Turning brand templates into editable PDF forms staff can fill in and maintain

The challenge

Having recently had a new master template built for their organisation, this state government health department needed two internal forms created for their staff to complete as part of day-to-day operations.

The forms needed to sit on the same branded foundation as the rest of the organisation's documents, rather than being built as one-off files that risked drifting from the established template and brand standards.

Staff needed to be able to fill the forms in easily and reliably, without the layout shifting or breaking, which meant a standard Word document wasn't going to be a robust enough format for how the forms would actually be used.

Our approach

1. 01

   Discussing the best approach

   We talked through the options with the client and agreed the most reliable approach was to build both forms directly into their existing master template, rather than starting the layouts from scratch.

2. 02

   Building the forms into the master template

   We built both forms using the existing template created for the client, keeping the layouts consistent with the organisation's established branding and document standards throughout.

3. 03

   Converting to editable PDF

   Once the layouts were finalised, we saved each form as a PDF and converted it into an editable PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro, so staff could complete the fields directly without disturbing the underlying design.

4. 04

   Training the client's team

   We provided training to the client's team on how to make minor content changes to the forms themselves, so small updates down the track don't need to come back to us as a new request.

The outcome

The client now has two internal forms built directly into their existing master template, keeping every document staff use aligned with the same brand standard.

Staff can complete the forms through editable PDF fields, filling them in easily while the underlying layout and branding stay exactly as designed.

With training now complete, the client's own team can make minor content changes to the forms independently, without needing to come back to us for small updates.