Design proposals

Give your design projects the proposals they deserve with beautifully-designed and tested templates. Whether you’re building an eCommerce website or designing a new logo, we’ve got the right template to showcase your best work.

Design Proposal Templates

Graphic design is a complex and multifaceted field; design proposals are the perfect way to demonstrate one’s expertise to customers. A project design proposal is a formal document or presentation that designers typically formulate and draw up after an initial kickoff meeting, outlining the project objectives and the proposed solution.

For clients, design proposals set project expectations and highlight a prospective contractor’s value. For designers, a well-crafted proposal sets them apart and can decide whether they are hired or not. Some designers use design proposals to attract new customers or demonstrate the possibility of a better design for an existing service/product.

Importance of Design Proposal

An impressive proposal is one of the essential points to successful negotiations. After all, it is the first impression that clients will get about your work ethic. However, crafting a thoughtful document is more challenging than it may seem at first sight. What structure to employ? What kind of thoughts and features to highlight first and foremost?

Here are some significant points to follow:

When to Send a Proposal?

Timing is vital when sending a proposal – it should not be the first step and, ideally, not the last one. The proposal should only be sent after you have validated the lead, and it is just a formalization of what has already been discussed.

Strive to know as much about the goals of the future project as possible. Ask questions, clarify details and clauses, and discuss requirements. What is the business objective behind this project? What are the metrics for success?  What is the permissible timeframe for its implementation? How urgent is the need for a solution?

These and other specifying inquiries will allow you to understand the customer’s problem, estimate the project’s scope, and form a solid base for a solution. This knowledge will further ensure that your solution can bring value to the client’s business and create the design proposal confidently.

Ready-made Proposal Templates by PandaDoc

Nevertheless, crafting a design proposal from scratch is a creative task that can be pretty daunting for most of us. Do you want to show off your creativity and impress potential clients with the quality of your designs? However, writing a design proposal that would sell your services can take time and effort.

This is where ready-made creative project proposal sample templates by PandaDoc come to the aid. Never fear – we’ve got you covered! With our visually-compelling and thoroughly tested document forms, such as product design proposal template, you can give your projects the proposals they deserve. Whether you’re building an eCommerce website or designing a new logo, our templates will help you showcase your work in the best possible way. 

We offer beautiful, tested templates to ensure your designs get the attention they deserve. A wide range of customization options guarantees that you can tailor any creative proposal template to your specific requirements and experiences.

FAQ: Design Proposals

What should a design proposal include?

Essential parts of the design proposal consist of the following:

  • Cover page.
  • Cover letter. A summary of the proposal, highlighting your major perks.
  • Project overview. Outline the project’s goals, problems it aims to solve, and specific solutions, and explain how your expertise will ensure its success.
  • Pricing details. Cost breakdown, possible payment plans, and other financial information should be noted in this part.
  • Scope and timelines of the project. Here you can denominate time and work estimations for different parts of the project. You may even propose possible shortcuts or, vice versa, additional quality checks.
  • Pitch deck. Here you showcase the approximated look of future design and its elements.
  • Terms and conditions.
  • Portfolio of your previous work.

How do I write a freelance design proposal using PandaDoc?

PandaDoc is a cloud-based document automation platform with electronic signature capabilities, workflow oversight, and template-driven document creation capabilities. Dozens of document forms and templates facilitate our customers’ day-to-day operations. This includes, of course, free creative design templates. A registered user can freely download any design proposal template as a reference. At the same time, paid subscriptions open up additional tools and possibilities such as built-in editor, document flow tracking, CRM integration, automation, and many more.

What is a design proposal?

When a designer reaches out to potential clients, it is essential to ensure that the prospective contractor knows the value you will bring and the reasons for choosing you. It is crucial to present your work and its benefits in the best way possible. Additionally, it is necessary to review all the expectations, roles, responsibilities, and design deliverables before beginning any project. A design proposal is a document that covers all these criteria.