With over 24 years industry experience under my belt, part of the value I bring to the table is the ability to draw out a solid design brief from my clients. I ask the right questions and challenge perspectives and ideas to refine a clear brief and vision for the project.

This then enables me to deliver on point and on time, every time.

So, without revealing all my secrets, I thought I’d write a blogpost to help you create a solid design brief, whether you’re a future client, another designer, or an existing client. I hope you find it useful and see the value. I’d love to hear from you with your thoughts and feedback.

Here are 10 items that should be included in every design brief:

1. Project overview

Provide a brief overview of the project, including the purpose and key objectives. Detail how it will be used and the desired outcomes. Include the team working on the project, their roles, contact details, the approval process, and turnaround times for amends.

Examples:

  1. We need a digital interactive pdf document that will inform potential clients of how to help their employees manage their mental wellbeing. We would like readers to be able to digest the content quickly and easily and then reach out to purchase one of our core packages.
  2. We would like a brand kit which includes logo, typography, colour palette and visuals, plus a brand guidelines document so we can successfully and consistently market our new start up. We will then send the guidelines document to other suppliers to commission work.
  3. We’ve been in business over 10 years and our brand is looking dated. Furthermore, our business has evolved since we initially branded so our messaging and visuals are not accurate. We’d like to rebrand so that we are aligned with our current services and business strategy and to create a renewed freshness with an established feel to stand out against our competitors, who have just entered the market.

Spotlight Communications: brand guidelines document - how to create a good design brief

2. Brand book, guidelines & design assets

If you have established brand guidelines, make sure to include them in the design brief. This will ensure that your designer stays on brand and creates something that fits within your existing brand identity. In some cases the guidelines may be out of date or don’t cover the specific precedent of the asset the designer is working on (i.e. main guidelines not covering social post layouts). It’s still worth sending them and then explaining the areas to focus on and which to ignore. Especially if they are out of date, as your designer could advise on areas that could easily be updated.

3. Your target audience

It’s really important to describe the audience that the piece of work will be targeting. Include information about their demographics, interests, and preferences and the channels you’re targeting. This information will help your designer understand the context in which the piece of work will be used, and create something that resonates with your audience. During my branding process, I have a specific questionnaire which enables you to probe and think about your target audience. And here’s a snippet of one of the worksheets I provide.

How to Create a Good Design Brief - Understand Your Market 

4. Competitor analysis 

It’s also very useful to provide information about your competitors and their marketing materials. You could combine this with number five on the list by showing examples of what you like and don’t like. This will help your designer understand the context in which your design will be used, and create something that stands out from the competition.

5. Examples (of what you like and don’t like)

Including examples of designs that you like and don’t like can be incredibly helpful as designers are usually visual and will gain a better understanding of your vision from seeing actual examples. It’s also often easier for clients to show what they like or don’t like rather than explaining it in words.

As I mentioned in the previous section, it could be examples from your competitors. But equally it could be an entirely different industry or business but something about it appeals to you and aligns with your brand strategy. This will provide them with insight about your taste and preferences, and help them create something that you’ll love.

BehaviourLAB: branding - how to create a good design brief

6. Budget & deliverables

Including budget information in the design brief will help your designer understand the scope of the project and work within any financial constraints. You’ll also quickly be able to determine whether your budget fits their rates. Detail the format, and final deliverable type – eg digital interactive PDF, number of pages, accessibility, design concepts or templates required. Specify rounds of amends.

I’m often asked for a rate card and am able to provide when the brief and output is clear – for example – reports, brochures or frameworks that follow a strict brand guidelines document, or flyers, stationery etc. Other deliverables are harder to provide a set price for, due to functionality or end value. For example, a website can be built in many different ways, much like a car – read more about this topic in my article on how much does a website cost? And the rebrand for a business turning over £60k a year will cost significantly less than a business turning over £1m a year, as the end value of that brand and subsequent profit to the company varies significantly.

7. Timeline

Make sure to include a timeline for the project in the design brief. This will help your designer understand the urgency of the project and plan their work accordingly. Be sure to try and work backwards from your go-live date for a couple of ideal milestone dates. Make a note of any holidays key team members have booked in as these could impact the approval process or project flow. Your designer should then be able to advise whether the timeframe is appropriate and highlight any points of concerns. 

benefits of data visualisation: how to create a good design brief

8. Copy & content

For optimal design results, include any specific content or copy in your design brief. Copy often shapes creative choices, so it’s best provided at the outset. Ensure your team approves the content fully before the design phase begins. An experienced designer will then review the copy, suggesting the best layout and flow based on its context. Additionally, specify any required functionality, diagrams, or illustrations. If you have an image library, share it with the designer, or indicate if you need them to source stock imagery for your project.

9. Briefing & review meetings

I personally like to commence any working relationship with a briefing meeting to discuss and brainstorm the design brief. I find this provides greater clarity, making sure there is a mutual understanding of the scope of work. Only then can an accurate quote and proposal be put together and supplied. 

I also like to check in through the project duration with either weekly meetings, or meetings after each round of design concepts and amendments. But not all designers work this way, so if this is important to you, make this clear in your design brief. Meetings take up time and therefore the quote will need to reflect the additional time required, as well as compensate for consultancy solutions provided during the meetings. Nuggets of advice from 24 years in the business should not be given for free, right? That reminds me of the story of Picasso’s drawing on a napkin.

At the end of a project, I send a feedback form and am open to a project debrief to improve future processes, delivering better service.

10. The best way to provide your brief

As detailed earlier, I offer a comprehensive Word document questionnaire to gather precise brand design briefs from my clients. Occasionally, clients prefer to use PowerPoint or Google Slides for their mood boards and briefs, integrating visuals, copy, and company structure. These documents are typically sent via email before our briefing meeting, allowing us to discuss the details thoroughly during the session.

I hope this guide helps you create a robust design brief. For any further insights or assistance, feel free to reach out.