What this page covers: A complete guide to creating an animation brief template, with a free downloadable template covering all 12 fields any professional animation studio needs before starting work.
Who this is for: UK and Belfast-based business owners, marketing managers, and L&D professionals who are ready to commission a professional animation and want the brief to be right first time.
Key takeaway: A thorough brief cuts revision rounds, protects your budget, and gets you a better animation. Most projects go wrong in the briefing stage, not the production stage.
“Good animation starts long before anyone opens design software. The brief, the script, the storyboard; those planning stages determine whether the final animation actually achieves what the business needs.”
Expert insight attribution: Michelle Connolly, Founder and Director, Educational Voice
Quick facts:
- Most animation revision requests trace back to an unclear brief, not production errors
- A completed brief typically reduces back-and-forth by two to three rounds
- Educational Voice is a Belfast-based 2D animation studio with over 3,300 educational animations produced for LearningMole
Table of Contents
Why A Good Brief Is Worth More Than A Big Budget
Briefing an animation studio properly is the single highest-return investment you can make before a project starts. At Educational Voice, our Belfast studio receives briefs of every kind: detailed and structured, vague and incomplete, and everything in between. A clear, complete brief shortens timelines, reduces revision rounds, and almost always results in a better final animation. An incomplete or vague brief does the opposite.
Projects stall when studios have to stop and ask questions that should have been answered at the start. Revisions multiply when the direction wasn’t pinned down. Costs rise when the scope shifts mid-production because the brief was too thin to catch ambiguities early. None of this is the studio’s fault and none of it is the client’s fault; it’s just what happens when the brief is treated as a formality rather than a working document.
If you’re comparing studios for your project, take a look at the Educational Voice portfolio first. Understanding what a studio has produced makes it much easier to describe what you’re looking for in your own brief.
The 12 Things Every Animation Brief Should Include
Every animation brief needs to cover the same core areas, whether you’re commissioning a 30-second social clip or a 10-minute training series. Miss one of these and you’ll find out the hard way why it mattered.
1. Project Overview
What to include
What is this animation, in one or two sentences? What is the business context? Why are you commissioning it now?
Give the studio enough context to understand what you’re trying to achieve. A one-sentence description isn’t enough. Include the business situation: a product launch, a training programme rollout, a rebrand, an investor pitch. Context shapes everything from tone to pacing.
2. Target Audience
What to include
Who is watching this? Age range, role, industry, level of familiarity with the subject. Are they customers, employees, or decision-makers?
Audience knowledge level determines how much the animation needs to explain versus assume. An animation for a GP explaining a new clinical pathway is written very differently to one for a patient explaining the same treatment. Both are healthcare animations. Neither brief would serve the other.
3. Core Message
What to include
What is the single most important thing viewers should understand or feel after watching?
One message. Not five. Studios often receive briefs that list eight key points the client wants covered. A 90-second animation can carry one core idea well. It cannot carry eight with any effectiveness. If your list is long, start by cutting it. What stays matters more than what you include.
4. Desired Action
What to include
What should viewers do after watching? Visit a page, complete training, request a consultation, change a behaviour?
Every animation needs a destination. Whether that’s a URL, a behaviour change, or a mindset shift, the studio needs to know where the animation is trying to take the audience. This drives the script, the CTA, and the pacing.
5. Length And Format
What to include
Target length (in seconds or minutes). Primary platform (website landing page, social media, internal LMS, presentation? Any aspect ratio requirements?
Platform dictates format. A LinkedIn animation needs to work without sound in the first three seconds. A training module can assume a headphone-wearing learner with five minutes to spare. These are completely different briefs for what might be the same core subject.
6. Visual Style And Tone
What to include
What feeling should the animation have? Formal or approachable? Fast-paced or measured? Share reference examples if you have them: links to animations you like, with notes on what specifically appeals.
References save considerable time. Even if you can’t name the style you want, showing three animations you like and three you don’t tells the studio more than a paragraph of adjectives. Be specific about what you like: is it the character design, the colour palette, the motion style, or the pacing?
