I was a graphic designer in my previous career and transferred to proposal management three years ago. Bidding and proposals is an exciting industry, but some of the principles and approaches to graphics are very dated.
Proposals and bidding is often for a risk adverse customer. Using "bleeding edge aesthetics" (which continually change) CAN result in a greater sense of risk from the customer's perspective. That is why winning proposals often feel a bit behind the latest design trends. AND it depends upon if its government, commercial, US, UK, the type of company/solution. So many factors dictate aesthetics. The reason why most proposals fail is because they are created BY the author and FOR the author. Our own individual bias informs our choices. The challenge is that the author is not the decision maker. We want to render graphics that resonate with our audience and elicits the right emotional response. :)
If you can't use a photo you find on a search engine, can you use the pictures the client provides in their own documents? For example if I get an electronic copy of a bid from a major city with a picture of their skyline, can I use that picture in my companies proposal response?
In order to legally use any image, we want to make sure we own (or rented) the rights to use it. For example, if you took the photo of the skyline, you own it. It is safe to use. If you "purchased" it from a stock site or a site that grants commercial use, you can use it. If you don't know, legally I wouldn't use it.
I wish there is a heart instead of a like for this video. ❤❤❤
Very informative. Thanks!
I was a graphic designer in my previous career and transferred to proposal management three years ago. Bidding and proposals is an exciting industry, but some of the principles and approaches to graphics are very dated.
Agreed!!
Proposals and bidding is often for a risk adverse customer. Using "bleeding edge aesthetics" (which continually change) CAN result in a greater sense of risk from the customer's perspective. That is why winning proposals often feel a bit behind the latest design trends. AND it depends upon if its government, commercial, US, UK, the type of company/solution. So many factors dictate aesthetics. The reason why most proposals fail is because they are created BY the author and FOR the author. Our own individual bias informs our choices. The challenge is that the author is not the decision maker. We want to render graphics that resonate with our audience and elicits the right emotional response. :)
If you can't use a photo you find on a search engine, can you use the pictures the client provides in their own documents? For example if I get an electronic copy of a bid from a major city with a picture of their skyline, can I use that picture in my companies proposal response?
In order to legally use any image, we want to make sure we own (or rented) the rights to use it. For example, if you took the photo of the skyline, you own it. It is safe to use. If you "purchased" it from a stock site or a site that grants commercial use, you can use it. If you don't know, legally I wouldn't use it.