A strong, well-written graphic design proposal can help your business thrive but a poorly-written proposal can send your qualified lead packing. Let’s face it, this is one document you don’t want to mess up. And for that, not only you need to know how to write a graphic design proposal but you also need to learn about what really goes into a winning graphic design proposal template.

So how do you create one then? In this post, we are going to address all the essential ingredients to create an ideal graphic design proposal that can help you close more deals with your prospects in 2021.

Let’s go!!!

Design

Selling and design always go hand in hand.

For example, when you roam around in a supermarket, you usually notice only those products that show some creativity in the design. Just like that only those business proposals dazzles potential clients that shines with the design.

A messy and unattractive graphic design proposal can be a real turn-off to your prospective clients. It sends a message that you didn’t care enough to make your proposal look good. So, make sure you include the following elements in your business proposal,

Table of Contents

• It is sometimes overlooked but is still a major part of a proposal design.
• All graphic design proposals must include a table of contents as it gives readers a route map to go directly to a particular section.

Visuals

• Visuals such as maps, graphs, infographics, screenshots, and photos complement your business proposal to another level.
• You can also include the video testimonials of your other happy clients.

Electronic signatures

You need to keep up with the trend if you want to be successful in the marketing industry. Innovations are meant for

• making certain processes easier
• saving time
• boosting efficiency

And e-signature is one of the digital transformations that you need to implement in your sales proposal.

• It saves prospect’s time
• Makes the overall signing procedure convenient to them.

Just make sure you let your prospect know that they can sign the graphic design proposal digitally if they want! And with proposal software, you can easily incorporate e-signature in your graphic design proposal.

Interactive pricing table

You need to incorporate interactive price tables with a variety of pricing options where customers can modify the quantity, select graphic design services that suit their needs. In short, they should be able to create a customized version of your services for them.

An interactive pricing table also allows clients to select additional services and at the end can check the updated pricing in real-time. Unless you use any sophisticated tool you can not create an interactive pricing table in your business proposal.

Key elements

If you’re still finding it challenging to develop a graphic proposal template then here’s a structure for you.

Even though the exact format of the graphic design proposal template varies depending on the company and the project, the typical sections you should include in your proposal are these:

1. Front Cover

You only get one chance to make a first impression and the cover page of your graphic design proposal is your only chance. A cover page of your proposal should look neat and should be easy to read. A good cover page typically includes,

• Name of applying organization and logo
• Project title
• Date
• Contact Information (personal contact name, address, country, phone, email, website)
• Name of the client you are applying to

2. Executive Summary

The executive summary in your proposal sets the tone for the rest. So ensure you don’t make any common graphic design proposal writing mistakes which cost the business tremendously. The best practice of writing an impressive pitch is using your prospective client’s words to them. This means simply describe the problem they are facing. Your executive should include,

• Opening paragraph
• Reason for the pitch
• Showing you understand the problem
• Baseline metrics ( before and after)
• Goals

3. Statement of Work

This section should include the details about your approach. However, the details should only be about the approach and not about the solution.

• The key here is to give a rough sketch of the method you will use for the execution.
• Include the list of the specific services that are being offered.
• You should be ultra-careful about not going into detail.

4. Implementation Timeline

You must break down all the key steps and the timeline for your client. Providing an accurate timeline with deliverables allows you to set the client’s expectations early.

• A detailed timeline showing responsibilities

5. Pricing table

Keep things short and to the point and use a pricing table with a range of options that let your prospect or customer edit the quantities, select the services that best fit their needs, and allow them to customize your solution.

• Standard package (includes all the services mentioned)
• Less expensive package (where a client can choose the services)
• Deluxe package (with extra services)

6. About us

You can fill out this section with the expertise you have, the awards you won, the big list of your happy clients.

• Introduction 
• Name, faces, and credentials of the people who will be working on the campaign
• Client benefits

7. Case Study/Testimonials

You can make your clients visualize themselves working with you by including the past clients success stories in your business proposal template with similar issues.

• Project goal
• Solution
• Result

8. Terms of Services

• Payment
• Warranty
• Termination 
• Agreement

Conclusion

In 2021, submitting a graphic design proposal as a PDF will not work for you. It’s time to break the pattern, make a fresh start, and create something exciting.