How To Write a Design Proposal
Do you spend days working on a design proposal that finally does not become a business? Imagine having a proposal template that helps you win!
1. What is a design proposal?
2. Why do customers request proposals?
3. When to submit a proposal?
4. What do customers want to see?
5. What language should I use?
6. How do I build a proposal template?
7. How to address price objections?
8. How should I deliver the document?
9. How to follow up with customers?
In this article, I will show you how to write proposals in a fraction of the time, increase your closing rate and stop leaving money at the table.
If you are working on some type of design project, be it a logo design, brand or website project, use this guide and proposal template to win your next job!
Submitting a proposal arrives after having interviewed your client or compiled a creative summary.
Eliminate guesswork and rely on my decades of experience in closing new design projects.
In this article, you will learn:
How to structure the design proposal.
How many options to provide
Why focus on benefits, not deliverables
How to anchor your prices to the result (not hours)
What price terms to include
I have a PDF proposal template that I use for all my consulting projects.
Usually, I keep the proposal in 5-10 pages of actual copy with some additional cover pages, comparison tables, etc.
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What is a design proposal?
Your design proposal is simply a document that establishes what you propose to do for your client.
Keep in mind that a proposal is not a launch.
So never send one without having a conversation with your customers first.
It's like proposing marriage to a girl. Not only do you approach her and say "Do you want to marry me?"
First they must know a little to see if there is a good chemistry, the same with the client.
The design proposal is the document you send after talking with your client, either by phone or in person.
Clients will usually approach multiple service providers to find a good option for their project.
Therefore, they use design proposals to measure the risk of going with a particular provider.
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Why do customers request proposals?
Clients request proposals because they have many options to choose from.
You are not the only one who can do the job.
And even if it had a special power or an outstanding design aesthetic, they still want to compare their offer with other options.
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Other proposals should be like comparing apples to apples.
Your design proposal should stand out so that you can see the value.
Think about the last time you bought something.
You have probably researched a lot comparing different options and prices before making a purchase decision.
The same goes for customers, they will compare the store to find the best option.
However, the best fit does not mean the least expensive option or the best design portfolio.
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It means you can move the needle through them and help them with something they need to do.
If you can communicate that better than others, then you won! - Even if you're much more expensive.
So make sure they know you CAN do the job right at first and then make sure they see other less desirable options.
Challenge them: you can hire a designer at Fiverr or Upwork for $ 500 and it will take longer, there will be many revisions and they probably won't give you the result you want.
What happens if you get stuck? How much will it cost you?
Simply put: it should appear as the least risky option.
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When to submit a proposal?
Before you even think about developing a design proposal for your design client, you must first have a conversation WHY.
Never send a proposal before talking to your client.
It makes no sense to send proposals without discovering what the objectives of the project are and what is important to them.
Otherwise, you will most likely waste your time or compete on the price.
In any case, it did not differ from other designers and, therefore, has little chance of closing this project.
Then, even before thinking about making a proposal for your client, you must first have a sales conversation.
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If you don't want to read my other article about _how to talk with design clients_, just remember to ask them these three basic questions:
Why this? (Why do you need to design this?)
Because I? (Why do you want to work with someone expensive like me?)
Because right now? (Why do you want to do it now? Can't wait for this project?)
The purpose of these questions is to discover a true motivator behind the project.
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Do this before submitting your proposal.
Regardless of what you work (logo, brand, website, etc.), your project must be important for your client, otherwise it is very difficult to charge premium rates or even "fair" rates.
The objective of the first question: Why this? - is to discover the true commercial objective of whatever they want you to do.
Why bother doing this? - They need to have some result in mind.
Otherwise, it is difficult to justify the price, so they will opt for the cheapest option.
So, if this is a new website, they can say "We need a new website", then you ask "why do you need it?" And they respond "because our website is old, does not respond, does not communicate who we are (list problems)."
Then you go deeper "Why do you need a responsive website? Don't you convert? Do you want to generate more sales? Etc.": Here we are trying to learn what the value of this new website is.
So, hopefully, they will sit and think how wonderful it would be if the new website could achieve some goal.
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Based on your answers, you can estimate that, p. Their bounce rate exceeds 90% and they are potentially losing, say 1 million businesses a year.
With that, you can say that this project will cost $ 100k, which is only 10% of the projected value of what this project will bring to your business.
The purpose of the following question: why now? - is to make sure the project is urgent.
If this is something that you have been trying to do internally for more than 6 months but could not achieve your goals, you already know that you should do it as soon as possible.
Or maybe they have a certain deadline in mind, p. They need a new website ready for a special event.
If the project is not urgent, the client will delay in making a decision, will postpone it.
Therefore, make sure that this project is urgent and must be completed by a specific date; otherwise, they will continue to lose money or simply will not grow so fast.
The last question: why me? - It's to really see why they think you are a good candidate for the project.
What do customers want to see?
They want to see what they bring to the table and how they can help them achieve their business goals.
