Tip #4 to Help You Hire the Right Design Agency: Get a proposal

The project proposal is where you’re going to see the designer’s process—how many meetings will you have, how many design comps are they going to show you, how many revisions do you get? The project proposal (or the creative brief) is a great tool for making sure you and the designer are on the same page.

In our proposals, we outline the above as well as discuss the project schedule—both our deliverables and the clients’. We include the cost as well as any situation that would incur additional charges for the client. Finally, we list all of our terms regarding payment, ownership and rights, and so on. It’s a lot of information, but it ensures we start off with the same understanding of the project as our clients have. And, if something happens, we have a reference.

Often clients who haven’t worked with an outside agency before will have questions about the process and terms. This is great—it means they’ve read the proposal! Your agency will be happy to explain everything to you, so ask if you’re curious. You can also ask me by posting a comment on this blog.