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animation & motion graphics

Most gigs run in three beats: a script and storyboard so you both agree what happens before anyone animates, the design of the frames and characters, then the animation, sound and final exports. An explainer might include a voiceover and music; a logo sting or animated social post is shorter and skips the script. Be clear up front whether you need the writing and design done too, or just the animation from assets you already have, because it changes the bid.

Motion graphics is moving design: animated text, logos, icons, charts and shapes, the stuff that makes an explainer or a social post feel alive. Animation in the fuller sense usually means characters and storytelling, 2D or 3D, with more craft and time behind it. Plenty of freelancers do both, but a kinetic-type promo and a character-led short are different jobs, so match the freelancer to the one you actually need.

2D is flat, faster to produce and great for explainers, icons, kinetic type and most social content. 3D adds depth and realism, think product renders, spinning packaging or a more cinematic feel, and it costs more and takes longer because of modelling and rendering. For most small business jobs 2D does everything you need. Reach for 3D when the product itself is the hero and you want to show it from every angle.

A short animated logo or a simple social post can turn around in a few days to a week. A 60 to 90 second explainer with a script, storyboard, custom design and voiceover usually runs 3 to 6 weeks, since each stage has to be signed off before the next. 3D work takes longer again. The biggest delay is approving the script and storyboard, so lock those early because changes after animation starts are slow and pricey.

Because changes are cheap on paper and expensive on screen. Reworking a storyboard frame takes minutes; re-animating a finished scene can take days. A good freelancer won't touch the animation until you've signed off the script and the storyboard, so you know exactly what you're getting. Treat the storyboard as the real decision point, not the first cut.

Canva and CapCut handle simple animated text and basic transitions, and for a quick social post that's plenty. Where a freelancer earns their keep is the harder stuff: custom characters, smooth timing, a logo animation that feels considered, and the kind of work built in After Effects that templates can't fake. AI can generate clips fast, but it won't nail your brand, your message or the polish a paying audience notices. For anything that represents the business, that craft is the difference.

Hook people in the first second, build it to read with the sound off, and cut it for vertical. The numbers are brutal: average watch time on Meta is 1 to 2 seconds, and about 95% of people don't make it past 1.5 seconds. So open on the payoff, burn in captions or on-screen text, and keep it short. Kinetic type is great for this because the message lands even on mute.

The final video exported in every format and aspect ratio you need: 16:9 for YouTube and web, 9:16 for reels and stories, 1:1 for the feed, plus a captioned version since most social plays muted. If you want a transparent version of an animated logo (for example a ProRes or PNG sequence with alpha) so you can drop it onto other videos, ask for that. The editable project file (the After Effects source) isn't always included, so write it into the gig if you'll want future edits.

In Australia, a short animated logo or simple motion graphics post often runs $300 to $900. A custom 60 to 90 second 2D explainer with script, design and voiceover typically lands between $2,000 and $6,000, and 3D or character animation goes higher again. Price tracks length, the style, how custom the design is, and whether voiceover and sound are part of the gig.

Hourly rates for motion work run about $66 to $123. A junior at $66 to $90 can animate to an existing style frame or template, which suits social cutdowns and simple logo stings. Most motion gigs land at $82 to $123, a motion designer handling design and animation together. Hourly rates are only half the picture here, though: most animation is quoted per finished minute or per gig, because the work is front-loaded into design and storyboarding before anything moves. Always compare quotes on the finished deliverable, not the rate.

Start with the showreel and match the style to what you want, since animators specialise hard, a 3D product artist and a 2D explainer animator are different people. Look for work in your style and ideally your industry, read their verified reviews on Unjumble, and confirm the deliverables, the formats and how many revision rounds are included. A quick chat about the concept tells you whether they get the brief.

Post an animation gig in under five minutes. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it's time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, showreels and verified reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting is free, so you only pay for the work.

Every gig is split into stages you both agree on up front, often the storyboard and then the final animation. You fund each stage before the work starts and it's held securely through Stripe, then released once you sign off. No chasing invoices, and no paying for work that's not done.