Hello ther
From illustration to art direction, I'm all things MOTION
Animation is still magic to me. The fact that I can think of something, draw it and then bring it to life on the screen never gets old.
I work directly inside brand and creative teams rather than at arm's length, which means I can jump into strategy conversations early and make sure the craft holds up all the way through delivery.
My work spans deliverables & screens of all shapes & sizes. Campaigns to socials to in your pocket interactions.
Life-Long Doodler
of all things Radical
About me
Nick Sampson
Principal Motion Designer and Art Director based in Portland, Maine, working globally
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I've been working professionally since 2011, 14 years now, across illustration, animation, motion design, and art direction, most recently as PRINCIPAL MOTION DESIGNER at DEPT, where I also lead creative on the agency's OpenAI account.
That mix of agency and freelance work has put me on projects for Google, Spotify, Meta, OpenAI, Notion, Grammarly, H&M, and Waze, alongside independent brands and local Maine businesses I've stayed close to.

Creative
Direction
Purposely Odd
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I'm always searching for the rare, the non-traditional, and the eye catchingly new. Steering my work to the needs of the project, rather than a consistently recognizable style.
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Creating Emotion
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I'm a people person, so my approach is based in creating feelings and telling a story. People don't always remember what you tell them, but how you make them feel.
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Method to Madness​
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Meticulous, thoughtful, and organized. Daily navigating the complexities of animation production gives me that edge in approaching and solving your business' toughest problems.
