A useful motion design brief explains what the film needs to do. You do not need to arrive with every creative decision made, but a few clear details make it easier to agree the work, the cost and a realistic delivery plan.

I can help shape a project from an early idea or work from designs your team has already prepared. Use the questions below as a starting point for either route.

Who is watching and what should they understand?

Describe the audience and the one message that matters most. Then explain what you would like someone to do after watching: understand a service, notice a product feature or recognise a brand.

The Black Isle explainer introduces a business and its services. The Goodyear animation explains a packaging process. Both use animation, but the subject and intended use give each brief a different focus.

Where will the video appear?

List the places you want to use it: a website, social channels, a presentation or a larger film. Include the required aspect ratios, approximate duration and any shorter versions. If those requirements are undecided, flag them so we can work through them before animation starts.

Think about language versions too. The DeWalt project combined edited product footage with graphics and versions in several languages. Knowing those versions are needed helps define the deliverables from the start.

What material is already available?

Share what you have, even if it is unfinished. Tell me which elements are approved and which are still open for discussion.

  • Brand guidelines, logos and fonts
  • A script, message outline or existing presentation
  • Design files, illustrations or storyboards
  • Footage, product images and any supplied audio
  • References, with a sentence explaining what you like about each

Let me know which files you can supply for production and whether any assets still need to be sourced. For a freelance booking, it also helps to know your team’s software and how project files will be handed over.

What are the budget and deadline?

A budget range helps us discuss a suitable scope. A delivery date helps us plan the stages that need to happen before it. Include any earlier presentation, review or approval dates, not just the final deadline.

I do not publish a single price for every animation because the scope can vary. Send the brief and we can discuss what the work involves before agreeing a booking.

Who gives feedback and who signs it off?

Name the person coordinating feedback and the people who need to approve the finished work. Agreeing how comments are collected helps everyone understand which changes to act on. Flag any brand or legal review your own organisation needs to complete.

A short brief you can copy

  • Audience and main message:
  • Intended use and required versions:
  • Approximate length:
  • Existing assets and references:
  • Budget range:
  • Final deadline and review dates:
  • Feedback contact:
  • Remote or on-site support, if booking me into your team:

You can commission an animated explainer, discuss product videos and social content or book agency freelance support. If you are still deciding, send what you know and we can take it from there.