What Should You Consider Before Starting an Explainer Video Animation Project?

Before you start an explainer video animation project, settle seven things: the goal of the video, the audience, the one message it must carry, the length and style, the budget and timeline, who will approve it, and where it will be shown. If these are clear before you contact a studio, the project moves faster, costs less to revise, and produces a video that does its job.

Most explainer projects that go wrong do not fail in the animation. They fail earlier, when nobody agreed on what the video was supposed to achieve. The result is a nice-looking video that tries to say everything and persuades no one.

This guide covers each decision in the order you will face it. You will also see how to prepare for the first call with an animated explainer video company, what affects price and timing, and which mistakes cost the most.

Table of contents

• What should you consider before starting an explainer video animation project? (quick answer)
• Why does planning matter before you contact a studio?
• What goal should the video serve?
• Who is the video for?
• What is the one message?
• How long should an explainer video be?
• Which animation style fits your project?
• What affects the cost of an explainer video?
• How long does production take?
• Who should approve the video?
• Where will the video be used?
• How do you choose an animated explainer video company?
• What should you prepare before the first call?
• What are the most common mistakes before starting?
• What are the best practices for a smooth project?
• What can you expect from Pixel Studios INC?
• Conclusion

What should you consider before starting an explainer video animation project? (quick answer)

Work through this list before you ask for quotes.

1. Pick one goal, such as booking demos, explaining a product, or training new staff.
2. Define the viewer: who they are and what they already know.
3. Write the one message the video must leave behind.
4. Choose a length, usually between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
5. Decide on an animation style that suits the subject.
6. Set a budget range and a deadline with room for feedback rounds.
7. Name the people who will approve each stage.
8. Decide where the video will run, so the right file sizes and captions are planned from the start.

Why does planning matter before you contact a studio?

Explainer videos are familiar to your audience. Wyzowl’s 2026 State of Video Marketing report found that 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service. Viewers know what a clear one feels like, and they notice when one is confusing.

The same report found that 82% of video marketers say video has given them a good return on investment, and 92% plan to spend the same or more on video in 2026. Budgets are not the problem for most teams. Direction is.

Planning also saves money in a simple way. Changes made to a script cost very little. Changes made after the storyboard is drawn cost more. Changes made after animation costs the most, because finished scenes have to be rebuilt.

What goal should the video serve?

Choose one action for the viewer

Ask what you want someone to do after watching. Book a demo, sign up for a trial, understand a new feature, or finish an onboarding step are all clear goals. “Raise awareness” is not specific enough to guide a script.

A video with two or three goals usually serves none of them well. If you have several, make several shorter videos.

Decide how you will measure it

Pick a measure before production starts. It could be demo requests from a landing page, the share of new users who complete onboarding, or fewer repeat questions to support. You do not need a complex setup. You need to know what “worked” would look like.

Who is the video for?

Write down who will watch it and what they already know. A video for a first-time visitor to your site needs different wording from a video for existing customers learning a new feature.

Consider a company that sells scheduling software to clinics. A clinic manager who has never heard of the product needs the problem explained first: missed appointments and phone tag. An existing customer already knows the problem and wants to see how the new reminder feature works. Same company, two different scripts.

Also think about where the viewer is in their decision. Someone comparing options wants proof and clarity. Someone who has already chosen you wants instructions.

What is the one message?

Every good explainer video can be summed up in one sentence. If you cannot write that sentence yet, the video is not ready to be made.

Voiceover usually runs at about 130 to 150 words per minute. A 60-second video therefore has room for roughly 130 to 150 words. That is shorter than most people expect, and it forces choices. Features that do not support the one message should be cut or moved to another video.

A common structure that works well is the problem, the solution, how it works, and the next step. It is simple, and viewers follow it easily.

How long should an explainer video be?

Most explainer videos run between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. In Wyzowl’s 2026 report, 71% of marketers said that range works best. Use that as a starting point, then adjust to the job.

• A homepage or social video is usually at the shorter end, around 30 to 60 seconds.
• A product explanation for a landing page often needs 60 to 90 seconds.
• A process that takes several steps to show may need up to 2 minutes.
• Training and onboarding videos can run longer, but they are better split into short parts, each covering one task.

Which animation style fits your project?

The style should match the subject, not just your taste. An animated explainer video company can help you choose, but it helps to arrive with a rough idea.

