The Power of Enlisting a Graphic Design Project Checklist

The human brain loves lists. They’re great — they organize information, they give us quantifiable guidelines and solutions, they’re explicit and easy to digest, and they give our brains exactly what they want: answers without effort.

Checklists keep projects on track by managing complexity and experience. Your graphic design project checklist helps you visualize everything that needs to get done while also providing a straightforward order of operations.

Tip: When creating checklists, break each task down into smaller, actionable items.
Example: “Design page 2 of magazine” is much easier to act on than “Design magazine.”

You can also break your checklist into project phases, which we’ll cover below.

Planning Checklist

You’ve pitched and won your project — now it’s time to get your thoughts in order.

Your planning checklist might include:

• Questions to ask the client
• References to pull for inspiration
• A review of the client’s past designs and projects for style cues

The planning checklist sets the tone for your entire project. By considering everything that needs to be done and researched early on, you ensure a smoother design process.

Client Checklist

Working with clients can mean:

• A long conversation to uncover their wants and needs
• A short conversation if they arrive with a ready-made list

Organize this section of your checklist into needs and wants. This keeps the design focused without losing sight of extra features that would be nice to have.

Your client checklist can also include:

• Research tasks (e.g., analyzing a past project style, exploring an emerging trend)

Design Checklist

Once you have:

• The client’s needs and wants
• Your own project parameters (time, style, etc.)

…it’s time to translate your concepts into a checklist for the final mockups.

Why use a checklist at this stage?

• Increases productivity by breaking work into explicit, bite-sized tasks
• Serves as a roadmap, showing how close you are to the finish line

Your design checklist will be unique to the project, functioning as a personal reference to ensure you’re hitting all the necessary points.

Proofing Checklist

When it comes to proofing, Ashore has you covered. This isn’t a checklist for you — it’s for your approvers.

How it works in Ashore:

• The checklist functions as an e-signature
• Clients must acknowledge the checklist before submitting approval
• Fully customizable (e.g., “Check for spelling” or “Verify print margins”)

Benefits:

• Removes uncertainty for approvers by clearly defining their role
• Serves as a final reminder for overlooked details
• Provides you with a record that all items were reviewed before approval

The proofing checklist helps make the approval final — no take backs.

Final Checklist

Even after final approval, your job isn’t over. Your final checklist might include:

• Sending print-ready files to the client
• Printing the files yourself
• Sending them to a third-party publisher

Always include one last task: celebrate! Project complete — take a deep breath, then move on to the next one.

Most of these checklists can live in your notebook, project management tool, or post-it notes — whatever works best for you.

But when it comes to the proofing checklist, that’s for your approvers, and it’s much harder to control.

Let Ashore improve your proofing process and ensure your approvers stick to your checklist.
Sign up for a free account today and start sailing the seven seas!