Business Forms · Part 1
Proposals
Proposals lay everything out so everyone knows what to expect. You get to outline the scope of work, timeline, budget, and deliverables upfront.
It helps avoid confusion or “I thought you meant this” situations later on. The client understands what they’re getting and when, while you know what you’re responsible for, avoiding those “Oh, can you also do this?” requests without extra pay.
Essentially, it outlines the designer’s process and allows the client to learn the inherent value of choosing you as the designer.
A proposal outlines
- Project goals and objectives
- Target audiences
- Responsibilities of the designer, any additional employees, and the client
- An estimate of fees—how much you’ll charge for the project
- The expectations of the client (payment, scheduled due dates, etc.)
The six sections of a proposal
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Defining Your Objectives
This section serves as an introduction to the client and outlines the objectives that you address in your design process. Make it universal for all your clients, so you don’t need to rewrite it every time.
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Design Process
In this section, list the specific milestones/phases you will follow. Be as specific as possible in this section—edit the content based on what project deliverables (design projects) are requested by the client.
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Project Scope
In this section, list every single design project that the client needs designed. It is very important to be specific because if a client asks for more projects, then you have the right to charge more because it is outside the original “project scope” you estimated for.
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Design Fees
In this section, estimate what you will charge for the project—either a flat fee or an hourly rate—and explain how material costs and rush requests will be billed.
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Protections
There is necessary language to include in your proposal that will protect you from any issues with design ownership or miscommunication.
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Terms of Payment
You need to outline your expectations about fees and payment expectations to protect you from not getting paid for your work.
Action
- Create a proposal that includes all the sections listed above—the proposal should be written for the project outlined in the supplied Job RFP.
© Created by Sara Rosenstock, Marietta College Graphic Design.