The Client Project Proposal

Write an informal proposal in which you detail your understanding of the client's needs. This proposal will be given to and discussed with the client early in the process. You should be specific about what you propose to do for your client and when you will accomplish these tasks. List any kinds of support or resources that you'll need from the client (that is, verbal and visual content, use of a digital camera or money to print draft versions of color documents). This proposal is essentially an agreement or contract between you and the client which will define expectations. It should not, however, be written in the legalistic or defensive language of a contract; your proposal should strike a balance of conversational sincerity and business-like seriousness.

Format of the Proposal

Formal project proposals typically comprise six elements: introduction, background, proposal, staffing, budget, and an authorization request. Since I'm assuming that you will have talked to the client already, and gotten at least a tentative, oral agreement to work with you, I'll ask you just to focus on only three: an introduction, the background, and the plan.

1. Introduction
This is the "executive summary" of the proposal. Catch the client's attention by giving a clear, succinct idea of your understanding of her needs and what your proposed project can do for them. Be creative, but also use everything you know about the client's tastes, values and goals to help ensure that what you propose fits in with the rest of the client's operation. Keep in mind that you're presenting yourself as well as your project, so tone is important.

2. Background
Before writing this proposal, you should talk to and study the client to analyze a problem or challenge the client faces and the ways your proposed project will address it. This section is your chance to show you understand the situation completely. Indeed, in his book Secrets of Successful Web Sites, the Web-design consultant David Siegel says a good designer needs to understand the client's business better than the client does himself-but of course you shouldn't tell your client this!

3. Plan
Here, you'll discuss specifically and practically how you'll go about solving the problem: your methods, materials, software used, the schedule you'll follow, etc. Specify when throughout the process you'll need any content from the client, or when you'll want to meet or be in contact wit her, and when you'll be ready to show her the working, or BETA, version. Try to make the client a regular part of your process to avoid unhappy surprises or misunderstandings at the end. Remember that you'll also get feedback from the class in workshop. You should plan on delivering the final project to the client on or before our final exam date, Tuesday, December 18.