HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a motion graphics designer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to motion graphics designers. Here is how to agree ownership, music and font licences, and revision rounds.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a motion graphics designer in five steps

  1. Watch their showreelPick a motion graphics designer whose reel already looks close to the style and length you need.
  2. Lock the script firstWords and timings agreed before design starts; changing the script mid-animation is the costliest change there is.
  3. Agree rounds at each stageStoryboard, style frames and animation, each with a number of revision rounds.
  4. Check music, footage and fontsEvery element licensed for commercial use in the places you will show the video.
  5. Agree ownership of the filesThe final video and, if you want them, the project files, with copyright assigned to you.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses motion graphics designers or animation studios in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The showreel, a client reference and the written terms are the checks that count.

Ask for a showreel and one client you can contact about deadlines and changes.

Copyright in the video and project files

A motion graphics video is protected by copyright, and under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the freelance creator owns it first. Section 90 makes an assignment effective only if it is in writing and signed by the motion graphics designer.

Put the assignment of the final video, and of the project files if you want them, in the contract. legislation.gov.uk →

Music, footage and fonts licensed

Music recordings, film footage and typefaces are all protected by copyright automatically. A track or font that is free for personal use is not necessarily licensed for an advert or a company video.

Ask for a list of every track, clip and font, with the licence and where it allows the video to be shown. gov.uk →

Honest claims in promotional videos

A product or advertising video is marketing. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 it must not mislead consumers with false or deceptive messages.

Check figures, comparisons and claims in the script against your evidence before animation begins. gov.uk →

VAT

Motion design is standard-rated, so a registered motion graphics designer adds 20% to the master video, each cut-down and any project-file fee. Registration becomes compulsory once a motion graphics designer has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the motion graphics designer for the VAT number when the storyboard is agreed and for VAT shown on each stage invoice. gov.uk →

“Can I see motion graphics work close to the style I want?”

A good answer: Pieces from the reel in a similar style and length, with the client and brief explained.

“How many revision rounds are included at each stage?”

A good answer: A number for storyboard, style frames and animation, and the cost of late changes once the motion graphics are animated.

“Is the music licensed for where this video will run?”

A good answer: A named track and licence covering your channels: social, website, paid ads or broadcast.

“Will you supply the project files, and who owns them?”

A good answer: A clear answer. Many designers charge to release project files; the final video should be yours by assignment.

“What formats and lengths will the motion graphics designer deliver?”

A good answer: Named aspect ratios and cut-downs, such as a 30-second master, a 15-second cut and a square version.

“Who provides the voiceover?”

A good answer: Included, booked by the designer at a stated cost, or supplied by you, with usage rights for the voice.

“What is the schedule from script to final export?”

A good answer: Dates for storyboard, style frames, first animation and final delivery.

Getting the quote right

  • Length of the master video and each cut-down or aspect ratio
  • Who actually attends to the animation: the motion graphics designer you briefed, or a subcontracted animator
  • Storyboard, style frame and animation revision rounds
  • Music, voiceover and stock footage: included or extra, with licences
  • Copyright in the final video assigned to you; project files included or priced
  • Delivery formats and dates
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the video and each cut-down

Walk away if

  • Music taken from anywhere with no licence
  • Animation started before the script is signed off
  • No limit on revisions, followed by surprise extra charges
  • Refuses to put ownership in writing
  • No showreel in a style near yours
  • Full payment before storyboards
LOW
£400
TYPICAL
£3,000
HIGH
£6,000

What a motion graphics designer costs: £400–£6,000 per project

Motion graphics designers quote per project from the length, style and versions, with voiceover and licensed music priced in or added. Motion Graphics Designer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Motion graphics designers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ScriptMessage, words and timings agreed and signed off.
  2. StoryboardEach scene sketched against the script.
  3. Style framesKey frames showing the final look before anything moves.
  4. AnimationScenes animated with music and voice, within the agreed rounds.
  5. ExportFinal files in each format, with the licences and the assignment.

Style frame
A still image showing exactly how a scene will look.
Storyboard
A sequence of sketches mapping the video scene by scene.
Kinetic typography
Animated text that moves in time with a voice or music.
Logo sting
A short animated logo, often a few seconds long.
Cut-down
A shorter version edited from the master video.
Project file
The editable working file the animation was built in.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the licences with the videoMusic, footage and font licences next to the final files; you may need to prove them later.
Check every versionWatch each cut and ratio to the end, with sound, on a phone and a large screen.
Store the project filesIf you paid for them, keep them where another designer could open them.
Review it on LocufyYour review helps the next person choose; Locufy only accepts reviews of booked work. If there is a problem with the motion graphics designer, the make-it-right step gives them a chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Write to the motion graphics designer firstSet out the problem, the date and what would put it right. Trading as a business, the motion graphics designer owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and where that was missing you can require the work done again or a lower price.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upUnder four stars, you are asked whether to send the problem to the motion graphics designer before reviewing. We chase it with them, and your review follows.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceTrading Standards takes complaints through the national helplines: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland, which is its own helpline there.
STEP 4The small claims routeIf nothing else works, claim from the motion graphics designer in the small claims court: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 in Scotland by simple procedure, and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a motion graphics designer: questions people ask

No. No licence or registration is needed in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is set by law.

The designer owns the copyright until they assign it to you in a signed document. Put it in the contract, along with the position on project files.

Yes. Music recordings are protected by copyright, so the track must be licensed for the places the video will be shown.

Usually £400–£6,000 per project, with £3,000 typical. Length, custom illustration or 3D, sound and the number of versions set the price. See the motion graphics designer price guide for the detail, or enter your town above for motion graphics designers near you.

Once scenes are animated, a script or timing change can mean rebuilding them. Lock the script and storyboard first.

Short pieces take days; a 30-second piece usually takes one to three weeks.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: AnimatorHow to hire: Graphic DesignerHow to hire: IllustratorHow to hire: Content CreatorHow to hire: Brand DesignerHow to hire: 3D ModellerHow to hire: Logo DesignerHow to hire: Podcast EditorAll 701 hiring guides →

Motion graphics designers near you

Motion graphics designers in LondonMotion graphics designers in ManchesterMotion graphics designers in BirminghamMotion graphics designers in GlasgowMotion graphics designers in BelfastAll motion graphics designers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  3. gov.uk — regulations that affect advertising
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register