Motion Design Project Plan Template

Motion Design Project Plan Template, within the Milanote app

Plan all aspects of your film in one place

This pre-production template is the perfect way to start your next motion design project. It includes beautiful templates for the key parts of pre-production. From writing an inspiring brief, brainstorming ideas, storyboarding scenes, and much more.

Whether you're making a TV commercial, music video, animation, or online video, a solid pre-production plan will set your project up for success.

This template is part of the Motion Designers collection.

  • Includes 6 free templates
  • Organize visually
  • Save reference images & video
  • Share with your team
  • Comment & gather feedback

How to use this template

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, follow this step-by-step guide to learn the modern process of planning a motion design project in Milanote, a free tool used by top creatives.

1. Open the Motion Design Plan template

The Motion Design Plan template is the central hub for your project. It includes the key parts of every motion design plan: The brief, your ideas, moodboard, storyboard and style frames. There are also checklists for your workflow so you have everything in one easy-to-access place.

Motion design mega template step01
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Create a new board for your project.

    Create a new board

    Drag a board out from the toolbar. Give it a name, then double-click to open it.

  2. Choose the Motion Design Plan template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Photoshoot Plan template, then choose "Use this template".

2. Open the Brief template

It’s crucial to set a strong foundation from the start. A clear, inspiring, and informative brief provides the structure and direction for designers to do their best work. Motion graphics briefs typically include background information, goals, deliverables, visual and animation references, creative direction, and a style guide.

Motion design brief guide step07
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Open the Brief in your Motion Design Plan.

  2. Choose the Motion Design Brief template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Photoshoot Brief template, then choose "Use this template".

3. Fill in the brief

Fill in the placeholder cards in the Brief template. Start by adding some background on your client and the project. Then, list the goals, deliverables and important dates. Finally, describe the target audience—the people you hope to impact with your animation.

Motion design brief template step02
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Add a note to describe the project and goals.

    Drag a note card onto your board

    Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

  2. Create a new to-do list for the deliverables.

    Drag a to-do list onto your board

    Start typing then press "Enter" to create a new item. Add a title to your to-do list using the left hand toolbar.

4. Share the brief with your team

Once you’ve made any final tweaks, it’s time to share the completed brief with the your team so everyone's is on the same page.

Motion design brief guide step08
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Publish and share the brief with your team.

    Add a welcome message to your board.

    Write a welcome message under the "Publish & share" menu. This will display the first time someone views your board.

5. Open the Brainstorming template

When a new motion design project kicks off, your starting point is often just a rough concept or idea. So how do you transform that idea into something bigger? Brainstorming!

Brainstorming is a classic creative technique for generating new ideas quickly. You can use it to explore animation styles, dream up new characters, locations, or even the visual style you're after. It’s best thought of as a way to light up our imagination.

Motion design brainstorm template step06
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Open the Ideas board in your Motion Design Plan.

  2. Choose the Motion Design Brainstorming template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Photoshoot Brief template, then choose "Use this template".

6. Run a brainstorming session

Start by writing the central concept for your project in the middle of the board. Next, spend 5 minutes adding ideas related to your concept.

Think about different ways to communicate your message, animation styles you could use, characters, or even the history of your topic. Explore every thread until you fill the board. Finish by sorting the best ideas into groups. This gives you a strong foundation for your animation.

Motion design brainstorming template step05
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Add a note for each idea.

    Drag a note card onto your board

    Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

  2. Upload images from your computer.

    Upload a file or document  

    Click the "Upload file" button or just drag a file onto your board. You can add images, logos, documents, videos, audio and much more.

7. Open the moodboard template

During brainstorming, you imagined the different parts of your project. It's time to start exploring some visual directions with a moodboard. Moodboards can help you visualize any aspect of your project. You could focus on how you want the finished design to look. Or they could be centered around collecting references for animation styles. You can create a moodboard for each of these separately or mix them all into one board.

motion design moodboard step09
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Open the Moodboard in your Motion Design Plan.

  2. Choose the Motion Design Moodboard template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Shot List template, then choose "Use this template".

8. Add inspiring images & references

Drag in images from your computer and drop them onto the image placeholders on your moodboard. Then, use the built-in image library to add inspirational references. Finally, move and crop your images to communicate how you want to frame your shots.

Motion design moodboard template step02
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Drag files from your computer.

    Upload a file or document  

    Click the "Upload file" button or just drag a file onto your board. You can add images, logos, documents, videos, audio and much more.

  2. Use the built-in image library.

    Use the built-in image library

    Search over 500,000 beautiful photos powered by Unsplash then drag images straight onto your board.

  3. Crop images.

    Crop images

    Double-click an image and press edit to crop or rotate it.

9. Open the storyboard template

Storyboards are a powerful way to visually organize the composition, action and look of a project before you start bringing it to life. As director, producer and screenwriter Martin Scorsese said, “The storyboard is the way to visualize the entire movie in advance.”

Traditionally, a storyboard would be created with analog sketches, but with a modern digital tool you can use photography, animation, color and notes to highlight key characters, scenes and objects.

Motion design storyboard template step05
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Open the Storyboard in your Motion Design Plan.

  2. Choose the Motion Design Storyboard template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Shot List template, then choose "Use this template".

10. Fill in the storyboard template

The best starting point is to break up the script or narrative you’ll be working from. Identify the key scenes and start to map them out on your storyboard.

Next, add images or sketches that represent each scene. These could simple sketches, photos, or examples you've sourced online.

Finally, describe the scene. Think about the style, mood, and behavior of any characters. Consider how you'll transition from one scene to the next.

Motion design storyboard template step03
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Upload files from your computer.

    Upload a file or document  

    Click the "Upload file" button or just drag a file onto your board. You can add images, logos, documents, videos, audio and much more.

  2. Add a note to describe each scene.

    Drag a note card onto your board

    Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

11. Open the Style Frames template

Style frames are a simple, visual representation of how the final animation will look, they're a critical step in the motion design process.

Motion designers, animators, and creative directors use them to present options to clients and teams before they start an animation. This gives everyone an opportunity to provide feedback and agree on a visual style early in the creative process.

Motion design styleframes guide step04
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Open the Style Frames board in your Motion Design Plan.

  2. Choose the Style Frames template.

    Choose a template 

    Each new board gives you the options to start with a beautiful template. Find the Shot List template, then choose "Use this template".

12. Fill in the Style Frames template

Start by uploading the concepts you've designed so you can share them with your team. These are often 2D or 3D renders of a scene from a storyboard you've created earlier.

Next, include some written notes about each option. This will help you explain your ideas and keep everything in context.

Finally, share the style frames with your team and get together to choose a final direction.

Motion design styleframes step02
How to do this in Milanote
  1. Upload images to your board.

    Upload a file or document  

    Click the "Upload file" button or just drag a file onto your board. You can add images, logos, documents, videos, audio and much more.

  2. Add a note to describe each option.

    Drag a note card onto your board

    Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left-hand toolbar.

  3. Publish and share the Style Frames with your team.

    Add a welcome message to your board.

    Write a welcome message under the "Publish & share" menu. This will display the first time someone views your board.

You're all done!

Hopefully, these templates have helped you become more organized during the pre-production stage. If you're just starting a new project, use the Motion Design Plan template below to get set up in minutes.

Start your Project Plan

Plan all aspects of your motion graphics project in one place.