7. Brand Guidelines
What to include
Your brand colour hex codes, approved fonts, logo files, any existing brand assets to incorporate. Link to your brand guidelines document if one exists.
If you have brand guidelines, share them in full. If you don’t, provide hex codes, logo files in vector format (.ai, .eps, or .svg), and any existing marketing materials the studio can reference for visual consistency. Inconsistent branding in animation is expensive to fix after production.
8. Script Or Key Messages
What to include
A draft script if you have one, or a list of the key points the animation must cover. Note any regulatory or compliance requirements on language.
You don’t need a finished script before briefing. A bullet list of the points that must be included, in rough order, gives the studio enough to begin scriptwriting. For regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals), note any restrictions on claims or language so the studio can factor this in from the start.
9. Voiceover Requirements
What to include
Do you need voiceover? If so: male or female presenter, age range, accent, tone (authoritative, friendly, neutral). Do you have any existing voiceover talent to match?
Voiceover talent affects both timeline and budget. If you need a specific accent for regional relevance, or a voice that matches existing brand content, flag this early. Sourcing the right talent takes time and last-minute changes to voiceover are the most avoidable production delays.
10. Music And Sound Design
What to include
Should the animation include background music? Describe the feel: energetic, calm, corporate, emotive. Note any music the animation must not include (licensed tracks you can’t clear, for example).
Music sets emotional tone more quickly than visuals. A brief description of how you want viewers to feel during the animation is often more useful here than a genre label. If your organisation has licensed stock music libraries, share the details so the studio can work within what’s already cleared.
11. Timeline And Milestones
What to include
Your required delivery date. Any fixed milestones (board presentations, campaign launch dates, conference deadlines). Note internal review cycles and how many stakeholders need sign-off.
Studios plan backwards from a delivery date. The more milestones you share, the better they can build a production schedule that protects your deadlines. The number of stakeholders involved in review is particularly important: three reviewers with different sign-off requirements take longer than one decision-maker.
12. Budget Range
What to include
Your budget range, or the maximum you’re working to. Even a broad range is helpful: “under £5,000” or “£10,000 to £20,000”.
Sharing a budget range lets studios propose the best animation within your parameters rather than pitching blind. A studio that knows you’re working to £3,000 will design a creative solution for that budget. A studio pitching without a budget will often propose something that costs three times as much, which wastes everyone’s time.
Common Brief Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)
These patterns come up again and again. All of them are avoidable.
| The Mistake | What To Do Instead |
|---|---|
| “We’ll know what we want when we see it” | Write down at least three reference examples of animations you like. Specify one thing you like about each. |
| No clear audience defined | Name the actual person watching: their job title, their level of knowledge, their relationship to your brand. |
| Eight key messages for 60 seconds | Pick one. Ask yourself: if viewers remembered only one thing, what should it be? |
| No delivery date until after briefing | Share your hard deadline before the studio begins scoping. It affects the entire production plan. |
| Withholding the budget | Give a range. You’ll get better proposals and save rounds of back-and-forth on scope. |
| Brief written by one person, approved by committee | Get all stakeholders to review the brief before sending, not after the studio has produced storyboards. |
| No mention of where the animation will be used | Specify the primary platform. Format, aspect ratio, and pacing all depend on where the animation lives. |
Animation Brief Example: A Completed Brief In Full
Here is what a completed brief looks like in practice. This example covers a 90-second explainer video for a UK financial services business.
