Brand Design Project Plan Template
Brand Design Project Plan Template
Collaborate with clients throughout the brand design process with this free project plan template.
Who this template is for
Brand design teams, creative agencies, and freelance designers who need a structured, repeatable way to run branding projects and collaborate with clients.
What this template is for
Manage every step of a brand design project inside a single workspace from kickoff to final delivery. It’s built to make branding work more collaborative, transparent, and repeatable.
How to use this template
- Start by creating a free account in Dock.
- Create a new workspace and select the Brand Design Project Template.
- Customize the template to match your branding process, deliverables, and timelines.
- Save your custom version as a reusable template so you can easily get started with any new client.
- Create a personalized workspace for each new client using your saved template.
- Share the workspace with your client at kickoff and use it as your shared source of truth throughout the branding project
What’s in this template?
Overview
Use this section to welcome your client to your new Dock workspace. Include information about the overall goal of the brand design project, a way to collect feedback from your clients to set the stage for your collaboration, and contact information for the client to best get in touch with you.
Project Plan
Provide your client with a clearly laid out plan at the outset of a new project and welcome transparency throughout development. This section allows clients to track a project’s progress against set milestones in real-time. Individual tasks can be assigned to users on the client or agency side with the option to include due dates, status updates, and notes.
Market Research
Every branding project should keep the target audience in mind. This section is the place to include that information around your client’s ICP and brand positioning so every creative team member stays aligned as they bring their brand vision to life.
Deliverables
This section is ideal for collaborating on deliverables for your client. You can directly embed slideshows, videos, and more for your clients to view and give feedback on as you move forward through the project. Dock’s native integrations make it easy to share media from a number of different platforms.
Why use Dock’s Branding Plan Template?
Dock’s branding plan template gives designers, agencies, and creative teams one place to manage every step of a brand identity project. Instead of juggling email threads, shared folders, and endless review calls, you get a single, client-facing workspace that keeps everything aligned with your brand strategy.
With Dock, you can build a reusable branding strategy template that’s flexible enough for creative work and structured enough to guide your process. Whether you're launching a new product, developing a brand from scratch, or updating an existing identity, you’ll have a consistent place to house your messaging, timelines, and deliverables.
What sets Dock apart is how it supports real collaboration. Your clients can view and interact with the workspace without creating an account. You can embed brand guidelines, mood boards, Figma files, or even your mission statement, and then tag stakeholders for input. This keeps your team aligned and your brand’s identity on track.
And Dock isn’t just a workspace—it’s your process playbook. You can templatize entire brand strategy documents or just sections, like brand voice definitions or competitor analysis. Dock also gives you analytics to understand which parts of your plan are resonating and which are getting overlooked.
Streamline the brand design process
- Keep all brand assets and deliverables in one accessible location
- Provide a clear brand roadmap for clients and internal stakeholders
- Simplify review and approvals by embedding brand guidelines and messaging directly
- Stay on-brand and consistent with reusable templates and visual identity references
Make creative collaboration easy
- Embed visual elements, Figma prototypes, and style guides
- Tag stakeholders for faster approvals and clearer communication
- Include real-time feedback on messaging, positioning, and taglines
- Keep your brand story and visual identity aligned across all formats
Build a repeatable branding workflow
- Reuse your brand strategy template for each new client
- Customize sections for brand positioning, brand voice, and target audience
- Use metrics and workspace analytics to optimize your brand strategy document
- Ensure every project reflects your brand’s purpose, personality, and core values
Related Templates
How do I use this template?
Start by signing up for a free Dock account. Create a new workspace using the branding plan template, customize it with your brand strategy, and save your version as a reusable template for future use.
Is this template free?
Yes. Dock is free to try for up to 50 workspaces. Every paid Dock plan includes unlimited template and workspace usage.
Can I modify this template?
Absolutely. You can adjust layout, sections, and content—whether you're adding brand voice guidance or updating your brand color palette.
Can I personalize this template for every client?
