We work with creative clients who do amazing work, so we wanted to share their experiences with you. Their creative process, their experience in managing their own company and mixing work with pleasure. To launch this series, please welcome Jordi Pages.
Jordi talks to us about his experience while he was living and working in London. He has now moved to Spain so his accountancy setup is different to the one he talks about here.
Interview by Bernard / Blog written by Teri
July 28, 2021
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I’m Jordi Pages, a 3D designer focussed on motion. My work is mainly in advertising, but I also work on cinematography and art projects.
I take on different roles and adapt to the job that needs to be fulfilled, sometimes joining collaborative teams and sometimes working alone.
My strengths lie in look development and style. I try to establish the shots, build a narrative and set the pace and the general mood of the animation.
I don’t take responsibility for really complex particle simulations or liquids as I’m not that technical, so I leave that stuff to the magicians!
They’re completely different scenarios, each with their perks.
When I join teams in studios, I’m working on bigger projects with a bunch of technical artists, so those are usually a lot of fun. I get to focus on my specific task while surrounded by talented people, learning from them and being challenged on more technical aspects.
In the other scenario I’m usually the only 3D guy on the project, so I’m more of a generalist, drawing on a range of skills: managing the client, setting up structures and committing to schedules. It’s more responsibility, but it’s also more creative in a different way - having to visualise and manage the whole project from start to finish.
Everywhere and anywhere. Nature, music, shows I’m watching. Obviously the go-to platforms nowadays are Instagram and Behance, but I try not to dig too deep into social media. I believe that having a good awareness of the classics is always useful, more than simply following trends that everyone is exploiting.
I first remember this happening around 10 years ago - it was the Chinese spheres and metal balls created in Cinema 4D. It got to a point where everyone was doing the same thing for a whole year - and then the next year, it was something else. It’s still going on, but now it’s faster. People have more access to software that is easier to manage, so when a trend kicks off it gets overused very quickly.
I remember back at Uni I was super curious about a few artists, like Onur Senturk. He would release two or three amazing videos every couple of months, and I would watch them 30 times. Now, there’s so much content that you get 10 of these videos every week. You’d want to watch them all over and over, but instead you watch half a video, stop because you should get back to work, and then never watch the rest of it even though it’s amazing. It’s a bit scary, the amount of content there is out there.
So rather than following trends, I try to get inspired by movie classics or art movements and then make the link to my work. You’ll notice that a lot of designs that succeed nowadays are based on evolutions of those very designs or movements that already happened years ago.
I did half of Uni in Spain and the other half at The London College of Communication, reading for Digital Media Production.
I moved to London when I was 21, around 2008. I was shocked by the teaching system in London actually. In Spain, people told me what I should be doing and I was made to try everything.
Once I got to London, I was like: “Ok what do I do?”
And they’re like “We don’t know, you tell us what you want to do.”
It was frustrating, because I didn't know anything, but in time I came to appreciate the fact that you’re there to learn how to learn. In the end, I’m glad I experienced both systems. I would have never tried web design and 3D if I wasn’t forced to try them in Spain, since they were quite technical and really complex to just pick up.
Remember that back then, there were no online tutorials like Videocopilot, so I had to rely a lot on the teachers. You also couldn’t do 3D on a laptop - you needed a proper powerful desktop computer in order to model a square or a simple shape, so the barriers to entry were tougher.
Nowadays, you can just look online and pretty much teach yourself.
While I was at Uni I got a few freelance projection mapping projects for Seeper. The company was growing - everybody wanted projection mapping. Like, if a kebab shop was opening, they wanted to project on the shop. So after a few freelance projects I ended up working full time with them for a couple more years.
After that, projection mapping wasn’t a thing anymore and Seeper focussed on technological interactive stuff made with code. My interest was more into graphic design and motion graphics but not from the technology point of view, so I decided to leave and start freelancing to figure out what I want to do. Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed the ride!
I was so motivated! It felt like I wasn't in the right place for almost half a year, so during that time I was trying out a lot of things that I wanted to learn. I had worked on a personal project on weekends and evenings while I was still working full time.
The project was featured as a ‘Staff Pick’ on Vimeo in 2012. That gave me a big push and led me to work on the titles for Playgrounds Festival that same year, which I did with a couple of my colleagues, Gabor & Marcus. That led to the titles for the London Sci-Fi festival in 2013. I was lucky that these personal projects got quite a lot of attention since they were festivals.
There was also a gap in the market at that time. Most people were starting with After Effects and then moving into 3D, which wasn’t easy. I was the exact opposite, starting out stronger with Cinema 4D skills thanks to my time working at Seeper.
As the gigs rolled in, I enjoyed the freedom and the challenge of constantly being on my toes. Every studio I freelanced at was a new experience, getting to know the people, not knowing what they were going to ask of me and them not knowing what they could expect from me. It was challenging and fulfilling.
I started out self-employed, which was pretty easy. I’m quite organised, so I keep track of invoices and expenses. Some people put it off till the last minute, so then it takes time to think back and get things in order, but it only took me an hour.
Then a new law in the UK required companies to hire freelancers that are tax efficient. The studios I worked with told me that I’d need to be set up as a Ltd company if we were to keep working together.
This had some perks - you paid a little less tax and National Insurance - and everyone else seemed to be doing it, so Jordi Pages Ltd was born (not too original, I know, but it avoids confusion!)
I usually charge a daily rate when working with studios. I also work on a project basis if need be, but I always keep the agreement flexible to cover any excessive changes they ask for.
As for contracts, some studios draw up one per project. Others set you up as a supplier with the agency, so there’s some initial paperwork to do, but you can then work with them long term. In this case, emails work as confirmation of the job’s details. Always ask for a percentage up front - 20-50%. This establishes a relationship of trust, and covers you if you need to hire other resources.
Oh, and invoice often. At least every four weeks. Never let a company owe you too much. A producer once told me that if that company goes bankrupt, they’ll pay off the smaller invoices first and might never get to the big ones, so don’t wait to invoice everything at the end.
I started out with another online service. It was fine for the basic stuff - using their software, invoicing, listing expenses. But once things got a bit complex they couldn’t give me the support I needed. I’d ask them questions and they’d get back to me with more questions. I spent a year sorting out a particular issue with HMRC and they were no help - they actually added to the hassle.
So I wanted something more professional, but I was hesitant to move to a new accountant. Because even though I was having a bad experience and they weren’t reliable, they covered the basics. I didn’t want to change accountants only to realise that everyone works the same way. Making the change is quite a hassle - I’d have to learn another software, not to mention sharing all your personal records with someone new. What if it doesn’t work? What if they charge me more? What if it’s not worth it? Finally, a colleague recommended Accounts Studio and assured me that he had worked with them for years and had no issues, so I made the decision to move.
As soon as I spoke to them, it was… WOW. They give you a personal contact, and they’re so responsive - whether on a quick call or message, a longer meeting we set up or over email. They’re proactive, finding different ways to solve things. And they use Quickbooks, which is so much easier to use than the other software I worked with.
Anyone else I worked with just told me to do things one way, without saying why. But at Accounts Studio they explain your options, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and help you make the decision that’s best for you (using language you actually understand.)
They’re on top of it. They do more than I would expect of them. So now I know whatever I’m doing is the best way - and if it’s not, they’ll tell me. That’s the difference. That’s satisfying. You’re happy to pay when you know you’re getting the best.
If you’d like to see what Jordi’s up to at the moment, you can check out his website jordipages.com, or find him on Instagram, Behance or Vimeo.
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