Graphic

Design
Proposal
Worksheet

Graphic Design Proposal

Worksheet
Working as a graphic designer means that the majority of your clients
come from pitches and proposals, not interviews and auditions. While
great in terms of job flexibility, this also means that you need to
develop an entirely new skill set: writing proposals.
Unfortunately, while writing proposals is a large part of the leadgenerating process for a graphic designer, especially freelancers and
companies, most schools and colleges offer nothing in the way of
training for you. Youre on your own.
That doesnt mean you shouldnt send proposals. In fact, thats the
last thing you should do. Any of the best clients, like the big names, or
the ones with higher pay and longer deadlines, wont even consider
you if you dont have a great proposal. You have to send them a great
pitch before theyll even think about hiring you as a designer.
This worksheet will help you learn how to do just that. Youll learn how
to present yourself, how to talk to the client, and how to offer
perceived value from the start of your proposal.
Ready?

Research
The very first step to creating any sort of proposal or outline is to
research. You have to know what the client wants, what they need,
and what they really need. Lets say that the client is looking for a
complete graphic re-design of their current website. You have to
create a pitch for it. You have to research to figure out why they need
your services. While the obvious is They want a new look, thats only
partially true.
Any business is in business to make money. They wouldnt care about
the look or the appearance of their website, or even having a website
for that matter, if they just wanted it to look nice. They want something
that will offer them money, a return on their investment.
Research and write the reason your client needs graphic design:
Example:
ABC Company has an older website layout which isnt performing well
on search or on different mobile devices. The search and layout is
confusing to visitors, which usually results in lost sales.
Your turn remember to research your actual client to see what their
issues are. If you cant find information, its better to go with what you
have.

Taking the time to research the clients actual problem will give you a
huge advantage when youre writing your proposal, mainly because it
allows you to create customized solution and pitch for their problem.

Create an Outline
Creating an outline is a moot point if you happen to be using proposal
software, but if you arent, then take a few minutes to write out the
basic parts of your proposal. If youre not sure what to write, you can
also add in place holder text between each section.

a.Problem Statement
b.Recommended Solution
c. Benefits
d.Pricing
e.Call to Action
You can rename your sections however you like, but the listed options
usually work.

Putting it Together
Once you have an outline, you can use the research you did in the
first exercise to create a winning proposal. Because there are five
steps to any great proposal, you can start with the first.

1. Problem Statement
The problem statement is pretty much a re-iteration of what you dug
up when researching, but written in proposal language. This means
laying it out in a way that clients can see, and outlining services that
can fix it.
Example:

In recent years, ABC Company has begun to face more and

more online competition in the form of newer websites. These
websites, which are mostly high-end sites with modern graphics
and responsive design, are Google friendly and more user
friendly. Many consumers are also confused by ABC Companys
older website layout, which is resulting in a high bounce and exit
rate from the site. ABC Company should solve the problem with
a complete website redesign to put more focus on usability and
responsiveness.

Now write your own problem statement based on your research:

2. Proposed Solution
Your proposed solution should highlight not just the skills you are
offering, but also how they benefit the company in terms of the

problems that youve already dug up. Look at the real issues and
outline services that solve the real problems.
Example:

To solve the issue, ABC Company should consider a complete

website redesign to include more focus on function and usability.
With a new light and responsive graphical interface that resizes
to different devices, ABC Company can attract new mobile
clients and appeal to Googles search standards. A new
navigation and interface layout would be introduced to help make
navigating the website easier for visitors. Finally, high-quality
graphics and a clean, modern design would help to increase
turnover and sales.

Now you try:

3. Benefits
The next step is to outline the benefits of your solution. While any
benefits of your services may be obvious to you, most clients might
not even know the difference between web development and graphic
design, let alone what your services can do for them. Outline the

benefits of hiring you as a professional graphic designer in terms of

offering a solution to their problem. You need benefits whether youre
creating a logo, a brochure, or a website layout.
Example:

By offering users a clean and easy to navigate website, ABC

Company could increase sales and therefore return on
investment. Users are more likely to stay on pages that are easy
to understand, plus the addition of large, modern graphics will
make the site more impressive. By introducing a scalable and
responsive design, ABC Company improves its appearance
across mobile devices, meaning that it loads faster and looks
better on different screens. This is invaluable for making mobile
sales, as well as for Google mobile search standards, which
benefits ABC Company in two ways. Finally, making the site
easier to navigate by using large, user friendly buttons and
simple menus would increase the amount of time each visitor
stays on the website, which also increases their likelihood of
making a purchase.

Now you try:

4. Pricing Section
Your pricing section may be a delicate matter but your main goal
should be to keep it simple. Unless the project is complex, or will take
more than a few weeks, you want to offer one entire budget price and

then leave it at that. Break down pricing at a high level to avoid

confusion. However, you can outline what the client gets in the pricing
section without pricing each item individually.
For example:
Graphic Design for website layout
.. $2,970
Initial Meeting Well meet with you and your web developers to talk
over expectations, preferences, and get an idea of who you are.
Initial Mockup Well design an initial mockup based on our chat,
and send it to you for approval. Well talk things over with your
developers to ensure feasibility, and do any redesigns as necessary.
Website Redesign Well send you a final product that your web
developers can use to create you a beautiful website.
Total Price:

$2,970

Your turn, write out a budget for the project youve been discussing:
Price ________________________________________
Service One

Service Two

Service Three

5. Create a Call To Action

The final part of any proposal should always be a call to action. You
want to make it as easy as possible for your potential clients to get
ahold of you and move forward with the project. After all, you want
them to hire you. Including a call to action also reduces the risk of you
writing a great proposal, impressing the client, and then them
forgetting about you. Always include a call to action.

Make it Look Great

Last but not least, as a graphic designer, you have to ensure that your
proposal looks as good or better than it sounds. First impressions are
everything, and as a designer, your skills matter more than your
writing skills. Try using something creative but subtle, and aim to
enhance the content as much as possible with your design. If youre
looking for inspiration, try taking a peak at a few themes, and then
create something thats uniquely yours. Your pitch is all about your
design work, and the proposal theme gives you the chance to show it
off.
Good luck writing your design proposals.

You can definitely see immediate results if you implement even one of
the suggestions in this worksheet. Of course, your results will improve
even more when you implement several or all of them!
To find out how Bidsketch can help you land 18% more clients while
earning 32% more on each project, visit the link below:
http://www.bidsketch.com