Tessa Marlow
Motion and interfaces, from the first sketch to the final frame.
Let’s talk over coffee.
Where I have worked
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Sep 2024 – Present · 1 yrLumen Works Studio · Full-timeHarrowgate, Northshore
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Feb 2024 – Aug 2024 · 7 mosNorthlight Digital · ContractRemote, Northshore time zone
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Jun 2023 – Jan 2024 · 8 mosPaperlane Creative · InternshipHarrowgate, Northshore
Full experience with responsibilities
Where I studied
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2019 – 2023BA Animation & Interaction Design · GPA 3.8Harrowgate, Northshore
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2017 – 2019Visual Arts Diploma · DistinctionMillbrook, Northshore
What I am good at
Tools I reach for
About me
I’m a motion and UI designer in Harrowgate. I approach each interface as a sequence and each frame as a layout.
At Lumen Works Studio, I design launch motion and app interactions. Earlier roles spanned public-sector explainers and editorial design.
Clear timing, useful storyboards and organised files guide my work. Most ideas start in a paper sketchbook.
See the work Get in touch
where the thumbnails happen
How I like to work
- Storyboard signed off before a single keyframe
- Motion specs written down: durations, easings, names
- One review a week with the whole cut, not clips
- Files handed over tidy, layers named, fonts listed
What guides the work.
- 01
Start with context
Connect a visual idea to the details that make it usable day to day.
- 02
Make the details useful
Keep the information needed for a choice close to the choice itself. Clear names, readable dimensions and a visible next step matter more than adding another layer.
- 03
Leave room for the individual
The right starting point depends on the person, place and purpose. Use the collection as a guide, then ask about the details that make your situation different.
Design across brand and product
Find your starting point.
Explore the collection or share a specific question with us.
Where I have worked
Three roles across motion, interfaces and editorial design. Open a role for details.
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Sep 2024 – Present · 1 yrLumen Works Studio · Full-timeHarrowgate, Northshore
Own launch motion and the interaction language of two client apps. Details
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Feb 2024 – Aug 2024 · 7 mosNorthlight Digital · ContractRemote, Northshore time zone
Animated nine explainers for public-sector clients from script to delivery. Details
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Jun 2023 – Jan 2024 · 8 mosPaperlane Creative · InternshipHarrowgate, Northshore
Laid out three magazine issues and cut short social promos. Details
Across all roles
- 38 finished films, from 15-second promos to 4-minute explainers
- 12 product interfaces, three of them with full motion specs
- Two brand systems built from scratch, both still in use
- Never missed a launch date
References available on request.
Ask for references
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Design across brand and product
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
Sep 2024 – Present · Full-time · Harrowgate
Motion & Interface Designer
Lumen Works Studio, a twelve-person product and film studio working with early-stage software companies.
What I do here
- Own launch motion. Every product announcement film, from the script table read to colour and sound, including the Orbit Launch explainer.
- Design the interaction language for two client apps: component motion, transitions, loading states and the written spec developers build from.
- Run the storyboard review each Tuesday, where the studio signs off sequences before animation starts.
- Mentor one junior designer on timing, easing and file hygiene.
Highlights
- Cut the average launch-film turnaround from six weeks to four by moving the storyboard sign-off earlier.
- The Tally App motion spec was adopted as the studio's standard template.
- Nightline title sequence shortlisted at a regional motion festival.
Orbit Launch case Tally App case
Feb 2024 – Aug 2024 · Contract · Remote
Motion Designer
Northlight Digital, a remote agency producing explainer films for public-sector and non-profit clients.
What I did
- Animated nine explainers between 60 and 180 seconds, each from a locked script through storyboard, illustration, animation and audio sync.
- Built a shared illustration kit of characters and props so three animators could work in one style.
- Handled client reviews directly, translating feedback like "make it friendlier" into concrete timing and colour changes.
Highlights
- The shared kit cut illustration time on later films by roughly a third.
- A recycling-programme explainer was picked up by two neighbouring councils.
- Contract extended twice before I moved to Lumen Works.
Bloomfield Fair posters
Jun 2023 – Jan 2024 · Internship · Harrowgate
Junior Motion & Layout Designer
Paperlane Creative, a print-first studio that publishes a quarterly culture magazine and produces promos for local venues.
What I did
- Laid out three issues of Pulse Quarterly: grids, typography, picture editing and press-ready files.
- Cut short social promos for the magazine and for venue clients, usually 15 to 30 seconds.
- Designed the poster series for the Bloomfield Fair, then animated it for the venue screens.
What I learned
- Print deadlines are real deadlines. Files go to press at five, finished or not.
- A good grid survives being animated. A bad one shows immediately.
- Photographers will forgive a lot if you crop with care.
Pulse Quarterly case
Where I studied
Training in animation, interaction design and visual arts.
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2019 – 2023 · 4 yrsHarrowgate Institute of ArtBA (Hons) Animation & Interaction Design · GPA 3.8Harrowgate, Northshore
- Final project: a four-minute animated short with an accompanying interactive script viewer.
