Motion Graphics & Explainer Video Services

Motion graphics animate shapes, type, icons and data. An explainer video is a story told with those tools, usually with a script, voice-over and music. Many studios blend them, so ask what the proposed piece contains.

The style should follow the message and the audience, not the studio’s favorite look. A technical buyer may prefer a calm interface walkthrough over a mascot.

A well-run project locks each stage before the next begins, because every stage multiplies the cost of changes after it.

1. Brief and goal. One audience, one action you want them to take, and where the video will play.
2. Script. The words and the order of ideas. Read it aloud and time it. Spoken pace is slower than most people expect.
3. Storyboard. Frame-by-frame sketches showing what appears while each line is spoken.
4. Style frames. A few finished frames that fix color, type, and the look of characters and icons.
5. Animatic. The storyboard timed to a scratch voice-over. This is the last cheap moment to change structure.
6. Animation. Final scenes are built and refined.
7. Sound. Voice-over, music and effects are recorded, mixed and balanced.
8. Delivery. Files are exported in the formats for each channel, with captions.

Choosing length is a communication decision rather than a design one. A single idea usually fits a short film; a multi-step product story needs more time, or a series of shorter pieces that can each stand alone.

Motion is information. Things that move together read as related, objects that ease in and out feel natural, and a single moving element draws the eye. The Material Design motion guidance (opens in a new tab) explains principles such as purposeful movement and consistent timing, and the same logic applies to an explainer: every movement should clarify something.

• Show one idea per scene and let it breathe before the next appears.
• Keep on-screen text short enough to read in the time the scene is visible.
• Match visuals to the narration, not a beat before or after.
• Reuse the same motion behavior (speed, easing) across scenes so the film feels designed.

For sensitive audiences, avoid rapid flashing and large, fast zooms. Provide a calm version where the content is for the public or for people with motion sensitivities.

One master film rarely suits every channel. Plan the formats before animation starts, because layouts built for a wide frame often need to be rebuilt for a tall one, rather than simply cropped.

Platform requirements change, so confirm the current guidance at the time of export rather than relying on any studio’s memory.

Many viewers watch without sound, and some cannot hear it at all. Ship accurate captions as a separate, editable file where the platform supports it, rather than burning them into the picture. Provide a transcript for the same reason, and for search.

On-screen text and icons should meet the thresholds in WCAG contrast guidance (opens in a new tab), including over moving or gradient backgrounds. If a video is the only way a fact is communicated, make sure the narration describes what is shown.

AI tools can draft scripts for review, create rough storyboards, clean up audio, transcribe for captions and generate placeholder voice-over to time the animatic. They are less dependable for brand-accurate characters, readable text inside generated images, and consistent style across scenes.

Treat generated material like any third-party asset: check the tool’s commercial-use terms, keep records of what was used, and be cautious with synthetic voices that imitate real people. Ownership of fully generated media is unsettled in several countries, as the U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab) discussion of AI and authorship shows.

A finished film includes several separately owned layers: the animation, the script, the voice performance, the music and any stock footage or fonts. Each needs a license that covers your use: the channels, regions and length of time. A track licensed for a website may not cover a paid campaign or a broadcast.

• Voice talent. Agree on the usage, territory and duration in writing, including reuse in edits.
• Music. Keep the license certificate. Royalty-free does not mean free of conditions.
• Claims. If the video is advertising, claims must be true. In the US, the FTC advertising and marketing guidance (opens in a new tab) is a starting point; in the UK, advertising is governed by the CAP Code (opens in a new tab).

• USA. Disclose paid endorsements and testimonials clearly. State-level rules on voice and likeness can apply to performers.
• UK. Follow the CAP Code for marketing content, and expect broadcasters and platforms to apply their own rules. Moral rights can apply to creative contributors.
• Australia. Advertising must not be misleading under consumer law, and creative contributors may hold moral rights.
• Singapore. Industry advertising codes and consumer protection rules apply. Many Singapore businesses need versions in several languages, so plan subtitles and text space early.

Confirm legal requirements with counsel before launch. Distributed teams can review animatics asynchronously, which suits studios in different time zones.

Pricing for motion graphics and explainer video services follows the amount of finished, animated frame time and the effort per second. The main drivers are:

• Running time and number of distinct scenes.
• Style complexity: characters, 3D, or custom illustration versus kinetic text.
• Whether illustration and brand assets already exist.
• Voice-over, languages and music licensing.
• Number of formats and cut-downs.
• Review rounds at each stage, and how many stakeholders approve.

Fixed-price is common for a defined film. Hourly or a dedicated team suits a series, a product-update program or a growing library. If you expect more than one video, invest in a reusable style and template system so each new piece costs less to produce.

• Watch work on the same topic complexity as yours, not only polished brand pieces.
• Ask who writes the script and how technical content is verified.
• Check that storyboard and animatic approvals are built into the plan.
• Confirm delivery of source project files, captions and all license documents.
• Ask about revision limits per stage and how late changes are priced.
• Request a reference check that you can speak to directly.

After an NDA and a free consultation, you receive a detailed estimate within 24 hours. Your dedicated project manager shares updates daily on Slack or Teams, and every two-week round ends with a progress review, so scripts and animatics are approved before animation spend. All intellectual property is transferred to you. Delivery overlaps four to six hours with US Eastern time and a full working day with the UK, Australia and Singapore. Fixed-price, dedicated-team and hourly options are available. Details are in our approach.

Related services: video editing, custom illustration, infographic design and social media creative.

• Material Design Motion (opens in a new tab)Google Material Design
• Recommended upload encoding settings (opens in a new tab)Google YouTube
• Meta Ads Guide (opens in a new tab)Meta
• Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum) (opens in a new tab)W3C WAI
• U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab)U.S. Copyright Office
• FTC Advertising and Marketing guidance (opens in a new tab)US FTC
• The UK Advertising Codes (opens in a new tab)UK ASA