Designing Perfect Proposals & MacGyver Hacks for When Everything Goes Wrong
The file crashed and the deadline is in five minutes? Wake me up in four.
This workshop is equal parts dream proposal and deadline nightmare.
Seasoned A/E/C proposal designer Becky Ellison of Middle of Six will lead a practical, engaging discussion on visual storytelling and proposal design. Attendees will learn how to identify themes that help differentiate a firm, organize content with intention, and build flexible templates that support stronger storytelling while saving valuable production time.
Becky will also explore how thoughtful page structure, visual hierarchy, imagery, and design consistency can make proposals easier to navigate, more engaging to read, and more memorable to evaluators.
Then comes reality.
As every A/E/C marketer knows, if something can go wrong during proposal production, it eventually will. In the second half of the session, Becky will shift from design strategy to troubleshooting mode, sharing some of the most useful time-saving, space-saving, and day-saving techniques she has developed over 16 years in A/E/C marketing.
From last-minute content changes and overflowing pages to broken files, awkward layouts, and unexpected production emergencies, attendees will learn how to think creatively, stay calm under pressure, and develop their own inner MacGyver.
Participants will leave with practical design strategies, adaptable troubleshooting techniques, and a stronger toolkit for producing standout proposals—even when the process does not go according to plan.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Apply visual storytelling principles to create proposals that are more engaging, cohesive, and easier for evaluators to navigate.
- Identify and translate pursuit themes into visual design decisions that reinforce key messages and help differentiate a firm.
- Build more flexible proposal templates that allow for changing content, page counts, and production needs without sacrificing design quality.
- Use visual hierarchy, spacing, imagery, and layout more intentionally to improve readability and strengthen the overall presentation of proposal content.
- Recognize common proposal-production problems before they become crises and make smarter design decisions earlier in the process.
- Apply practical InDesign and production hacks to address last-minute changes, overflowing content, broken layouts, and other deadline-driven challenges.
- Develop more efficient approaches to troubleshooting under pressure while maintaining consistency, quality, and accuracy.
- Create a personal toolkit of time-saving and space-saving techniques that can be applied to proposals and other A/E/C marketing deliverables.
Presenter/Speaker
Becky Ellison
Middle of Six
Middle of Six’s Becky Ellison is a seasoned graphic designer with 16 years of AEC marketing experience, an InDesign expert, and your new best friend. Her decade spent working in-house for a large general contractor led to the creation of the hilarious and relatable The Wildcards, which won Best Brand Awareness Campaign and Best of Show at Amplify AEC 2024. Passionate about unconventional problem-solving, brainstorming and psychological safety, Becky hosts The Short(er) List, a spinoff of the award-winning The Shortlist podcast, and facilitates workshops on proposal design, InDesign best practices, tips, and tricks, as well as creative brainstorms, client discoveries & focus groups.
Cancellation/Refund Policy
In order to receive a refund, reservations must be canceled 72 business hours prior to the start of the event. If you do not cancel your reservation within the required time period, a refund will be forfeited.
Register NowTickets
$30.00 CPSM Rate
$35.00 Member Rate
$40.00 Sponsors
$50.00 Non-Member Rate
$35.00 Other SMPS Chapter Member Ticket
