I'm Thomas Davis, a freelance motion designer and animator based in Manchester, UK. I've spent over 15 years creating animations for businesses and brands: animated explainer videos, logo animation, motion graphics, 3D animation and UI animation.

If you need an animation made, whether that's a short explainer for a new product, an animated logo, or motion graphics for a campaign, I handle the whole project from script to final render. You deal directly with the person making your animation, not an account manager.

What I do

  • Animated explainer videos — short animations that explain a product, service or idea. Typically from around £5,000–£6,000.
  • Logo animation — bringing a brand's logo to life for video intros, sign-offs and websites. From £1,750.
  • Motion design & motion graphics — animated content for launches, social media, funding announcements and campaigns.
  • 3D animation — product animation, isometric scenes and trailers in Cinema 4D.
  • UI animation — interface animation for apps, games and product videos.
  • Script writing and voiceover — included as part of every explainer video project.

For a full breakdown of pricing, read how much an animation costs.

Who I've worked with

Clients range from household names to fast-moving startups, including The Guardian, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Matik, Trigger.dev, Authored, MysteryVibe and Gorilla Design. I also work behind the scenes for creative agencies when they need an extra motion designer on a project.

See recent examples in my motion design portfolio.

“Every project we've worked on with Thomas has been great, he's responsive, full of great ideas, and his work is always of the highest standard.”

— Holly O'Mahony, The Guardian

How creating an animation with me works

Every project follows the same five stages, and each one is signed off before the next begins so nothing drifts off course:

  1. Planning — working out who the animation is for and what it needs to achieve.
  2. Script — writing (or refining) the words so the message is clear.
  3. Storyboards — designing the key frames and visual style.
  4. Voiceover & music — casting a voice and choosing the soundtrack.
  5. Animation — bringing it all to life in After Effects and Cinema 4D.

There's a more detailed walkthrough of how to make an animation for your business if you'd like to know more.

Common questions

Why hire a freelance motion designer instead of an animation studio?

You work directly with the person creating your animation, decisions happen faster, and there's none of the overhead a studio builds into its day rate. For larger projects I bring in trusted illustrators, animators and voice artists from my network, so scale isn't a limit. I've written more about freelance motion designers vs animation studios.

Do you only work with clients in Manchester?

No. I'm based in Manchester, but most projects are run remotely with clients across the UK, Europe and the US. I'm also happy to travel for on-site work when a project needs it.

Is there a difference between a motion designer and a motion graphics designer?

In practice, no — the terms are used interchangeably, along with freelance animator and explainer video freelancer. Here's a longer answer.

Do I need a script before getting in touch?

Not at all. Script writing is included in every explainer project, and if you already have one we'll review it together to make sure it works as an animation.

Background

I studied at Lancaster University, graduating with a First Class MSci in I.T. & Media Communications. The course ran from the engineering of communication systems through to producing 3D graphics, which is where my interest in animation started.

Alongside client work I've built a few things for the motion design community:

And one slightly less relevant fact: I've been Coeliac since I was about 18 months old, so if we ever meet for a coffee, I'll be skipping the cake. (Coeliac UK explains it better than I can.)

Let's create an animation together

If you have a project in mind, send a few details about the idea to [email protected] and I'll get back to you with some thoughts and a quote.