- Modules: character animation, motion typography, interface design, sound for picture, design history.
- Dean's list in the third and fourth year; student representative for the animation course.
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2017 – 2019 · 2 yrsMillbrook Senior CollegeVisual Arts Diploma · DistinctionMillbrook, Northshore
- Life drawing, printmaking, photography and an introduction to page layout.
- Graduation show curated by the students; I designed the catalogue.
Short courses and certificates
- Advanced motion typography, Northshore Design Week, 2024
- Sound design for animators, evening course, 2023
- Accessible interface motion, online certificate, 2025
Transcripts available on request.
What I can do with all that
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Design across brand and product
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
What I am good at
Five areas of practice, with the tools and methods behind them.
Tools I reach for
Also comfortable with
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Design across brand and product
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
Hire me for
Focused freelance projects with a written scope.
Launch or explainer film
Script, boards, animation and social cut-downs for a 60–120 second film.
from $3,4004 weeks
Interface motion spec
A focused motion audit, prototype and implementation spec.
from $2,2002 weeks
Editorial layout
Typography, grids and image editing, delivered press-ready.
from $1,800per 48 pages
Storyboard only
Timed boards for pitches or production.
from $6505 days
Questions I get asked
Availability
Two freelance places next month. Reviews on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Book a slot
From a clear brief to a useful handover.
- 01
Prioritise
Agree on a short queue with one clear owner. Decide what needs to be finished before adding more work.
- 02
Make and review
Share focused updates with enough context for useful feedback. Keep decisions and open questions beside the work.
- 03
Close and continue
Deliver the finished files and record what changed. Review the next priority instead of letting requests disappear into a long list.
Not sure where to begin?
Start with the question.
Tell us what needs to change and where the current experience falls short.
Portfolio
Six selected projects. Filter by discipline or explore each case.
Orbit LaunchExplainer
02
Tally AppProduct UI
03
Pulse QuarterlyEditorial
04
Bloomfield FairPoster series
05
NightlineTitle sequence
06
Ember Roast Co.Brand system
Earlier work available on request.
Explore with a purpose
Design across brand and product.
Connect a visual idea to the details that make it usable day to day.
Look a little closer
- Brand and editorial work
- Interface design
- Motion and launch assets
01 · Explainer film · Lumen Works Studio for Pebble Pay · 2025
Orbit Launch
A launch film that makes same-day settlement tangible.
Brief
Explain instant payment through a visual story that also works without sound.
Approach
A small rocket becomes a payment arriving before the shop closes. Simple geometric shapes keep every cut adaptable.
Coral, mustard and teal complement the app’s palette.
Outcome
A 90-second master, two short edits, a silent loop and launch stills.
Orbit Launch / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
02 · Product UI and motion spec · Lumen Works Studio for Tally · 2025
Tally App
A calmer weekly money check-in for freelancers.
Brief
Make a rarely opened budgeting app useful as a short weekly ritual.
Approach
A single summary shows what remains, what is due and the next action. Motion was specified alongside the screens.
Two easing curves and three durations keep transitions consistent.
Outcome
Screens, prototype, animation exports and an implementation guide.
Tally App / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
03 · Editorial design · Paperlane Creative · 2023 to 2024
Pulse Quarterly
A culture magazine with one visual rhythm across print and web.
Brief
Keep each 96-page issue consistent across varied features and photography.
Approach
A twelve-column grid, controlled type scale and duotone images establish the house style.
The same grid supports animated web features.
Outcome
Three issues, reusable web templates and a layout guide.
Pulse Quarterly / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
04 · Poster series and screen loops · Paperlane Creative for Bloomfield Fair · 2023
Bloomfield Fair
Handmade posters, adapted for public screens.
Brief
Create a three-colour campaign within a two-week print schedule.
Approach
Scanned torn-paper shapes become vector artwork. The paper tearing also informs the animated transitions.
Outcome
Three A2 posters, risograph prints, screen loops and social tiles.
Bloomfield Fair / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
05 · Title sequence · Lumen Works Studio for Nightline Films · 2025
Nightline titles
Night-shift stories introduced through light and texture.
Brief
Design an opening sequence that serves every episode without revealing its subjects.
Approach
Amber and cyan ribbons move through dust, with names timed to the score.
Outcome
A 45-second sequence, a short bumper and press stills.
Nightline / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
06 · Brand system · Freelance for Ember Roast Co. · 2024
Ember Roast Co.
A simple identity an independent roaster can use every day.
Brief
Make packaging legible at a market stall and templates easy to maintain.
Approach
Kraft, mustard and charcoal form the core. Labels and motion follow a few repeatable rules.
Outcome
Packaging for four roasts, stationery, a tote and social templates.
Ember Roast Co. / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01Content and hierarchy
- 02A consistent visual language
- 03Assets ready for the next application
Reach me
For a role, freelance project or conversation. I reply within two working days.
The resume is also available in print layout.
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