"We just need a logo" is one of the most common requests a designer gets, and one of the easiest to under-quote. The client thinks of a single image. You know it means research into the market, sketching dozens of directions to find two worth showing, refining one until it works at 16 pixels and on a van, and packaging it into a set of files the client can actually use.
This template is for quoting the mark itself: a logo, its variations and the files. It deliberately stops short of a full identity. If the project grows to include colors, typography, applications and guidelines, the branding proposal is the right document, and saying so in the proposal is a natural upsell.
TL;DR
The logo design proposal template quotes a logo on its own: discovery, two or three developed concepts, a fixed number of refinement rounds, a file package with primary, secondary, icon and one-color versions, timeline, fee and ownership on final payment. Send it after a short discovery call. The key practice is limiting concepts and naming exactly which logo versions and file formats the client receives.
What's inside
- Summary: the business, the audience and where the logo will appear.
- Discovery: questionnaire, competitor review and a moodboard.
- Concepts: how many directions you present and in what form.
- Refinement: rounds of changes on the chosen concept.
- Final file package: logo versions, color variations and file formats.
- Not included: brand guidelines, stationery, website and trademark registration.
- Timeline, fee and payment schedule: dates and deposit.
- Ownership and acceptance: when rights transfer, what happens to unused concepts, and signatures.
When to use it
Use it when the client needs a mark and already has, or does not need yet, the rest of the identity. Typical cases are a new small business, a product or event logo, a sub-brand, or a refresh of an existing mark that keeps the same brand colors.
Use the branding proposal instead when the client also wants color palette, typography, brand voice notes, templates or a brand guidelines document. Use the graphic design proposal if the logo is already done and they want materials designed with it.
How to present concepts without endless rounds
Logo projects rarely fail on the first concept. They fail on round six, when the client asks to see the second concept again with the color of the third and the font from a competitor. The proposal can prevent most of that.
Fewer, developed concepts. Show two or three directions, each presented on a real application such as a storefront, a business card and a social avatar. A mark shown only on white space invites taste-based feedback. A mark shown in context invites practical feedback.
One direction goes forward. State that the client chooses one concept to refine. Combining parts of several concepts is possible, but it counts as a refinement round, and a request for brand-new concepts is billed as an additional concept round.
Refinement rounds are numbered. Two or three rounds on the chosen concept is common. Define a round as one consolidated set of feedback. Committee feedback ("my partner and my sister both had thoughts") should come through one approver.
Test before final. Before you deliver, check the logo at small sizes, in one color, reversed out of a dark background, and in the narrowest space it will need to fit. Include that test in the proposal so the client sees it as part of the craft.
Ownership, trademarks and rejected concepts
Clients often assume they own everything you showed them. The proposal should say clearly that:
- Ownership of the final, chosen logo transfers to the client once the final invoice is paid in full.
- Concepts that were not chosen remain yours and can be reworked for other uses.
- You design an original mark, but you are not a trademark attorney. Recommend the client run a trademark search and register the mark with a qualified professional if it matters to the business.
- Fonts used in a wordmark may have their own license terms. If a commercial font is used, note who holds the license.
Pricing for logos varies widely, from small fixed fees for simple wordmarks to much larger figures for established businesses with wide usage. Anchor your number to the discovery work, the concept count and the usage, not to what a crowdsourcing site charges. The freelance pricing guide covers value-based framing.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
In COLO Proposals you can save this layout as a reusable template, with separate line items for discovery, concepts, refinement and the file package. Add a discount line if you are bundling, and set an expiry date so the quote does not stay open forever. The client accepts or declines in the client portal, and an accepted proposal converts into an invoice for the deposit.
Final logo files can be uploaded to the project so the client finds them in the portal rather than in a long email thread.
Common mistakes
- Showing too many concepts. Ten weak options lead to a choice nobody is sure of.
- No limit on new concepts. "Can we see some other ideas" should trigger a priced add-on.
- Delivering a single PNG. Clients need vector files, versions for dark backgrounds and an icon. List them.
- Transferring ownership before payment. Tie it to the final invoice.
- Promising the mark is trademark-safe. Recommend a search instead.
FAQ
Q: What should a logo design proposal include?
A short summary of the business and where the logo will be used, research and discovery, the number of initial concepts, refinement rounds, the final file package with versions and formats, timeline, fee, payment schedule and an ownership clause.
Q: How many logo concepts should I present?
Many designers present two or three developed concepts rather than ten rough ones. Fewer, better-reasoned options lead to faster decisions and fewer rounds of "can we combine these."
Q: Is a logo the same as a brand identity?
No. A logo is one mark and its variations. A brand identity adds color systems, typography, imagery style, applications and guidelines. If the client wants those, send a branding proposal instead.
Q: What logo files should I deliver?
Typically the primary logo, a secondary or stacked version, an icon or symbol, and one-color versions, each as vector files plus PNG and SVG exports in full color, black and white. Collect usage needs up front with a logo design brief.
Q: When does the client own the logo?
Usually on payment of the final invoice. The proposal should state that ownership of the chosen mark transfers then, and that rejected concepts stay with the designer.