IS THERE MONEY IN MOGRAPH?

That bacon doesn’t bring itself home...

MOTION DESIGN SURVEY RESULTS

Motion Design is a captivating profession, but you probably have a lot of questions about MoGraph viability. Here are some

important questions we get all the time:

• How much money do Motion Designers make?

• How many projects do I get to do a year?

• How many hours will I work a week?

These questions are all super valid and it’s a shame that more people don’t talk about the lifestyle of a Motion Designer.

As an incredibly diverse and ever-changing field, the Motion Design industry can be confusing to understand to newcomers.

To make things a little clearer we surveyed over 1300 practicing Motion Designers to get an idea about what the ‘average’ Motion

Designer’s lifestyle is like. So instead of beating around the bush let’s get to the biggest question that everyone always has…

HOW MUCH DOES A MOTION DESIGNER MAKE?

When we surveyed the industry we found that the average full-time employed Motion Designer makes around $63K a year and

the average full-time freelancer makes $65K a year. Now these rates are a worldwide average. Depending on the area you live this

amount could be more or less. However, while physical proximity does help with marketing your skills, many Motion Designers

land freelance, or sometimes full-time gigs in cities they have never even visited.

One of the things you’ll notice is that there is a slight difference between the salaries of a freelancer and an employee. While the

road to freelancing can take some time, in the end you will likely make more money and have more free-time as a freelancer.
 IS THERE MONEY IN MOGRAPH?
That bacon doesn’t bring itself home...

HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DOES A MOTION DESIGNER WORK?

On average Motion Designers work about 41 hours a week on Motion Design projects. However, there’s a big difference between

active work time and inactive work time. While an employee will get paid for their time no matter how busy they are, a freelancer

must take the time to secure their next gig. It’s the price you have to pay to have the freedom of the freelance lifestyle.

Just doing Motion Design on a roof. Nothing to see here …

You’ll also notice that the average Motion Designer works more than 40 hours a week. Depending on where you work it is not

uncommon to work longer hours on nights and weekends if there are tight deadlines.

HOW MANY PROJECTS DO MOTION DESIGNERS DO IN A YEAR?

The biggest difference between a freelancer and a full-time employee can be seen in the number of projects they do in a year.

While a full-time employee averages 31 projects a year, a freelancer only does 23. This means a freelancer works on 30% less

projects, but they get paid about 5% more. This is a big advantage to being a freelancer. But again, you must secure your own gigs

and market your skills, this takes time but if you want more information about this checkout The Freelance Manifesto.

IS IT BETTER TO BE A FREELANCER OR EMPLOYEE?

If you take into account salary, time, benefits, vacation, home-time, flexibility, creativity, potential, longevity, and fun, it is better (in

our opinion) to be a freelancer. It also takes more work to be a freelancer.

To be a great Motion Design freelancer you must take the time to market your skills, grow in your MoGraph abilities, and manage

your time. It takes a lot of practice and patience, but over time a freelance career can snowball into greater career opportunities

for yourself and your family.

 IS THERE MONEY IN MOGRAPH?
That bacon doesn’t bring itself home...

Did we mention that freelancers can take daytime naps?

With that being said, if you are at a point in your life where the idea of someone else finding your gigs sounds relaxing, or if you

like other people telling you what to do (nothing shameful about that), then it isn’t bad to look into a salaried position. In fact,

sometimes a salaried position can be a great place to learn or take a break from freelancing if you need to coast for a bit.

Think of it as your best friend’s couch. It may not be the best long-term option, but it’s always there if you need it.

MORE SURVEY RESULTS

If you want to see more from our Motion Design survey check out the survey page over on the blog. There’s lots of important

questions on there like ‘what taco do Motion Designers prefer?’ We keep things serious around here …