Design
Motion Graphics
Animation with a job. The constraint that decides everything is where it will play and whether anyone will hear it.
Motion graphics covers animation for adverts, explainers and interface moments. The Nexclick starts from the placement and the first three seconds, because most video is watched muted on a phone and a piece made for a showreel rarely works where it is actually going.
Is this you?
What usually prompts the call
- You need paid social creative and static images have stopped performing.
- Your product needs explaining and text is not doing it.
- You commissioned a beautiful animation that did not work as an advert.
- Your interface has moments that feel abrupt and could be explained by motion.
What we do
The actual deliverables
Things that appear on an invoice, not adjectives.
- Start from the placement
- Feed advert, pre-roll, website hero or in-app moment. Each has different length, aspect ratio and attention constraints, and the piece is designed to those rather than adapted afterwards.
- The first three seconds
- Where paid social succeeds or is scrolled past. The hook is designed first and the rest built around it, which is the opposite of how animation is usually made.
- Designed for muted viewing
- Most social video is watched without sound. If it only makes sense with audio, it does not make sense. On-screen text and visual storytelling carry it.
- Multiple aspect ratios
- Square, vertical and landscape versions built into the composition rather than cropped afterwards, which is where important elements get cut off.
- Explainer scripting
- The script does the work; the animation supports it. A confused explanation animated beautifully is still a confused explanation.
- Interface motion
- Transitions and micro-interactions specified with duration and easing, delivered as Lottie or as a specification developers can implement precisely.
- Delivery in every required format
- Codec, bitrate, length and file size to each platform’s specification, plus source files so future edits do not need a rebuild.
Comparison
What each placement actually requires
The most common waste in motion work is a single piece made without a placement in mind, then cropped to fit everywhere and working nowhere. These are the real constraints per destination.
| Placement | Length | Ratio | Sound? | First priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta feed advert | 6–15 seconds | 1:1 or 4:5 | Assume muted | Hook in the first 2 seconds |
| Instagram / TikTok vertical | 9–21 seconds | 9:16 | Often on | Native feel — polish reads as an advert |
| YouTube skippable pre-roll | 15–30 seconds | 16:9 | Usually on | Say something before the 5-second skip |
| YouTube non-skippable | 6 or 15 seconds | 16:9 | Usually on | One message only |
| LinkedIn feed | 15–30 seconds | 1:1 or 16:9 | Assume muted | Captions and clarity over style |
| Website hero | 10–20 seconds, looping | 16:9 | Muted, no controls | Small file size; must not delay LCP |
| Explainer on a landing page | 60–90 seconds | 16:9 | On | Script clarity above all |
| In-app transition | Under 300ms | Variable | None | Speed — motion must never delay the user |
| Exhibition or event screen | 30–60 seconds, looping | 16:9 or custom | None | Readable from several metres |
How it works
Step by step, with timeframes
Timeframes are typical rather than guaranteed, and they assume we get account access and approvals when we ask.
- 01Week 1
Brief and placement
Where it plays, how long it can be, whether sound is available, and what one thing it must communicate.
- 02Week 1–2
Script and storyboard
Approved before animation starts. Changing a storyboard costs an hour; changing finished animation costs days.
- 03Week 2–4
Animate
Style frames first for approval, then full animation, with one revision round included.
- 04Week 4–5
Version and deliver
Every aspect ratio and platform specification, plus source files and a captions file.
What you get
Reporting and ownership
- Every aspect ratio composed rather than cropped, so nothing important is cut off.
- A captions file as standard, since most viewing is muted and captions are an accessibility requirement.
- Source files supplied, so a price change or a new offer does not need a rebuild.
- Delivery to each platform’s codec, length and file size specification.
- Storyboard approval before animation, so revisions happen when they are cheap.
Tools and platforms
- Adobe After Effects
- Illustrator
- Lottie / Bodymovin
- Platform specification references
- Caption and subtitle tooling
Timeline
How long this actually takes
Four to five weeks for a substantial explainer, less for short social pieces. The storyboard stage is where changes are cheap and it is the one clients most want to hurry — a change at storyboard costs an hour, the same change after animation costs days. One honest note on effectiveness: a well-made animation cannot rescue an unclear proposition or a badly targeted campaign. If the message is not settled, animating it makes the confusion more expensive rather than clearer, and we will say so before quoting.
Pricing model
Fixed-price project
Fixed price by duration and complexity, including all aspect ratio versions. Ongoing campaign creative is more economical on a retainer where volume justifies it.
Questions
Motion Graphics questions
How long should an explainer video be?
Sixty to ninety seconds for most products, and shorter is almost always better. Retention drops sharply past two minutes. If the explanation genuinely needs three minutes, the usual problem is that the proposition has not been simplified enough rather than that the video is too short.
Do we need sound?
Design as though there is none. Most social video is watched muted, and an animation that only makes sense with audio does not make sense in the placement it is going to. Add sound as an enhancement rather than as the carrier of the message.
Can one video work everywhere?
Poorly. Length, aspect ratio and attention differ per placement, and cropping a landscape piece to vertical routinely cuts off the thing that mattered. Versions should be composed rather than cropped, which is why every aspect ratio is included rather than charged as an extra.
What is Lottie and do we want it?
A format for vector animation that plays in an app or website at a fraction of the file size of video, and stays sharp at any scale. Ideal for interface motion, icons and loading states. Not suitable for anything photographic or complex.
Will you write the script?
Yes, and it is where most of the value sits. A confused explanation animated beautifully is still confused. We would rather spend an extra day on the script than an extra week on the animation, and it produces a better result every time.
How is this different from video editing?
Motion graphics is animation created from scratch — type, shapes, illustration, data. Video editing works with footage that already exists. They often appear in the same piece, and they are different disciplines with different costs, which is why they are separate services.
Last reviewed 28 July 2026.
Tell us what you are trying to fix
A 20-minute call, no pitch deck. The Nexclick will tell you what we would do, roughly what it costs, and whether we are the right people for it.