Yes. Dock makes it easy to tailor your brand strategy template with each client’s brand personality, positioning statement, or marketing efforts.
Can I share this template with my team?
Yes. Templates can be private or shared across your team, with role-based visibility settings to manage access.
What is a brand design project plan template?
A brand design project plan template is a repeatable structure used to manage branding projects. It helps keep branding assets, visual elements, and brand messaging aligned across timelines, deliverables, and approvals.
What is a branding plan template?
A branding plan template is a framework for building or refining a brand strategy. It covers your brand’s mission, messaging, identity, voice, values, and visual direction. It’s a critical tool for brand strategists working to create a strong brand foundation.
What’s the difference between a brand strategy and a brand identity?
Your brand strategy defines who you are, what you stand for, and how you position yourself. Your brand identity brings that to life visually—through logos, typography, color palettes, and design.
How do I build an effective brand strategy?
Start with your mission statement, core values, and brand vision. Then define your value proposition, messaging, personas, and target audience. A good brand strategy template brings it all together into a clear, repeatable structure.
What should you include in a brand design project plan template?
In any brand design project, you should include:
- Brand purpose, mission statement, and core values
- Space to brainstorm as a team
- Stakeholder contact info and scheduled checkpoints
- Design deliverables like logos, brand guidelines, and typography
- Brand messaging and brand assets
- Project roadmap with timelines, milestones, and tasks
- Embedded brand strategy documents and color palettes
When should you use a brand design project plan template?
Use it at the start of any new branding project for a client—whether you're crafting a new brand, launching new products, or refining an existing brand strategy. It’s especially helpful for aligning stakeholders and defining your ideal customer.
Brand design project plan best practices and tips
You need more than just creativity to get a branding project done for your client. Pull together your best team by:
- Aligning on brand values and positioning upfront between your team and your client’s decision-making stakeholders. What does branding mean to them? If it’s a rebrand, what do they want done differently?
- Thinking through each aspect of branding for your client, not just visual elements. Those are important, but you also need to craft a bigger story that resonates with your client’s customers. Brand percolates through the entire customer experience, so leave nothing off the table.
- Keeping all of your assets in one place. A brand design requires a huge overhaul of existing assets or creating new ones, like a logo, tagline, colors and style guide, and mission/vision statements. Give your clients a single place to provide feedback so you’re all on the same page.
Brand design project plan mistakes to avoid
Running a creative project for your client doesn’t have to be like herding cats. Instead:
- Don’t skip competitor analysis—it’s essential for defining the brand’s position
- Avoid leaving personas undefined. Clarity around your client’s target audience’s demographics, interests, and preferences matters. If your client has not completed this analysis, then you need to do that work before beginning your project.
- Don’t ignore crafting the perfect brand story or tagline for your client. You can agonize over colors, fonts, or other visual cues but without a story, nothing will connect emotionally with customers, and they won’t buy.
- Avoid scattered branding efforts. Dock helps centralize everything in one place.
How can I share a brand design project plan internally?
Use Dock’s team-wide templates and workspace sharing features to keep brand elements aligned across teams. Assign sections for review, track changes, and make updates to shared brand strategy documents in real time.
How can I share a brand design project plan with clients?
Send a shareable workspace link at project kickoff. Embed key content like your value proposition, visual identity samples, or tagline options. Use the workspace to guide them through each branding initiative step-by-step.
How do I handle feedback and approvals?
Each Dock workspace includes commenting features that let clients leave feedback directly on individual sections or files. You can also tag people to clarify deliverables, assign next steps, or ask for approval.
How do I track client engagement?
Dock’s built-in analytics show who’s viewing your workspace, what pages they’re engaging with, and how often. It’s a smart way to identify disengaged clients that may stall out the project.
Can I use this for retainer branding projects?
Yes. Dock workspaces are ideal for long-term partnerships. You can keep updating with new campaign work, marketing strategy changes, or fresh brand guidelines.
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