There are two main factors that impact the price of an animation: length and complexity. A short and simple animation would obviously cost less than a long and complex one, but short projects can also be complex and require a full team of animators. Take our project with Dreams as an example – that was a small job, but cost a lot more than our “Love it for Longer” campaign for Chester Zoo because of the detail in the animation. Which means we can’t price jobs purely on their length, or purely on their complexity. To put a ballpark answer on the question, we’d say a good starter point for a short animation is £10,000. If you’re looking for a complex animation that’s either quite long or has multiple outputs and needs the talents of our entire team, the cost can occasionally nudge up to six figures.

All animation projects need a couple of weeks to get going – we’ll make sure everyone’s on the same page, that we have the brand guidelines and/or assets that we need, and that schedules are aligned. The time an animation takes after this initial set up mostly depends on how complicated it is, and also how long it is. Something short (under 60 seconds) and with a simple style (not too many detailed characters) could be produced in four weeks. If we’re working with you to create a longer two to three minute piece, with detailed design that requires a larger team, allow eight to 10 weeks.

2D animation is essentially flat drawings that move – think of the Simpsons or the original Lion King. The characters move around, but they don’t look like you could pick them up. 3D animation is 3D-shaped models that move like real things – Toy Story is the best example. Choosing 2D or 3D animation for your project is a simpler question to answer than it was 10 years ago. Nowadays, you’ll often see work that you assume is 2D made with 3D software. (Fun fact: South Park is created to look 2D, but it’s made using 3D software!) As for the practical differences, 2D animation often can be quicker to produce, but harder to change later because we’re essentially working with drawings. If we’ve built an animation in 3D, it’s a bit like a virtual film set. Parts of it can be moved, changed or rebuilt without having to redraw anything. So, if you think you’ll want to alter things in the future, 3D could be the way for you.

Put simply, motion design is when you take graphics and make them move. You might also hear it called ‘motion graphics’ and it sits very closely to graphic design. Think animated logos, letters that move or stylish transitions. Animation relates to all things that move, but most people think of character and illustrated projects when you mention animation – the sort of thing you’d see in a Pixar film. We like to keep the two terms separate because they can have very different inputs and outputs. A super slick product film with 3D animation wouldn’t feel right under the ‘animation’ banner because it’s design-led, brand-led and focused on motion, not storytelling. That said, we often work on projects where we combine elements of both into one film, which is why we are an Animation AND Motion Design Studio

We’ve worked with a range of businesses, but mostly with B2B brands -especially those that need to explain something clearly, or make a strong first impression. We also work with creative agencies, picking up projects where they need a trusted animation partner to bring ideas to life. Lately, we’ve done quite a bit with tech scale-ups, turning complex or abstract ideas into something simple and visual.