TL;DR
Motion graphics costs in 2026 range from £500 for basic title cards to £25,000+ for a full 60-second 3D animated sequence. The price is set almost entirely by complexity tier — 2D flat, 2D layered, 2D frame-by-frame, 3D CGI, or motion capture — and by duration. The rule of thumb that trips most buyers: motion graphics take 3–8× longer to produce per second than live-action footage takes to edit. A 30-second animated explainer sequence requires 40–100 hours of animator time. Knowing the cost-per-second by tier, and what changes at each tier, stops your brand film add-on from becoming a budget blowout.
Why motion graphics cost what they cost
Motion graphics are expensive relative to their duration because every frame is created, not captured. A live-action editor working with 8 hours of footage to produce a 4-minute film is selecting and arranging material that already exists. A motion designer producing a 30-second animated sequence is creating every element: designing the assets, rigging the motion paths, timing the keyframes, rendering the output, and iterating on client feedback. None of this is re-used between revisions — changing the colour of a 30-second title sequence can require 6–10 hours of rework.
The industry standard cost measure is per-second of finished animation, which varies by complexity tier from approximately £150/second (simple 2D) to £2,000+/second (high-end 3D with simulation or motion capture). These figures assume a mid-to-senior London animator working at market rate.
2026 UK motion graphics cost by complexity tier
| Tier | Description | Cost per finished second | Typical 15-sec piece | Typical 60-sec piece |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2D flat / kinetic text | Animating text, basic shapes, brand colours. No illustration. | £150–£300/sec | £2,250–£4,500 | £9,000–£18,000 |
| 2D layered (character/scene) | Illustrated characters or scenes, layered animation, After Effects rig | £300–£600/sec | £4,500–£9,000 | £18,000–£36,000 |
| 2D frame-by-frame | Drawn animation, each frame unique. High labour intensity. | £600–£1,200/sec | £9,000–£18,000 | £36,000–£72,000 |
| 3D CGI (product/environment) | 3D modelling, texturing, rendering. Product vis, architectural, abstract | £800–£1,800/sec | £12,000–£27,000 | £48,000–£108,000 |
| 3D character animation | Rigged 3D character with expressive movement | £1,200–£2,500/sec | £18,000–£37,500 | £72,000–£150,000 |
| Motion capture | Captured human movement driving 3D rig. Requires mocap studio day. | £1,500–£3,500/sec (+ mocap studio) | £22,500–£52,500 | £90,000–£210,000 |
Figures are for fully completed animation including design, animation, compositing, sound design, and 3 rounds of revisions. Longer pieces benefit from per-second cost reduction once assets are designed — a 60-second piece does not cost exactly 4× a 15-second piece of the same tier because asset creation is largely fixed.
Motion graphics as brand film add-ons: what to expect
Most corporate brand films include at least a basic motion graphics package: lower thirds (name and title graphics), animated logo sting, title cards, and end frame. This level of MG work — typically 45–90 seconds of animated screen time across a 3–5 minute film — runs £2,500–£7,500 at the 2D flat tier and is included or quoted as a line item in most studio proposals.
Where costs escalate: when the brief calls for data visualisation (animated charts, infographics), animated explainer sequences embedded in a live-action film, or any section where the story requires showing what cannot be filmed (internal processes, microscopic scale, future scenarios). These segments are typically 15–60 seconds long and are the primary source of motion graphics budget blowout on corporate productions.
Typical add-on cost ranges for brand film MG packages
- Lower thirds + logo sting + title cards (standard): £2,500–£5,500 (flat 2D)
- 30-second data visualisation sequence (animated charts/stats): £4,500–£9,000 (2D layered)
- 45-second product explainer insert (2D illustrated): £7,500–£15,000 (2D layered)
- 60-second 3D product visualisation: £30,000–£65,000 (3D CGI, photorealistic)
- Full animated title sequence (broadcast-standard): £15,000–£45,000 depending on tier and duration
Animator day rates in London (2026)
| Role | Day rate (freelance, London) |
|---|---|
| Motion designer (2D, After Effects) | £400–£650 |
| Senior motion designer / art director (MG) | £650–£950 |
| 3D generalist (Cinema 4D / Blender) | £500–£800 |
| 3D character animator (rigged) | £700–£1,100 |
| VFX compositor (Nuke) | £750–£1,200 |
| Motion capture operator + data clean-up | £800–£1,400 (excl. studio) |
Day rates assume 8-hour working day. Motion graphics is disproportionately render-time dependent — a 3D generalist may run overnight renders for 4–8 hours per day, during which their labour cost is not incurred but cloud rendering costs may apply (£50–£300/day depending on resolution and complexity).
