Crafting a Project Proposal
Published on March 25, 2009 / Freelance
A project proposal documents the working relationship between client and designer. It is a contract providing the client with a clear understanding of the scope and cost of work to be done, while protecting the rights of the designer. Below are some sections I’ve chosen to include in a project proposal.
Summary of Work
This statement introduces the proposal to a client and briefly describes the contents of the document.
Project Specifics
Specific items included in the project are listed in detail here.
Process & Timeline
The project is broken up into phases. Each phase may include a description relevant to the project’s needs. An example of a website project consists of the following phases:
- Phase 1 / Home Page Designs
- Phase 2 / Home Page Finalization
- Phase 3 / Design of Remaining Pages
- Phase 4 / Website Development
- Phase 5 / Deployment
Project Quote
An estimate or quote of cost is noted. It may be appropriate to list an hourly rate for any updates or maintenance work the client may need after the project’s completion.
Terms & Conditions
This is a separate document included with my proposal that defines the terms and conditions of a project. Below are sections that I include.
Billing Schedule
Many designers bill clients in stages. For website projects, one method is to charge in three stages: 30% due upon acceptance of proposal, 50% due upon acceptance of a design mockup, and the remaining 20% due prior to deployment of the website.
Extra Expenses
Any items not included as part of the designer’s services are listed here. Items may include photography, illustrations, printing, and shipping and handling.
Revisions & Alterations
The contents of this section are dependent on the designer. Some may opt to require additional payments after a specified number of revisions are made. I personally do not require an additional payment for changes required to conform to the original assignment.
Cancellation
I include a policy stating that in the event of cancellation, ownership of all copyrights and the original artwork shall be retained by the designer.
Copyright
Under current copyright law, the Copyright Act of 1976, the release of my artwork is granted with the following conditions:
The grant for any license or right of copyright is conditioned on receipt of full payment. The designer retains ownership of credit of all original artwork, whether preliminary or final. Rights of reproduction are transferred to the client for purposes of promotion.
Agreement Signatures
Signature fields are included in the end, and are signed by client and designer prior to scheduling any work.
Feel free to download my sample proposal for a more detailed look at how I craft a project proposal.
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Hi Matthew,
Thanks for adding this as a resource on my latest blog post. I hope all’s well with you bud.
No problem, David! Thanks for reading.
thats good
I got a question..can I use the format you have presented for my proposal..I was told by a lawyer that any legal document is not protected by copyright laws…is this true?
John,
See the Copyright Law of the United States for more info. Note that I am referring to artwork. You may use the format, but I would advise to seek legal counsel with the content of your own proposal.
Great post. I appreciate the insight. I hope you don’t mind me gleaning from some of your process. Take care!
Plain and simple, even if the clients aren’t. Nice post, thanks.