Branding proposal template

What's in the template.

Every section below exists to answer a question your client is silently asking. Use the example copy as a starting point and replace the specifics.

1. 1

   The brand challenge

   Describe the gap between how they're perceived and who they've become. If this paragraph stings a little, you've won the project.

   “You're a 40-person firm winning enterprise deals, wearing the logo of the three-person startup you were in 2019. Every pitch starts with your work quietly apologizing for your brand — the identity needs to catch up to the company.”

2. 2

   Process — how decisions get made

   Branding projects die from vague feedback loops. Define the phases and, crucially, who approves what at each gate.

   “Phase 1: strategy — positioning workshop, audience interviews, one-page brand platform you sign off before any design begins. Phase 2: identity — two distinct creative directions, one refinement round on the chosen direction. Phase 3: system — full identity rollout across your named touchpoints. One approver per gate keeps this on schedule.”

3. 3

   Deliverables

   List the tangible system, not 'a new brand.' Files, formats, and the guidelines that make it survive contact with reality.

   “Logo suite (primary, secondary, marks, all formats), color and type system, brand guidelines (digital-first, 30+ pages), templates for deck/proposal/social, and a launch asset pack. Everything in editable source files — you own it all outright.”

4. 4

   Timeline

   Set the review rhythm early — creative timelines slip on feedback, not design.

   “Eight weeks: strategy weeks 1–2, direction presentation end of week 4, refinement weeks 5–6, full system and guidelines weeks 7–8. Each review window is 3 business days; feedback beyond that shifts the dates day-for-day.”

5. 5

   Investment

   One number for the full system, one optional add-on, staged payments at the phase gates.

   “Complete identity system as scoped: $14,500. Optional: brand launch support (announcement assets + rollout plan), $2,200. Payments: 40% at signing, 30% at direction approval, 30% at delivery.”

6. 6

   Next step + signature

   The positioning workshop books itself off the signature — momentum matters when the buyer is excited.

   “Sign below and we'll send workshop scheduling within the hour. Most clients see the first creative directions within a month of this signature.”