands of files in order for any given project. But don’t just take my word for it — have a look at my portfolio!

    I also moonlight in photography with my Fujifilm XT-2. Framing and composition is very important to me, even when I’m snapping a shot of a parking ticket with my phone 😜

    TOOLS

    The everyday tools I’m using for my work. Adobe Creative Suite and Cinema 4D.

    • After Effects
    • Premiere
    • Illustrator
    • Photosop
    • Audition
    • InDesign
    • Cinema 4D

    Currently I’m looking into DaVinci Resolve/Fusion as a professional alternative to Adobe Premiere/After Effects. I’m also getting familiar with Redshift as the new standard renderer for Cinema 4D.

    SKILLS

    The skillsets I provide.

    MOTION DESIGN & EDITING
    (After Effects, Cinema 4D, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop)

    CONCEPTUAL WORK
    (an organised and structured approach is everything)

    PHOTOGRAPHY
    (Travel, Landscape, City, People)

    WEB DESIGN
    (HTML, CSS, JS, PHP)

    IT KNOWLEDGE
    (not all thumbs, since I’m also an IT System Technician)

    EXPERIENCE

    Here’s where I’ve worked for the past decade and beyond, gaining my experience in Motion Design, Photography and IT.

    2019
    May
    FREELANCE

     

    • Studio: LUXA Studio
    • Location:   Beijing, China
    • Role: Motion Designer (Freelancer)
    • Time: May – June 2019
    • Project: Lenovo
    Mar
    FREELANCE

    2018
    Nov
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    Apr
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    • Studio: image unit
    • Location:   Shanghai, China
    • Role: Motion Designer (Freelancer)
    • Time: April 2018
    • Project: Auto China 2018 (Beijing) (Volkswagen, Lincoln)
    2017
    Sep
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    • Studio: image unit
    • Location:   Shanghai, China
    • Role: Motion Designer (Freelancer)
    • Time: September – November 2017
    • Project: Auto Guangzhou 2017 (Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover)
    May
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    Apr
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    2016
    Nov
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    Apr
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    2013
    Nov
    COMMERCIAL BREAK

    Commercial Break

    During my commercial break, I spent most of the time in Australia (2.5 years) travelling 35.000km across the continent in my ’95 Mitsubishi Pajero. I co-piloted a tiny Cessna to an island in Vanuatu where I stood on the rim of an active volcano. I shook the hand of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Melbourne. And I traveled the Trans-Siberian/Trans-Mongolian Railway via Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and Ulaanbaatar. In Mongolia, a dream came true by coincidence when I got to ride a horse into the sunset of the Mongolian steppe.

    ...this is actually the last picture of us. Moments later we were separated for good when I sold Paj to my niece who was also travelling Australia.

    During this time I traveled to   Thailand,   USA,   Hong Kong,   Australia,   Indonesia,   Vanuatu,   Russia,   Mongolia and   China.

    Oct
    FREELANCE

    Image Unit

    Jul
    FREELANCE

    dondon

    2011
    Jan
    FULL-TIME

    2010
    Oct
    INTERNSHIP

    qu-int.

    Mar
    INTERNSHIP

    Mainframe

    2007
    Jan
    STUDIES

    Freie Hochschule Freiburg

    2004
    Jan
    APPRENTICESHIP

    AVAYA

    • Company: AVAYA
    • Location:   Freiburg, Germany
    • Qualification: IT System Technician
    • Time: 2004–2007