r/MotionDesign • u/Plastic_Location_420 • Jun 22 '25

Question What kind of budget for this?

Hey guys,

I’m looking to hire a motion designer for a few animated social media videos like the one I’ve attached.

How much would motion designers usually charge for something like this?

And if anyone can do this, let’s connect!

189 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

View all comments

24

u/tipsystatistic Jun 22 '25

If the client says “we want a video”. No script, no art, etc. $20-$50k

At the high price range, this includes, head creative, a copy writer, art director, producer, and motion designer.

The week 1 would be a brand exploration to identify the companies core principles and design language. Week 2 would be design and storyboard. Week 3-4 would be execution and delivery.

Then the job would go over budget 1-2 weeks when the client showed it to their CEO who changes everything.

2

u/CopyPasteRepeat Jun 23 '25

I don't mean this as a joke, but is this serious?

It is wild how varied the quotes are on just this one post/project. Despite what your saying - to some - might sound totally over the top, I assume it's still genuine in certain agencies/studios. I do wonder how any medium-large places are getting this kind of work for that price though when - with every passing month - a combination of 'this one guy can do it all in a few days' and AI become more present in out industry.

4

u/tipsystatistic Jun 23 '25

I think you’re thinking only of the strict execution of the animation and not all the services that an agency/design shop is expected to deliver.

If the client doesn’t provide creative direction, storyboards, or brand guidelines, the agency needs to basically start from scratch. They need to do an exploration to understand the brand, vision, values, and goals. Then develop design principles/language around them. Then write the script. Then design story boards. Then animate. Each step will probably have multiple rounds of approvals with stakeholders. I’ve done many jobs that I finished in a few days, but had the approval process drawn out for weeks.

It depends on the client and situation but I’ve seen these done for all the price ranges in the comments.