What drives cost within each tier
Within any tier, three variables set the final price more than any other:
- Number of unique assets. A 30-second explainer with 5 unique illustrated characters is 3× the design work of a 30-second kinetic text piece. Asset creation is front-loaded — the animation itself takes less time than the design and approval of the visual language.
- Revision rounds. Each revision round on a 30-second 2D layered piece costs 8–16 hours of animator time. Clients who are unclear on visual direction at the start and iterate through 5+ rounds can add £3,000–£8,000 to the cost of a piece that was quoted assuming 3 rounds. Lock the visual style (storyboard and style frames) before animation begins.
- Rendering complexity and turnaround. 3D scenes with complex lighting, particle systems, or fluid simulation take hours to render per frame at high resolution. Rush delivery (delivering a 60-second 3D piece in 5 days instead of 12) requires cloud rendering infrastructure that adds £500–£2,000 in compute costs.
Explainer vs brand film insert: choosing the right format
Clients frequently ask whether to animate an entire explainer or to embed an animated insert inside a live-action film. Both are legitimate — the right choice depends on distribution and audience.
- Full animated explainer: Best when the concept is inherently abstract (software product, internal process, technical mechanism) and no live footage exists or is appropriate. Typical 60–90 second piece in 2D layered style: £18,000–£45,000.
- Animated insert in live-action: Best when you want the credibility of real people and environment but need to visualise one or two concepts that cannot be filmed. The insert (15–45 seconds) is composited into the film by the post team. Total add-on cost: £6,000–£25,000 depending on tier.
- Animated lower thirds and data only: If the film is primarily live-action interview and B-roll and the role of MG is annotation and emphasis rather than storytelling, keep the scope tight. Over-engineered motion graphics on a corporate film often compete with rather than support the live-action content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to add motion graphics to a brand film?
Template-based animation — using After Effects templates or tools like Envato Market — can produce lower thirds, title cards, and a logo sting for £500–£1,500 in animator time. The trade-off is that templates are recognisable to an experienced eye and produce generic results. For brand-differentiating content, bespoke design at the 2D flat tier (£150–£300/second) is worth the modest premium.
How long does a 30-second 2D animated explainer take to produce?
A well-run 30-second 2D layered piece (illustrated characters, brand colour palette, voiceover) takes 4–6 weeks from brief to delivery. Breakdown: 1 week script and storyboard, 1 week style frame design and approval, 2–3 weeks animation and compositing, 1 week revisions and audio. Rushing this timeline either costs significantly more (expedited delivery fees of 25–50%) or produces a lower-quality result.
Is 3D animation worth the extra cost for a corporate film?
For product visualisation — showing the internal mechanism of a physical product, a software interface, or an architectural vision — 3D CGI is often the only way to achieve the required level of clarity and detail. For abstract brand storytelling, 3D is rarely worth the premium over high-quality 2D. Ask what specific communication goal requires 3D, and whether a 2D equivalent would achieve the same understanding from the target audience.
What does a motion capture day cost?
A professional mocap studio (facilities like LOOP or The Imaginarium in London) charges £3,000–£8,000/day for the studio hire. Add the motion capture operator day rate (£800–£1,400) and the 3D animator who cleans the data and applies it to the rig (£700–£1,100/day, typically 3–5 days of cleanup per studio day). A single day of motion capture translates to 60–120 seconds of captured animation data, which still requires 2–4 weeks of rigging, texturing, and rendering to complete. Motion capture is warranted only when character movement realism is essential — not for logo animations or product demonstrations.
How many revision rounds are standard on a motion graphics project?
Three structured rounds is industry standard: Round 1 on animatic (rough timing and composition), Round 2 on animated draft (motion and colour), Round 3 on near-final (fine-tuning and audio sync). Anything beyond three rounds is typically billed as additional work at day rate. Lock the design and script before animation begins — structural changes in Round 2 or 3 multiply in cost because earlier work must be rebuilt.
Can motion graphics be repurposed across social formats?
Yes, but repurposing is not free. Adapting a 16:9 brand film title sequence to 9:16 and 1:1 formats for social requires a recompose of every animated element — typically 30–50% of the original animation cost per additional format. Budget for format adaptation upfront; retrofitting after delivery is consistently more expensive than building multi-format from the start.
Do animators supply source files?
Not automatically. Source file handover (After Effects project files, Cinema 4D scenes, Illustrator assets) is a negotiated deliverable. It adds 10–20% to the project cost due to the time required to clean and package files for third-party use. If you anticipate needing to update animations in-house or through a different supplier in the future, request source files in the initial contract — you will not get them retrospectively at a reasonable price.