Ninety seconds to be understood
Jonas Brandt grew up in Halle, studied media design in Leipzig and began his career at an agency that mainly produced trade-fair films.
That is where he learned how to win attention. Trade-fair visitors rarely come to listen to long explanations. They can walk past the screen at any moment. So a short film has to show how a product works and why it deserves attention.
During that time, Jonas learned to translate complex ideas into a clear sequence of images and movement. That skill later became the core of his work.
In 2019, he went freelance
Going freelance gave him the chance to work with a range of teams and dig deep into their products.
His clients included a software company from Dresden that wanted to make the first steps in its product easier to understand, a Berlin sustainability brand and a hardware startup from Leipzig.
Each team came with a different challenge. Jonas looked for a way to make it clear through animation.
Over time, the explainer videos were joined by animated brand identities, UI motion, 3D visualizations and motion guidelines for entire design teams.
His work starts with words
Before Jonas opens any animation software, he works on the script. He reads it out loud, cuts it down and checks whether the key message comes across on first hearing.
“A good explainer video is eighty percent leaving things out. The rest is timing — and you can’t describe timing in a presentation, you have to see it.”
The script is followed by a storyboard and then an animatic — a deliberately simple rough cut. At this stage, pace and flow are what count: does the audience have enough time to take in what they see? Is a scene too long? Do the transitions work?
This way, the most important decisions can be discussed before the final animation is made. For small teams, that means fewer costly revisions and more predictable budgets.
Experience you can see
Today, Jonas has nine years of professional experience, seven of them as a freelancer.
In that time, he has created more than 140 animations and explainer videos, worked with 23 startups and small brands, and handed over three motion guidelines to teams as handbooks.
His work includes a product film in five language versions, 28 animated states for a fintech app and a 3D film for a product launch.
Behind all these projects is the same skill: getting to grips with complex subjects and making them understandable for others.
Why he joined TIMETORIOT
Even a strong portfolio doesn’t spare you the search for the next project. Jonas wants to find studios and teams that value good work and plan realistic timelines for it.
That’s why he joined TIMETORIOT — a platform from Norway that focuses on creative professions.
What appealed to him was the focus on portfolios, the platform team’s review of every job listing and free access for creatives. It matches the way he wants to present himself to potential clients: with work they can see and judge for themselves.
Sharing knowledge and growing together
Alongside his client projects, Jonas runs a small motion design meetup in Leipzig. He also gives workshops for marketing teams who want to edit their own social media videos.
What started with short trade-fair films has grown into a practice spanning products, brands and interfaces. His next step: finding more teams to turn that experience into exciting work together.
Working in the creative industry and looking for your next opportunity? Get to know TIMETORIOT.
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