• 2D animation works well for software, services, and ideas that have no physical form. It is flexible and suits most budgets.
• 3D animation suits physical products, machinery, and anything where viewers need to see depth or internal parts. It takes more time and costs more.
• Whiteboard videos use a hand-drawn look and fit training, education, and simple concepts. The drawing pace has to match the narration.
• Motion graphics use text, icons, and shapes instead of characters. They suit data-heavy or corporate topics where characters would feel out of place.

Bring two or three videos you like as references. Saying what you like about them, such as the color, the pace, or the way text appears, helps a studio far more than saying you want something modern.

What affects the cost of an explainer video?

There is no single price for explainer animation services, because projects differ a lot. These factors move the price most.

• Length of the video.
• Animation style. 3D usually costs more than 2D, and custom characters cost more than template-based work.
• How much custom artwork and illustration is needed.
• Whether scriptwriting is included or you supply the script.
• Voiceover, including the talent, languages, and number of voices.
• Music and sound design, and whether the licensing covers paid ads.
• Number of revision rounds.
• Extra versions, such as vertical formats for social media or translated editions.

Set a budget range before you ask for quotes, and share it with the studio. A good studio will tell you honestly what that range can and cannot cover, and may suggest a shorter video or simpler style to fit it.

How long does production take?

Timelines depend on length, style, and how quickly you give feedback. A short 2D video generally takes less time than a 3D piece, and a video with several stakeholders takes longer than one with a single approver.

Ask the studio for a schedule with a date for each stage: script, storyboard, style frames, voiceover, animation, and final delivery. Then check your own calendar. Slow feedback is one of the most common reasons projects run late, and it is fully within your control.

If you have a launch date, such as a product release or a trade show, work backward from it and leave a buffer for one extra round of changes.

Who should approve the video?

Decide this before the project begins. Pick one person who gives final approval and collects feedback from everyone else. The studio should receive one clear set of notes at each stage.

Bring in subject experts and legal or compliance reviewers at the script stage, not after animation. A correction to a sentence is simple. A correction to a finished scene is not.

Where will the video be used?

The answer changes how the video is built. A video for your homepage is usually widescreen. A video for Instagram or LinkedIn feeds often works better in square or vertical format. Tell the studio all the places you plan to use it so the right versions are planned from the start.

• Add captions. Many people watch with the sound off, and captions also help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Ask for the file formats you need, such as MP4 for web and a separate caption file.
• Check that music and voiceover licenses cover every place you will use the video, including paid advertising.
• Ask whether you will receive the source files, in case you want to update the video later.

How do you choose an animated explainer video company?

You have three main options: a freelancer, an in-house team, or an animated explainer video company. Each fits different situations.

• A freelancer can suit a small, simple project, but one person handles script, design, and animation, so skills and availability vary.
• An in-house team gives you control and speed for ongoing work, but it takes time and cost to build and may lack animation specialists.
• A studio brings writers, designers, and animators together and can handle larger or more complex projects. It usually costs more than a freelancer for the same video.

Once you have a shortlist, watch full videos from each portfolio, ask who will work on your project, and compare quotes line by line. Check what is included in the price, how many revisions are covered, and who owns the final files.

What should you prepare before the first call?

Arriving prepared shortens the process and leads to a more accurate quote. Bring:

• A one-page brief covering the goal, audience, message, length, and where the video will run.
• Your brand guidelines, logo files, colors, and fonts.
• Two or three reference videos you like, with a note on what you like about each.
• Your budget range and your deadline.
• The name of your final approver and any subject experts.
• Any existing script, product material, or presentations the writer can use.

What are the most common mistakes before starting?

• Starting without a clear goal and hoping the studio will find one.
• Trying to cover every feature in a single video.
• Choosing a style because it is popular, not because it fits the subject.
• Asking for quotes without a budget range, which makes quotes hard to compare.
• Not naming one final approver, so feedback arrives from many people and contradicts itself.
• Leaving legal or technical review until after the animation is finished.
• Forgetting captions, alternate sizes, or licensing until the project is almost done.
• Setting a deadline with no time for feedback and revisions.

What are the best practices for a smooth project?

• Write the one-sentence message first and check every scene against it.
• Approve the script before the storyboard begins.
• Give feedback in one consolidated list at each stage, with specific notes rather than general reactions.
• Keep the approval group small.
• Test the near-final version on a few people who have not seen it. Ask them to describe the message in their own words.
• Decide in advance where the video will live and how you will track its results.

Conclusion

A good explainer video starts with decisions made on paper. Know the goal, the viewer, and the single message. Choose a length and style that fit the subject, set a realistic budget and schedule, and name who approves what. With those answers in hand, any studio can give you a more accurate quote and a better result.