Every project starts with a well-defined strategy, but when actual work gets underway, deadlines start slipping; teams spend more time in frequent revisions, and clients’ late feedback becomes your real concern. This chaos will be turned into a single, visual schedule using a Gantt chart.
By outlining what must be done, when, and by whom, it assists teams in creating a sequential timeline. In about 15 minutes, you can have an effective plan using a predesigned template.
Why Design Teams Use Gantt Chart Templates
Designing is a big hassle. Sometimes, you get stuck between repetitive tasks. One smart way to save yourself time is to use readymade Gantt chart templates. This facilitates managing both project development and designer performance. However, there are more benefits to it.
- It is easier to plan and monitor the progress of an extensive design project when it is divided into smaller parts, such as mood boards, wireframes, and mockups.
- You can balance the workload between your employees by assigning the relevant tasks to each designer.
- Before proceeding with the project, it helps you confirm all the requirements have been fulfilled. In this manner, final screens are not designed on top of constantly changing wireframes.
- Regular progress updates can assist in identifying unfinished jobs and delayed client approvals early. So, you can modify the plan in this way if necessary.
Do you want to give it a try? Choose the online Gantt chart templates that best suit your next project from the wide variety available here.
8 Gantt Chart Templates for Design Teams
More than most of us would want to acknowledge, deadlines are important. According to PMI’s Maximizing Project Success report, 74% of the 10,000 project professionals stated that success is defined as completing a project on schedule, under budget, and with something worthwhile to account for it. The following templates, each for a certain type of design project, assist with precisely that.
1. Website Design Template
This Gantt chart is ideal for structuring the development or modification of a website. It divides the job into fundamental stages for development, design, and content.
Key stages:
- Discovery and brief
- Sitemap and wireframes
- Visual design
- Client review
- Development handoff
- Launch
Before anyone creates a single line of code, add your customer approvals following the wireframes and once again during the client review phase. Being caught between designers and developers, project managers will likely find it most valuable.
2. Brand Identity Template
Establishing your brand’s identity is an important part of producing a unified and memorable appearance. This template outlines the steps required to create a consistent brand identity, including research, design, proofreading, approval phases, modifications, and delivery.
Key stages:
- Research and mood board
- Logo concepts
- Revisions
- Brand guidelines
- Final files delivery
Before developing the brand guidelines, get the client to approve the mood board and the initial logo ideas first. Art directors and brand designers, particularly those managing three identity projects concurrently, will find it to be a perfect fit.
3. UX/UI Design Template
This template is designed for product teams working on a new application or other digital product or trying to add new features to the one already existed. From user research to developer handoff, it follows the standard sequence similar to most UX projects.
Key stages:
- User research
- User flows
- Wireframes
- Prototype
- Usability testing
- Handoff to developers
Add client or stakeholder signoffs as soon as the user flows conclude and after usability testing is completed. Product managers and UX designers benefit most from it since it indicates when research needs to be incorporated into the design.
4. Marketing Campaign Creatives Template
If you’re a marketing professional, you might think there’s never sufficient time in a single day to finish everything and still have time to create your campaign strategies. So why not cut down on the amount of time spent planning? Everything is kept in one place with this template.
Key stages:
- Creative brief
- Concept
- Production of banners and social media posts
- Approvals
- Campaign launch
Prior to launch, obtain early client approval for the concept first and then for the final banners and posts. Campaign managers and marketing designers will find it incredibly helpful, particularly when fifty little deliverables come in a single week.
5. Packaging Design Template
The selection of designs for packaging is just one aspect. Printing and production are still necessary, yet printers hardly ever change their dates. Whether you’re designing packaging for a single product or an entire order, this template handles both on schedule.
Key stages:
- Market research
- Concept sketches
- 3D mockups
- Print proof
- Production
After the 3D mockups, seek the client’s approval, and consider the print proof to be the final approval because modifications after that become costly. Production managers and packaging designers will rely on it the most because they also work with suppliers and printers.
6. Video Production Template
Do you want to move one step further to lights, camera, action? Use this Gantt chart to organize one-time video productions so you can meet your deadlines.
Key stages:
- Script
- Storyboard
- Shooting
- Editing
- Motion graphics
- Final review
Before scheduling the shoot, get the script and storyboard approved. At the end, get the client’s final approval. Since timelines are tightest during post-production, producers and editors will benefit the most from it.
7. Interior Design Template
Whether you’re working with a local B&B owner or a homeowner to renovate their existing home, interior design is a complicated process. With precise preparation, an interior design template may be an effective tool for simplifying any project.
Key stages:
- Client brief
- Space planning
- Materials and concept
- 3D visualization
- Purchasing
- Installation
To ensure that nothing is ordered until the client is satisfied, lock in client approvals after the materials and idea stage and the 3D visualization. Project managers and interior designers will find it helpful to keep track of pending dates and deliveries alongside the design work.
8. Design Sprint Template
Without actual data, the team can waste weeks arguing about features, but it can be avoided by using a design sprint template. You can convert open-ended queries into concise, tested responses from the real users.
Key stages:
- Understand
- Sketch
- Decide
- Prototype
- Test
The decide stage, when the customer or primary decision maker selects the idea to be prototyped, is the key approval point. Small teams and facilitators are going to appreciate it the most, particularly if it’s their first sprint.
How to Choose the Right Template
Every Gantt template is unique. Make sure to ask yourself these questions before choosing one.
- What is the type of project you’re working on? Select the nearest match. It doesn’t have to be 100% perfect.
- How many members of your team are involved? Keep it small because one employee needs a simpler plan than a ten-member team.
- How many evaluation rounds will there be? Be precise. Make plans for five if your client consistently requests five.
- What is the expected due date? Make sure everything fits by working in reverse order.
After that, customize the template. Add the things you always do, like a final copy check or an internal critique, and cut out the ones you never do.
Conclusion
By linking responsibilities, due dates, dependencies, and ownership into just one clear view, a Gantt chart offers a structure for successful project development. Design teams develop a common understanding of what must be done, when, and how each activity contributes to its completion.
Avoid starting from zero. Start by choosing one of the ready-made templates mentioned earlier, then adjust the stages, dates, and signoff points to fit your project.