3D Generalist & Motion Designer at SteelSeries in Chicago, IL

KontrolFreek is the original creator and category leader in performance thumbsticks and performance gaming gear.

KontrolFreek is the creator of Performance Gaming Gear™ and the leader of FreekNation, a global community of more than four million gamers. By combining the latest in ergonomics and advanced materials, KontrolFreeks’s lines of Performance Thumbsticks®, Performance Grips™, Gaming Cables™, and other high-quality products enhance the player experience by maximizing comfort and precision.

KontrolFreek’s products for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC are available in more than 9,000 stores across 40 countries.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a 3D Generalist & Motion Designer to bring the KontrolFreek brand and products to life through dynamic, thumb-stopping content.

In this role, your time will be focused on 3D and motion (short-form videos, animated product visuals,

motion graphics).

You’ll work closely with our Brand Director, Product, Social, Ecommerce and Influencer teams to concept and produce assets for product launches, campaigns, and always-on content across our digital ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

3D & Motion Design

• Concept, design, and animate 3D and motion graphics content that showcases KontrolFreek products and brand stories.
• Model, texture, light, and render 3D scenes/objects for product hero shots, social content, and campaign visuals.
• Create short-form video content optimized for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube, and Twitch.
• Design and animate motion graphics elements (titles, end cards, lower-thirds, overlays, transitions) for social and campaign videos.
• Export and optimize motion assets for different channels, aspect ratios, and file size requirements.
• 3D Modelling & Animation: Create and animate 3D models, scenes, and characters using software like Cinema 4D, Blender, or Maya.
• Creative Conception: Participate in brainstorming, storyboarding, and creating style frames to plan animation sequences.
• Rendering & Compositing: Use rendering engines (Redshift, Octane, Cycles) to produce high-quality, polished visuals.
• Asset Development: Design and create 3D assets, textures, and lighting setups.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrate 3D elements with 2D motion graphics and live-action footage using Adobe After Effects.

Brand, Collaboration & Workflow

• Ensure all work reflects the KontrolFreek brand guidelines and visual identity while pushing the brand forward in 3D and motion.
• Partner with Brand Director to understand briefs, timelines, and success metrics.
• Manage your workload across multiple projects, flag timeline or scope risks early, and deliver on time.
• Maintain organized project files, source assets, and exports to enable reuse and efficient iteration.

Required Skills & Experience

• 3–5+ years of experience in 3D design, motion design, or similar (in-house brand, agency, or studio).
• A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates:
  • 3D product or environment work
  • Motion graphics and short-form video for digital/social
  • Solid graphic design and layout skills
• Expert proficiency in:
  • A 3D tool such as Cinema 4D, Blender, Maya
  • Adobe Creative Suite, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro
• Strong grasp of:
  • Animation principles (timing, easing, anticipation, etc.)
  • 3D Product visualization principles (lighting, realistic materials, etc.)
  • Composition, typography, color, and visual hierarchy
  • Best practices for social-first content (formats, aspect ratios, duration, platform nuances)
• Experience working from brief to final delivery, incorporating feedback and iterating quickly.

Nice-to-Have

• Experience in gaming, esports, sports, or youth-focused consumer brands.
• Working understanding of Figma
• Basic sound design skills (music selection, SFX, simple sound edits) for motion assets.
• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Wrike, Jira, Asana, Monday).
• Understanding of performance/creative testing (what tends to drive views, clicks, and engagement on paid and organic social).
• Basic graphic design

What to expect in the first 30/60/90 days:

30 Days – Immerse, Observe, and Start Creating

• Get onboarded to KontrolFreek: brand story, product lineup, key audiences, and visual identity (with a focus on existing 3D and motion work).
• Set up your workflows and tools: 3D software (Cinema 4D/Blender/Maya), Adobe Creative Suite, file structures, render presets, and export templates for social.
• Review past and current campaigns and product launch assets
• Shadow the Brand Director and key partners (Social, Ecommerce, Influencer, Product) in recurring meetings to understand priorities, briefs, and how work moves through the team.
• Take on smaller, contained tasks:
  • Simple motion graphics (titles, end cards, overlays) for social and campaign videos.
  • Light edits/optimizations to existing 3D scenes or motion files (alt aspect ratios, simple adjustments, new exports).

60 Days – Own Executions Across 3D & Motion

• Take end-to-end ownership of individual deliverables for live briefs (from concept to final export) under the guidance of the Brand Director.
• Model, texture, light, and render 3D product hero shots and short motion loops for upcoming launches and evergreen social content.
• Produce short-form videos optimized for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Twitch—adapting content to platform formats, aspect ratios, and best practices.
• Integrate 3D elements with 2D motion graphics and live-action footage in Adobe After Effects to create polished, platform-ready content.
• Start proactively managing your own timelines:
  • Estimating effort and render time.
  • Flagging risks early if scope or deadlines need adjustment.
  • Keeping projects on track across multiple simultaneous briefs.
• Incorporate feedback efficiently—iterating on style, pacing, and visual direction while maintaining brand consistency.

90 Days – Drive 3D Creative Design and Motion Systems

• Operate as a go-to expert for 3D and motion within Global Marketing – Creative, helping define what “thumb-stopping” motion looks like for KontrolFreek.
• Lead the visual development of key product launch and campaign moments in 3D: Hero sequences, product reveal animations, and dynamic social-first treatments.
• Partner with the Brand Director to push the brand forward in 3D and motion—experimenting with new techniques, looks, and formats while staying grounded in the brand guidelines.
• Establish and refine motion and 3D workflows for the team:
  • Best practices for file organization, naming, and versioning.
  • Reusable 3D asset libraries (materials, lighting setups, environment bases).
  • Consistent export presets and QC steps for social and campaign deliverables.
• Propose new content formats, visual experiments, or tests based on gaming, creator, and social trends, helping keep KontrolFreek’s content fresh and competitive.