Motion Graphics That Earn Their Budget (And The Kind That Don't)

The vanity category

Brand intros, logo reveals, abstract animated sequences. Pretty, expensive, almost never measurable in any business metric.

The payback category

Animated explainers for complex products, illustrated data visualizations, and animated UGC overlays for paid social. All three produce measurable lift.

Budgets that make sense

30-second explainer: $3–8k. Data viz short: $1–3k. UGC overlay templates: $2–5k for a library. If a studio quotes $25k for a brand intro, walk away.

How to direct motion

Board every second in rough storyboard form before any animation begins. Every cut, every camera move, every text appearance. Revisions after animation starts cost 10x more than revisions at the board stage.