Portfolio
Jobcenter Pilot – Simplifying Complex Forms for Refugees
Overview
A conceptual pilot video demonstrating how animated explainer content can help Jobcenter communicate complex procedures and forms in a clear, accessible, and emotionally sensitive way.
The Challenge
Many refugees applying for financial support struggle with the existing Jobcenter PDFs:
Some have limited formal education and cannot read German letters confidently.
The forms contain complex bureaucratic concepts that are difficult even for native speakers.
My Approach
To create a solution that truly fits the target group, I conducted informal field research:
Spoke with staff at Kontaktstelle Wohnen, who work daily with refugees searching for housing.
Interviewed several refugees to understand the exact points of confusion, fears, and recurring misunderstandings.
Identified crucial pain points in the application process and clarified how the video should sound—supportive, simple, non-bureaucratic.
The Outcome
I developed a visual language that avoids heavy text and focuses on:
clean, friendly icons
simple step-by-step sequences
calm motion and color choices designed for viewers dealing with stress or trauma
clear metaphors to explain difficult bureaucratic concepts
MachtLos e.V. – Inclusive Explainer Video for People in Crisis
Overview
An animated explainer video created for MachtLos e.V., an organization supporting people with disabilities, psychological illnesses, homelessness, and social exclusion. The goal was to communicate their services in a way that feels accessible, engaging, and emotionally safe for their community.
The Challenge
The target group faced multiple barriers:
Many live with mental health issues, trauma, or intellectual disabilities.
Some are homeless or have been rejected by their families, which makes trust and communication difficult.
Their attention and emotional energy are often low; they spend a lot of time on TikTok and Instagram, but traditional informational videos do not reach them.
The video needed to be as engaging as a social media reel, without falling into superficial “dopamine-hit” content, and without overwhelming viewers who are in psychological distress.
My Approach
To create a video that genuinely resonates, I immersed myself in their environment:
I joined their street-work team, observing direct interactions with people in crisis.
I spent time inside the MachtLos office and attended consulting sessions (with the consent of those present).
I listened closely to the stories, emotional states, and communication patterns of the target audience.
Based on these insights, I designed a concept that balances high engagement with empathy, focusing on simplicity, warmth, and recognition of lived experiences.
The Outcome
The final animation combines:
Clear, minimal language
Friendly, inclusive visuals with emotional grounding
A tone that invites viewers to feel seen, understood, and supported
Motion cues and transitions that avoid overstimulation and maintain psychological safety
Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie – Animated Map & Global Inequality
Overview
An educational animation created for Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie (KNoE), a Leipzig-based think tank working on social-ecological transformation. The video required a highly customized animated map to highlight structural inequalities between the Global North and Global South.
The Challenge
KNoE needed more than a typical “map animation.”
They were looking for someone who could:
Animate a 3D globe and create dynamic transitions between world regions
Visually separate Global North and Global South in a clear and meaningful way
Emphasize the political and economic divides between the two regions
Go beyond the default capabilities of GEOlayers, which cannot fully express complex political categories out of the box
The challenge was to develop a visual system that clearly illustrates an unequal global reality without oversimplifying it.
My Approach
I joined the project as a map-animation specialist with deep experience in GEOlayers and custom scripting in After Effects.
My process included:
Writing additional scripts to extend GEOlayers’ limitations
Creating a customized world map where Global North and South are distinguished, grouped, and individually controllable
Designing a color-coding and motion system that makes global inequalities immediately readable
Ensuring that geographic accuracy, political nuance, and visual clarity work together in one coherent animation
The Outcome
I developed a flexible animated globe system that allows:
Smooth transitions between regions
Clear differentiation between Global North and Global South
Strong visual emphasis on economic and political contrasts
A clean, minimal style that matches KNoE’s educational and activist identity
Character Design – From Sketch to Final Animation
Overview
A character design project showcasing my full creative workflow — from initial hand-drawn sketches to the final animated character. This example highlights how I translate abstract ideas from clients into clear, expressive visual identities.
The Challenge
Many clients come from very different professional and cultural backgrounds.
They often have:
strong feelings about what their character should “represent,”
but no visual language to explain it,
and difficulty describing style, emotion, or personality in artistic terms.
The task is not only to design a character — but to build a bridge between their world and the animation world.
My Approach
To create a design that truly fits the client’s needs, I follow a collaborative and transparent process:
I listen deeply to the client and learn about their work, audience, and emotional goals.
I translate their descriptions into multiple sketch explorations — different poses, moods, and proportions.
I share these early sketches to help clients recognize what they want (and what they don’t).
This makes it much easier for them to express their preferences and refine the direction.
The two sketches shown here are part of this iterative process: exploring proportions, emotional tone, and narrative symbolism.
The Outcome
The final character is a polished version of the sketches — visually clean, emotionally expressive, and ready for animation.
It preserves the sensitivity and personality the client wanted, while staying consistent with the overall narrative style of the project.
Character Rigging – Custom-Illustrated Walking Cycle
Overview
This is a self-initiated animation created to demonstrate my character rigging and walk-cycle animation skills. The character, walking with an umbrella, was designed and illustrated entirely by me to ensure full control over the animation process.
The Challenge
In many client projects, illustrators create beautiful characters, but often these designs are not animation-ready. Common issues include:
joints not separated into layers
missing limbs from behind the torso
merged shapes that can’t deform
no consideration for motion arcs or pivot points
designs that look perfect as an illustration, but become impractical for animation
Fixing these issues can take hours and slow down the workflow.
My Approach
To avoid these limitations, I usually illustrate my own characters, especially when the animation requires complex rigging.
This gives me:
full control over layer structure
proper separation of limbs and joints
clean geometry for deformation
predictable movement for walk cycles
a workflow that is fast, clean, and reliable
For this rig, I:
illustrated the character with animation-friendly layer hierarchy
built a full rig with controllers for arms, legs, torso, and umbrella
created smooth walk-cycle motion with natural weight shift
added secondary motion to the umbrella and clothes
The Outcome
A fully rigged, cleanly animated walking character that demonstrates:
rigging discipline
understanding of anatomy in motion
illustration optimized for animation
technical efficiency and professional pipeline