Explained Simply9th May 2025
Whether a business is a startup or an existing one, everyone needs something unique for their business, and that is through design. Nowadays, businesses seek unique, eye-catching visuals to present their brand, product, or service. But to deliver this uniqueness, it can all be done with motion graphics design services. For a business, the concept to hire motion designers has become crucial to captivate the target audience and make the platform more engaging. However, before moving forward with the motion graphics, it is important to know the cost to hire motion graphics designer.
It is important to know the charges to hire full time motion designers that help in budgeting, project planning, and hence making the decision accordingly. Different factors are responsible for the cost to hire motion graphics designers including project complexity and requirements, the experience of the designer, and many more. Let us illustrate with the complete guideline about the hiring cost of motion designers.
Average Cost to Hire a Motion Graphics Designer
The average hiring cost of motion graphics designers is around $50 to $150 per hour, or $1,000 to $10,000+ per project, depending on the requirements. Comparatively, it is seen that freelancers are more flexible, whereas agencies often have high charges due to a team of experienced professional graphics designers for motion and animation project.
Overview of Hiring Cost of Motion Designer
| Hourly Based Service | Rate |
| Freelancer Hourly Rate | $50–$100/hr |
| Agency Hourly Rate | $100–$300/hr |
| Simple Explainer Video (30-60 sec) | $1,000–$3,000 |
| High-End Corporate Animation | $5,000–$20,000+ |
| Ongoing Social Media Animations | $500–$2,000 per piece |
Factors Influencing Motion Graphics Design Costs
Different factors are responsible for hiring a motion graphic designer. They are been explained below –
1. Project Complexity
Developing a simple logo is simple, but developing one with a narrative with 3D elements and voice is quite complex. Hence, this type of project complexity may affect the cost of hiring motion graphic designers. The following are the factors that affect the complexity level –
- Video dynamics: This includes the number of scenes for a specific length of time
- Characters: More characters increase the complexity of the video
- Scene: A simple 2D scene works, but a scene with more movements and transitions creates complexity.
- Detailed Design: Design quality and how much the design has been detailed.
- Objects: If the object is complex, it may affect the production cost.
2. Animation Duration
There is a difference between the cost of creating a 30-second animation and a 5-minute animated explainer. More frames and scenes result in higher cost with a longer timeline in production.
- Price Per Second: This model mainly works for a game development company or agency that works on every small element of the project. However, the role of a motion graphics designer is simple: just connect the dots.
- Low Cost for Short Videos: Of course, if the video is long, it will take more time and hence affect the cost.
3. Design & Style
- 2D vs. 3D Animations: Which one is cheaper 2D or 3D? 3D animation is costly as compared to 2D because it needs advanced software and, most importantly, experienced technical designers.
- Custom vs. Template-Based Designs: Some companies sell ready-made template videos at affordable prices. Whereas creating a custom-based design may affect the hiring cost of a motion graphics designer.
Also Read : Trunk of Tips for Best Game Level Design
4. Experience & Expertise
Skilled and experienced motion graphics designers charge more with their industry recognition, specialized skills like 3D animation, etc.
- Freelancers vs. Professional studios: One can find a motion graphic designer at a budget for good quality. But before hiring a professional motion graphics designer, one needs to be aware of the scammers who promise to deliver custom outcomes by using ready-made templates of poor quality
- Experience Affects Pricing: There is a huge difference between hiring 1 year 1-year-experienced motion graphics designer & a person with 5+ years of experience. Hence, the cost may vary as per the experience and the skill
- Location: If one chooses to hire from a USA or UK-based company it can cost more, but the same quality can be delivered from another country like India.
Some of the Additional Costs Include –
- Revisions: At an initial stage, there are several revisions made by the designers. Hence, this can cause additional costs.
- Being Quick: Looking to finish the project quickly, it can charge extra
- License: Licenses to sound effects, music, and image stock are some additional costs
- Software & Hardware: Advanced hardware & software licenses can add to the additional cost.
