I’m Serhii Dovhyi, the motion designer behind Sergey Designer. I take a project from the first scope discussion through the agreed animation exports and implementation notes. The workflow below makes creative approvals and technical delivery visible to your team.
The stage timings are planning ranges for a small product-motion project. Your proposal confirms the overall schedule and price. Short sprints combine stages; larger sets and films need a tailored schedule. Review time and missing assets can change the calendar.
01 / Usually ½–1 working day
Brief & scope
Agree what the motion must explain, where it will run and what a finished delivery includes.
What you receive
A written scope, asset checklist, target platforms, milestones and a delivery plan. A small moodboard can establish the intended visual direction.
Your review point
Confirm the audience, user action, references, success state, budget and decision-maker before production starts.
Send your Figma or vector files, a product link and one or two references. Name the actual web or app runtime when possible. If the assets or story still need development, that work is scoped explicitly.
02 / Usually 1–2 working days
Style frames
Resolve visual direction while changes are still quick to make.
What you receive
A focused moodboard and representative still frames showing composition, color, illustration treatment and key UI states.
Your review point
Review the look as one direction: brand fit, hierarchy, product accuracy and any must-change details. One consolidated response avoids contradictory instructions.
Style frames show how the animation will look, not how it will move. For an icon set built from approved vectors, this stage can be a short confirmation of the supplied artwork rather than a new illustration exercise.
03 / Usually ½–1 working day
Animatic & timing
Make the sequence and pacing understandable before detailed animation.
What you receive
A rough timing preview, storyboard sequence or blocked motion study. A longer explainer may include a temporary audio track when audio is in scope.
Your review point
Approve the order, duration, key message and pauses. This is the best point to request a different scene order or narrative structure.
A simple loop may need only a motion test. A multi-scene onboarding set or explainer benefits from a fuller animatic. The proposal specifies the level of planning your project needs.
04 / Usually 2–5 working days
Animation & refinement
Build the movement around the approved visual direction and timing.
What you receive
Reviewable animation previews, transitions, easing and the agreed interaction states. Interactive work includes a description of triggers and state changes.
Your review point
Use timestamps or name the specific state. Review how attention moves, whether the feedback is clear and whether the motion feels right for your product.
A consolidated revision round adjusts the agreed direction. New scenes, a different concept or changed approved assets can affect scope; any impact is agreed before additional work. Fixed-scope site sprints include two revision rounds.
05 / Usually ½–1 working day
Export & QA
Check the deliverable in the environment where it will actually be used.
What you receive
Agreed JSON and/or .lottie exports, a test preview, dimensions, frame rate, measured file size and an export checklist. SVG or video variants are supplied when included in the scope.
Your review point
Your developer checks the agreed player, screen sizes and interaction hooks. Flag rendering differences, loading behavior or missing states before final handoff.
The check covers playback, looping, artwork bounds and platform compatibility within the agreed target matrix. Web QA also considers layout space, offscreen playback and reduced-motion behavior. One web preview does not prove compatibility with every native SDK.
06 / Usually ½ working day
Handoff & implementation notes
Leave your team with organized files and a clear implementation reference.
What you receive
Final exports, a delivery manifest, agreed editable source files such as .aep, supplied or agreed SVG artwork, and concise playback/integration notes. The manifest identifies the version, assets and intended runtime.
Your review point
Confirm that the package opens and that the named developer or product owner can find the correct files. An implementation session can be included in the agreed scope.
After the agreed final payment, source files and rights transfer according to the written agreement. Third-party fonts, audio, plug-ins and licensed assets keep their own license terms. Custom application development and ongoing support are separately scoped.
A handoff your developer can use.
Files with a purpose
Exports are named by state or scene. The delivery manifest separates editable sources, runtime files and preview references so a developer knows what to ship.
Playback instructions
Notes explain triggers, looping, transitions and fallback behavior. Interactive work names the states instead of leaving implementation to guesswork.
An agreed test target
We identify the platform, player and relevant screen sizes. Where multiple runtimes are required, the quote defines the QA coverage for each.
Timing depends on assets, complexity, quantity and review speed. The ranges above illustrate the stages of a small product-motion project, not a fixed total. The published Hero Lottie Sprint is 72 hours, the 8-icon set is 5 working days and the Onboarding Pack is 10 working days, each subject to its defined scope, availability, complete assets and funding. Client review time is excluded.
Do all six steps apply to a small icon?
The decisions still matter, but the artifacts can be lighter. Approved vector artwork may replace a full style-frame stage, and a short motion test may replace a multi-scene animatic. The proposal states what is included before production begins.
Where do I give feedback?
There are clear checkpoints for the scope, visual direction, timing and animation. Send one consolidated response from your team at each checkpoint. Timestamped comments or named UI states are more actionable than scattered messages. Upwork clients can keep communication and approvals in their Upwork workroom.
How many revisions are included?
The published fixed-scope Hero Lottie Sprint, Onboarding Pack and Icon Set include two revision rounds. A round means one consolidated set of changes within the approved scope. New concepts, added scenes or replacements of approved assets are assessed separately before further work.
Will I receive JSON, dotLottie and After Effects source files?
The proposal lists the required exports and editable sources. Lottie projects can include JSON and/or .lottie, plus the agreed .aep and artwork where applicable. A Rive, GSAP or video project uses different deliverables. Rights and source-file transfer follow the written agreement and agreed final payment; third-party licenses remain separate.
Can my developer join the process?
Yes. Confirm the target player and platform during the brief, review interaction hooks before animation is finalized, and test exports during QA. This helps catch unsupported features before handoff. Code implementation beyond the agreed preview or notes is separately scoped.
How are payment, confidentiality and scheduling handled?
The proposal confirms payment milestones, start date, confidentiality and rights. Upwork clients can keep funded milestones and approvals on Upwork. NDA terms can be discussed before sensitive product materials are shared. Production begins once scope, availability, assets and funding are confirmed.
