Motion Design Rate Cards: How I Price My Work

Pricing Motion Is Different

Motion design is harder to price than static design because the variables are so much more complex. A logo design has fairly predictable scope. A thirty-second motion piece can range from a simple kinetic text treatment to a fully animated scene with custom character animation — a tenfold difference in production time for the same deliverable spec.

I learned this the hard way early in my freelance practice, quoting flat rates for motion work that I had wildly underestimated.

How I Break Down a Motion Brief

When I receive a motion brief, I decompose it into components before estimating:

Concept and storyboard: strategy, creative direction, storyboard frames. Usually one to two days depending on complexity.

Design: creating the visual assets — backgrounds, graphic elements, type treatments, any illustration. This varies enormously based on visual complexity.

Animation: building and animating the compositions in After Effects. Usually the largest time component.

Sound design and music licensing: if applicable. I include this in my scope if I'm handling it; separate it if the client is providing assets.

Revision cycles: I build one round of revisions into every quote. Additional rounds are quoted separately.

The Per-Second Myth

Some clients expect motion work to be priced per second of finished video. This is not a useful framework — the relationship between duration and production time is non-linear.

A fifteen-second brand animation with complex character movement and custom illustration takes far longer than a sixty-second explainer with simple kinetic text. Duration is one factor among many, not a pricing unit.

Day Rate vs. Project Rate

For clients I work with regularly, I quote a day rate. They know what they're getting, I know what I'm being paid, and scope changes are handled transparently.

For new clients and fixed-scope projects, I quote project rates. These require more careful scoping upfront, but they give the client price certainty, which is often what they need to get budget approval.

Revisions, Scope Creep, and the Estimate

The estimate is a scope document, not just a price. I write estimates that describe specifically what is included: the number of scenes, the revision rounds, the deliverable formats. When clients request changes outside that scope, I refer back to the estimate and quote the additional work.

This isn't about being rigid — it's about having a shared understanding of what was agreed. Most scope creep isn't malicious; clients just don't always know what they're asking for when they request "just one more change." A clear estimate makes those conversations factual rather than contentious.