Typical Cost Ranges by Type of Motion Graphics Project
The following table shows a better understanding of the cost of different types of projects with a detailed breakdown.
| Project/Service | Cost | Duration | Application |
| Logo Animation | $200 – $1,500 | 5–10 seconds | For intros, outros, branding etc. |
| Social Media Animations | $500 – $2,000 per video | 15–60 seconds | For social media like Instagram, Facebook, etc. |
| Explainer Videos | $1,000 – $7,000+ | 30 seconds to 2 minutes | Mostly used for SaaS or informational content |
| Product Demos | $2,000 – $10,000+ | 1–3 minutes | Animation that combines products’ features, functionalities & benefits |
| Corporate Videos and Presentations | $3,000 – $15,000+ | 1–5 minutes | Storytelling, Brand Marketing etc. |
| 3D Motion Graphics | $5,000 – $30,000+ | 30 seconds to 2 minutes | Modeling, Texturing & Rendering |
| Broadcast or Commercial Quality Animations | $10,000 – $50,000+ | 30 seconds to 1 minute | TV, Cinema & also used for large-scale marketing |
How to Choose the Right Motion Graphics Designer?
Choosing the right motion graphic designer is a bit of a hard task, but selecting the right one must be the first choice. It all depends on the project, the type of skills required, etc. The following are some things to consider for hiring motion graphics designers.
- Portfolio Review: Review the portfolio of the motion graphic designer that represents their skills, talent, and the way they work. Make sure the designer is consistent with their creativity, storytelling, and also has good professional design skills.
- Know the Workflow: Ask them about their workflow in motion graphic designing. How they deal with storytelling, animation, and how many revisions they offer. Less miscommunication can lead to clearer and transparent work.
- Check Testimonials: Get feedback from their testimonials and know about their skills in designing, punctuality and their support. Motion graphics designers with positive feedback are highly recommended as they are good at long-term business relations.
- Scope of Project: Understand and get clear with the scope of the project, price, revision, file formats, etc.
- Initial Test: Before starting with a long-term project, initially start with a test by assigning a small task that helps to evaluate the overall performance of the designer.
Also Read : UI/UX Design Guide: 10 Rules Every Designer Should Follow
How to Optimize Your Motion Graphics Budget?
Investing in motion graphics needs strategic planning that helps to get it completed within the budget.
- Early Planning: Don’t rush. This may cost more for the design of the project. Create a content calendar and plan the project accordingly. This will help with better pricing and avoid last-minute costs.
- Negotiate for Bulk: If there is a need for multiple animations or a need for more in the future, then one can negotiate with the pricing and get a good rate to design in bulk
- Repurpose Content: Create context in such a way that it can be used in different contexts like social media, marketing, presentation, etc.
- Limited Revisions: Be clear from the start. Fewer revisions can help save time, cost & resources.
- Prefer Template-Based Animations: If not required for the custom one, always try to prefer with ready to use template animations. This helps to reduce cost and get it done faster.
In-House Pre-Production: Create scripts, voiceover & storyboards with your own or an in-house team. This will save time and directly start with the creative animation.
Create Epic Games Today
Conclusion
Hiring a motion graphic designer is more advisable as it offers great results over the investment. No matter if you are a business or a product-based company looking to explain your product, hiring motion graphic designers can take your business to the next level. At the next level, it all depends on the marketing team on how they represent it and create a visual storytelling of the product. Understand the above cost to hire a motion graphics designer and take an informed decision about the investment you are making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, hiring a motion graphics designer is worth it especially for startups. They help to create an eye-catching animation that boosts user engagement towards the product or service. A well-skilled and experienced designer helps to create smooth visuals, with creative storytelling, and maintains brand consistency.
While hiring motion graphics designers, review their portfolio, creativity, their experience in designing with animation, etc. Additionally, one can also look into the communication skills, review testimonials that help to know if they meet the given timeline.
Hiring a skilled motion graphics designer requires good animation skills, like After Effects, Premiere Pro, or Cinema 4D. Understanding of designing principles like color, movements, creativity, storytelling, and finally making creative visuals. Time management and communication skills are some additional skills that are required.
The cost to hire a full-time motion graphics designer is between $50,000 and $90,000 per year in the U.S., depending on their experience, location, and skill level. Junior designers may start around $45,000, while senior-level professionals can earn over $100,000.
Generally, it depends on the type of project and its size. But usually it takes 1 to 6 weeks to complete a project, depending on its length and complexity. A simple animation for a logo takes a few days, whereas a 2-minute explainer video takes several weeks
Yes, they do, but it depends on the job to be done. Hourly rates typically range from $50 to $150, often used for small tasks or ongoing work. Whereas for larger projects, they generally charge based on the time and complexity of the project.
