Motion Graphics Examples: 3 Projects and What They Cost

Most motion graphics examples you find online are reels: a minute of beautiful frames with no word about what the project was for, how long it took or what it cost. That helps with taste, but not with a budget. Here are three motion graphics projects from our own studio, each with the job it had to do, the technique we chose and the real cost.

The short version: the same words, “motion graphics”, covered a project of about $5,500 and one of $12,020. The difference was not in the animation software. It was in how much had to be designed from scratch before anything moved.

What counts as motion graphics

Motion graphics are animated graphic design: shapes, icons, type, charts and interface elements that move to explain something. Unlike character animation, they rarely tell a story through acting. They make an idea readable fast, often with the sound off. In business video they turn up in explainers, product launches, ads and event screens, in 2D, in 3D, or layered over live-action or AI footage.

Example 1: 2D motion design for a B2B brand launch (CloudLinux)

The job. CloudLinux, whose software runs under more than 65 million websites, was changing its brand for the first time in 15 years. It needed a short brand reveal for an event in Miami and a 90-second video for the website, aimed at two audiences at once: hosting providers and web agencies.

Why motion graphics. The product line had more than a dozen products, and the event video had to work without sound. Graphics carried the meaning: three icons for the three jobs the platform does (fast and stable, secure, patched), titles inside a triangle, a chart of security vulnerabilities, server stacks and website cards that change for each audience.

Cost and timeline. About $11,000 and 9 weeks. That covered the script, illustrations, animation, voiceover, sound design and every export: two videos, each with and without voiceover, in 4K, Full HD and an interlaced version for the event screen. The script and storyboard took the longest, and it paid off: the client’s reply to the first full version was “Let’s keep going. No other feedback.” Read the full CloudLinux case.

Example 2: shape-based 2D for an online service (YouTube creators)

The job. Our influencer marketing division had built an online media kit for YouTube creators. The video replaced a PDF deck in messages to bloggers and had to get them past the biggest barrier: granting access to their channel statistics.

Why this style. A talking head with a screencast would have been faster. We chose shape-based 2D animation with two characters, a stylized interface redrawn to match the video’s world, and zero stock assets. The energy comes from composition rather than quick zooms: a new effect roughly every three seconds. The result was a view-through rate of over 90% on the landing page, and over 65% of the creators we contacted registered.

Where the money went. We ran it like a client project and tracked every line:

• Art direction, script and voiceover text: $800, 7 business days
• Concept art and character design (4 locations, 4 characters): $2,500
• UI stylization and custom icons: $2,800
• Motion design: $3,500, 15 business days
• Voice talent: $170
• Compositing and editing: $1,900
• Sound design and mixing: $350

Total: $12,020 and about 7 weeks. Look at the split: design work before anything moved cost $6,100, more than half the budget, while the animation itself was $3,500. That is typical for custom motion graphics. The behind-the-scenes story of this video is in our post on animated commercials examples.

Example 3: 3D motion graphics over AI footage (AMPD)

The job. A 30-second top-of-funnel ad in 4 weeks. It had to contrast a B2B marketer at an office computer with a shopper at home on a smartphone, and explain how the product connects retail platforms.

The fork in the budget. We offered two routes. Adapted motion graphics templates, recolored and adjusted to the brand, over stock or AI footage: $2,500 and 2 weeks. Or custom animation and 3D built from scratch: about $6,000 within the 4 weeks. The client chose custom: an abstract 3D space with a grid floor and a line that travels between retail icons, with AI-generated characters and locations as the base layer. The project came in at about $5,500.

What AI did not do. We kept the interface and 3D graphics out of the AI prompts on purpose. Asking a model to generate a working phone screen produces artifacts, and it cannot hold the precision of a custom 3D grid. AI handled the base footage. Tracking, compositing and the 3D were done by hand. The video now sits in the hero section of the client’s homepage. Read the AMPD case.

What drives motion graphics cost

Put the three projects side by side and the price drivers become clear:

• Templates or custom. On AMPD the same brief was $2,500 with adapted templates and about $6,000 custom.
• How much has to be designed first. Characters, a redrawn interface and custom icons cost more than the animation in Example 2.
• How hard the message is. A dozen products for two audiences means weeks of script and storyboard before design starts.
• Versions and formats. Two cuts, with and without voiceover, in several resolutions, are part of the CloudLinux budget.
• Sound. Custom sound design is a small line, but without it motion graphics feel flat.

For per-minute ranges, see our guides to 2D animation cost per minute and why one explainer costs $2,500 and another $30,000.

FAQ

How much does motion graphics cost?
In our projects: $2,500 for adapted templates over stock or AI footage, about $5,500 to $6,000 for custom 3D graphics on a 30-second ad, and $11,000 to $12,000 for a fully custom 2D video with script, illustration and sound.

What is the difference between motion graphics and animation?
Motion graphics animate design elements such as icons, type, charts and interfaces to explain an idea. Character animation tells a story through characters who act. Many videos mix both, like our creator-service video.

How long does a motion graphics video take?
From 2 weeks with templates to 7–9 weeks for a custom video with a complex script.

Can AI make motion graphics?
AI can generate base footage and characters. Precise interface and 3D graphics still need to be designed and composited by hand.

Need motion graphics for your product?

Send us what you need to explain and where the video will run, and we will suggest the route that fits the budget: templates, custom 2D or 3D. See our explainer video production services or request a quote.