A branding project is where a business decides how it wants to be recognized, and you are the person who has to turn that decision into a system. It is bigger than a logo, slower than a website, and more exposed to opinion than either. The client's co-founder, the head of sales and someone's spouse will all have views on the color green.
This proposal template gives the project a structure that can survive those opinions. It separates strategy from design, so the visual work rests on agreed positioning rather than taste. It defines the identity as a set of components with a clear deliverable for each, and it ends with a guidelines document that lets the client use the brand without calling you every week.
TL;DR
The branding proposal template scopes a full identity: a strategy phase with research, workshop and positioning, then a visual identity with logo suite, color, typography and imagery direction, core applications, and a brand guidelines document. Send it after a discovery conversation with the decision-makers. The key practice is getting written sign-off on positioning before design starts, so visual feedback is judged against strategy instead of personal taste.
What's inside
- Summary and business context: why the business needs a brand now.
- Phase 1, strategy: stakeholder interviews, audience and competitor review, workshop, positioning statement.
- Phase 2, identity design: logo suite, color palette, typography, imagery and graphic elements.
- Phase 3, applications: a defined list of real items designed with the new identity.
- Phase 4, guidelines: a brand guidelines document and asset library.
- Approvals and governance: who signs off at each gate.
- Timeline, investment and ownership: phase dates, payments and rights.
When to use it
Use it for new businesses that want to launch with a complete identity, for established companies repositioning or merging, for rebrands that change more than the logo, and for founders preparing for a funding round or a new market.
It is too much for a business that only needs a mark. Quote that with the logo design proposal and mention the branding route as a next step. If the client already has guidelines and wants new materials, use a design SOW. If they want a monthly flow of brand content, that is a retainer, not an identity project.
Running the strategy phase so design approval is easier
Most branding projects that go sideways do so in the design presentation, and the cause is usually upstream. The client approved a logo direction in their head that nobody wrote down.
Build the strategy phase around a small number of outputs the client must approve before you draw anything:
- Audience definition. Who the brand is for, and who it is not for.
- Positioning statement. One or two sentences on what the business offers, to whom, and how it differs.
- Brand attributes. Three to five words that the identity must express, each with a short "this, not that" pair, such as "confident, not loud."
- Competitive map. Where competitors sit visually and where the new brand should sit.
A half-day workshop with the decision-makers is usually enough to draft these, followed by a written strategy document. When you present the identity, every choice refers back to the approved attributes. "The type is condensed because 'precise, not cold' asked for structure with warmth in the color" is a far easier conversation than "I just liked it."
Some clients want to skip strategy to save money. You can offer a lighter version, a questionnaire and a single call, but keep a signed positioning page as a gate. A brand questionnaire is a good starting point.
What to define in the identity and applications
Name each component and its deliverable, or the scope will drift.
- Logo suite: primary, secondary, symbol, and one-color versions.
- Color: primary and secondary palettes with values for print and screen, plus accessibility notes for text contrast.
- Typography: one or two families with a hierarchy for headings, body and captions, and who holds the license.
- Imagery direction: photography style, illustration style or icon set, with examples.
- Applications: a fixed list, for example business card, letterhead, slide template, social templates, email signature and one signage mockup. Anything else is a separate quote.
Identity projects for small businesses often sit in the mid four figures to low five figures, and larger organizations pay more for research and stakeholder management. Price phases separately so the client can see where the money goes.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
Recreate this as a saved template in COLO Proposals, with one line item per phase. The client can comment on the proposal, then accept or decline it in the client portal. An accepted proposal converts into an invoice for the strategy phase.
For the work itself, set up a project with tasks for each phase in project management, and use project chat with the client so workshop notes and feedback stay in one place.
Common mistakes
- Designing before positioning is signed. Feedback then becomes a vote on taste.
- Unlimited applications. "Apply it to our materials" can mean 60 items. List them.
- Too many approvers. Name one or two decision-makers and have everyone else feed into them.
- Forgetting font and image licenses. A brand built on a font the client cannot license is not finished.
- Handing over files with no guidelines. Without rules, the identity starts breaking within months.
FAQ
Q: What is included in a branding proposal?
A branding proposal covers strategy (research, workshops, positioning), the visual identity (logo suite, color palette, typography, imagery direction), a set of core applications, and a brand guidelines document, along with timeline, investment and approvals.
Q: How is a branding proposal different from a logo proposal?
A logo proposal quotes one mark and its files. A branding proposal quotes a whole system that tells people how the business looks and sounds everywhere, which usually starts with strategy work before any design.
Q: How long does a branding project take?
Small business identities often take six to ten weeks. Larger projects with multiple stakeholders, naming or extensive applications can take several months. Most delays come from approvals, so put review windows in the timeline.
Q: Should the strategy phase be priced separately?
Pricing strategy as a distinct first phase is common. It produces a positioning document the client can use even without the design phase, and it lets you reprice design if the strategy reveals a larger scope.
Q: What should brand guidelines contain?
Logo usage and misuse, clear space, color values for print and screen, typography hierarchy, imagery and illustration style, voice and tone notes, and examples of the identity applied to real materials. See also solutions for design studios.