| Brief Field | Example Response |
|---|---|
| Project overview | A 90-second explainer video explaining our new ISA product to first-time investors aged 25–40. To be used on the product landing page and in paid social campaigns launching in April. |
| Target audience | Adults aged 25–40 with no prior investing experience. Familiar with saving but not with stocks and shares. Cautious but curious. |
| Core message | Investing doesn’t have to be complicated. Our ISA makes it simple to start with as little as £25 a month. |
| Desired action | Click through to the ISA application form on our website. |
| Length and format | 90 seconds. Landscape (16:9) for website. Square (1:1) cut for Instagram and LinkedIn. Must work without audio for social. |
| Visual style and tone | Friendly and approachable, not corporate. Character-led. Reference: [links shared separately]. Avoid anything that looks like a bank advert. |
| Brand guidelines | Full brand guidelines document attached. Primary colour #1A3D6B, secondary #F5A623. Logo in .svg format attached. |
| Script or key messages | Draft script attached. Must avoid FCA-restricted phrases. Compliance team brief attached separately. |
| Voiceover | Female presenter, 30–45, neutral UK accent, warm and reassuring. No existing talent to match. |
| Music and sound | Upbeat but not frenetic. Light, modern feel. No stock music that sounds “corporate bank”; happy to be guided on options. |
| Timeline and milestones | Final delivery required by 14 March. Internal review sign-off needed from marketing director and compliance lead. Two rounds of revisions expected. |
| Budget range | £6,000–£9,000 for the landscape version; budget for the social cut is separate and to be scoped once the main production is confirmed. |
The Free Animation Brief Template
Use the template below to complete your own animation brief. Every field maps to one of the 12 areas covered above. Fill in as much as you can before sending; the more complete your brief, the faster the studio can respond with an accurate proposal.
Educational Voice, based in Belfast, developed this template from years of working with UK and Northern Ireland businesses on briefing projects of every size. It’s free to download and use with any studio.
Download The Animation Brief Template
All 12 fields, with guidance notes for each. Formatted for easy sharing with any studio. Download Free Template (PDF)
The template fields are also reproduced in full below, formatted for print or copy-paste into a document.
Animation Brief Template: All 12 Fields
1. Project Overview
What is this animation? What is the business context? Why are you commissioning it now?
2. Target Audience
Who will watch this? Job role, age range, prior knowledge, relationship to your brand.
3. Core Message
What single idea should viewers take away?
4. Desired Action
What should viewers do after watching?
5. Length And Format
Target duration. Primary platform. Aspect ratio. Any platform-specific requirements.
6. Visual Style And Tone
Describe the feel. Share reference animations with notes on what specifically appeals.
7. Brand Guidelines
Brand colours (hex codes), fonts, logo files, existing brand assets or guidelines document.
8. Script Or Key Messages
Draft script or bullet list of points the animation must cover. Note any compliance requirements.
9. Voiceover Requirements
Voiceover needed? Preferred presenter profile: gender, age, accent, tone. Existing talent to match?
10. Music And Sound Design
Music required? Describe the emotional feel. Note any music restrictions or cleared libraries.
11. Timeline And Milestones
Delivery deadline. Fixed milestones. Number of stakeholders in the review and sign-off process.
12. Budget Range
Your budget range or maximum. A broad range is better than no figure at all.
What Happens After You Send The Brief
A good studio will come back with questions. This is a positive sign, not a problem. It means they’ve read the brief carefully and identified where they need clarity before committing to a proposal. The questions they ask will also tell you a great deal about how they work.
From a complete brief, expect a proposal within three to five business days. The proposal should include a creative approach, a production timeline with milestones, and a cost breakdown. If something in the brief was ambiguous, the studio may provide two options and ask you to choose a direction.
Once a proposal is agreed and a deposit paid, the typical production sequence for a 2D animation is: script, storyboard, design, animation, sound and voiceover, review rounds, and final delivery. The Educational Voice blog covers the full production process in detail if you want to understand what’s happening at each stage.
“Good animation starts long before anyone opens design software. The brief, the script, the storyboard; those planning stages determine whether the final animation actually achieves what the business needs.”Michelle Connolly, Founder and Director, Educational Voice
What Professional Animation Costs: A UK Pricing Guide
Budget is one of the most common questions businesses have before briefing a studio. The ranges below give a general guide for professional 2D animation in the UK. Exact costs depend on animation style, length, complexity, number of revision rounds, and turnaround time.
| Animation Type | Typical Length | UK Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Simple explainer video | 60–90 seconds | £1,500–£4,000 |
| Mid-complexity 2D animation | 90 seconds–3 minutes | £4,000–£9,000 |
| Character-led animation | 60–120 seconds | £5,000–£12,000 |
| Training animation (single module) | 3–8 minutes | £6,000–£15,000 |
| Educational animation series | Multiple episodes | Scoped per project |
Educational Voice offers transparent pricing conversations from the first consultation. There is no obligation to proceed after an initial discussion. Get in touch to discuss your project and budget and we’ll give you an honest assessment of what’s achievable.