Customers want to see the value they can create.
They want to know what they get with each option and how it will help them grow.
When the value exceeds the cost, transactions are made.
So, if you can explain that whatever you are designing will give you 10 times more money than your investment, that is the value.
Your proposal should include sections such as the background or “Why me?”, Prices, schedule, deliverables and terms and conditions.
Be sure to explain what you get in option two, that you don't enter option one and so on.
So, of course, they want to see prices and terms and conditions: there is a new language, but everything else should be fairly straightforward.
What language should I use?
The proposal must include everything you have discussed in the sales interview (the WHY conversation).
Your proposal must be full of language that the client gave you.
There should be no surprise in the proposal when the client reads it.
You should have already talked about all this.
You need to get the words out of your mouth and put them in the proposal.
The only thing you should be curious about is just the breakdown of the three options.
And, of course, terms and conditions.
How do I build a proposal template?
So how is a proposal built?
The first page is the cover.
Design proposal: Cover
The next page is the assessment of the situation.
1. Assessment of the situation
This is where I describe the current state of the client's situation.
Describe the desired future state, where you want to go.
Then I describe why they are talking to me at all.
Design proposal: situation assessment
This is an introduction of a page, which consists of two or three paragraphs, not very long.
and then I go into 3 different incremental options: small, medium and large.
2. Project options
This is where I describe what I can do to help move the needle at a particular price.
Give them fixed prices for a result (not deliverables).
Incrementally, option two would include option one, but it gives them more benefits.
Design proposal: project options
Option three would give them even more benefits than the previous two options.
The first option will include what they really want, p. New logo and identity design.
Design proposal: Option one
The second option will be the logo, identity and redesign of the website.
The third option could be logo, identity, website and a marketing campaign.
To give them different options that they can choose from, with the lower level they came for and the other two options that are based on that and provide even more value. (for Sale).
After that, I would put a "why me" section.
Sometimes, I skip this section if I already know the customer, or if the level of trust is in the clouds for some reason.
3. Why do I section?
In general, it would include a "why me section" that says something like:
There are many smart cookies, why would you choose me?
And then I talk about my experience and the reasons that make me unique or suitable for this project.
Design proposal: why I section
After that, I include the estimated project schedule.
4. Chronology
This section is only to give the client an overview of how long each option can take.
Also at some intermediate point it would include a comparison table for each of the three options.
Design proposal: timeline
Then I get into prices, terms and availability.
4. Terms and conditions
This is where I say that my prices are fixed prices, not estimates.
That is a big problem and I want to emphasize that as much as possible.
Then I would list the prices of the different options.
I don't include prices in the options section, but I put them at the end.
Design proposal: terms and conditions
I do this, so that they are forced to read the document, not just jump to the numbers.
Next I will give you very clear steps on how to execute the agreement.
Usually, I insert PayPal buttons in the PDF document so they can pay online.
That's it, it has been very successful for me over the years.
It doesn't have to be a giant proposal even for a big project.
How to address price objections?
This is something you should do even before submitting a proposal, during the sales interview (why the conversation).
Separate the time from the money and consult the commercial objectives.
The proposal does not talk about why it costs so much and does not even talk about how many hours it will take to do that project.
Just say what you are going to do, what kind of value you can offer for this price.
Change the approach to achieve your business objective whenever you talk about the price.
You should address your objections even before taking the time to put together your design proposal, that should not surprise you when you see the price.
Therefore, give them a range of how much the project could cost: "According to our conversation, similar projects have cost between X and Z (give them a range) Do you think it is worth investing to achieve the Y objective?"
If they say "yes" or "maybe," then you add: "Ok, it seems like a good option.
I will put together a proposal for you with three different options so you can see exactly what I can offer and at what price. What does that sound like? "
How should I deliver the document?
You can use some online services such as Qwilr or Proposify, but do not use any of your standard templates.
I simply send the PDF document to my client by email.
Never send a free proposal template with the exact language you found on the Internet because it will make you look unprofessional.
Instead, create your own simple template, with your brand and language that only talks about the details of this particular project.
In the email, I shortly declare the purpose of the project and then add that I will follow up in 3 days if I do not receive news from them.
You also want to know who delivers the document or if you should send a copy to another person in your company.
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How to follow up with customers?
As I mentioned earlier, I usually give the client three business days to respond before deciding to contact me again, unless they say, p. "We need a week to make a decision."
This is how I usually follow it if I do not receive a response from the client:
We are planning to work for next month and I was wondering if you are ready to move on.
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If you have done everything right and understand the value of what you offer and see you as the least risky option, then there should not be much follow-up.
However, the projects are uncertain and there may be decisions taken internally to go in another direction and you have no control over that.
In this case, do not try to bother when you hear "we have decided to go in another direction."
You can follow up in one or two months by asking "Have you hired another agency? Are you happy with the project? If not, are you open to resume our conversation?
I hope that helps. If you have a question for me, just leave a comment below.