Why UK Businesses Work With Educational Voice
Educational Voice is a 2D animation studio based in Belfast, founded by Michelle Connolly, a former primary school teacher. The studio has produced over 3,300 educational animations for LearningMole and works with businesses across Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the UK.
The studio specialises in 2D animation for business: explainer videos, educational content, corporate training animations, healthcare animations, and financial services communications. Every project starts with the kind of detailed briefing process this guide describes, which is part of why projects tend to run on time and on budget.
If you’re ready to discuss a project, contact Educational Voice directly. If you want to see the range of work the studio produces, the portfolio is here.
FAQs
How Long Should An Animation Brief Be?
A complete brief is typically one to two pages. Long enough to answer all 12 fields above, short enough that the studio can read it in five minutes without losing the thread. Don’t pad it: a concise, well-organised brief is more useful than a ten-page document full of context the studio doesn’t need. If you have supporting documents (brand guidelines, a draft script, compliance requirements), attach them separately rather than incorporating them into the brief itself.
Do I Need A Script Before I Can Brief A Studio?
No. A studio can write the script for you, and many clients prefer this. What you need before briefing is clarity on your core message, your target audience, and the action you want viewers to take. A bullet list of the key points the animation must cover is enough for most studios to begin scriptwriting. If you do have a draft script, share it, but don’t hold off briefing until it’s finished.
What If I Don’t Know My Budget Yet?
Share a range rather than a precise figure. “Under £5,000” or “between £8,000 and £15,000” gives the studio enough information to propose a realistic creative solution. Studios would rather know a range upfront than invest time in a proposal that turns out to be three times the client’s actual budget. If you genuinely have no figure in mind, ask the studio for a ballpark based on your brief before committing to a full proposal process.
How Many Revisions Should I Expect?
Most professional studios include two rounds of revisions in their standard contracts. A round of revisions means consolidated feedback submitted at one time: not individual comments trickled over days. The number of stakeholders involved in review affects how many rounds you’ll need in practice. If five people need to approve the storyboard, consolidating their feedback before submitting it to the studio saves considerable time and cost.
Can I Brief A Studio If I’ve Never Commissioned Animation Before?
Yes. Studios work with first-time commissioners regularly. Use the template above to structure your brief, share reference examples of animations you like, and be honest about what you don’t know. A good studio will ask the questions that surface missing information and guide you through the parts of the process that are unfamiliar. Educational Voice offers free initial consultations specifically for this reason.
Should The Brief Be Approved Internally Before Sending?
Yes. Every stakeholder who will have input on the final animation should review the brief before it’s sent to the studio. Changing direction after production has started costs more and takes longer than getting alignment at the briefing stage. If your internal sign-off process is complex, make this explicit in the brief under timeline and milestones. Studios will factor it into their production schedule.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Proposal After Sending A Brief?
Most professional animation studios respond with a proposal within three to five business days of receiving a complete brief. If a brief is incomplete, a studio may come back with clarifying questions before scoping, which adds time. A complete brief submitted on Monday typically generates a proposal by Thursday or Friday. More complex projects involving multiple animations or a series may require a longer scoping period before a proposal is ready.
Ready To Brief Educational Voice?
Based in Belfast, Educational Voice produces professional 2D animations for businesses across the UK and Ireland. If you’ve completed your brief and you’re ready to talk, get in touch. If you’d like to see the range of animation styles the studio produces before you brief, the portfolio is a good starting point. Discuss Your Project. See The Portfolio
