How to write a good design brief

A brief is the short note in which you explain the job to a designer. A good brief is not long; it answers the right questions. When a design does not come out as you expected the first time, the cause is usually not the designer but a job that was only half explained.

Eight things a brief needs

1. What do you want? A logo, packaging, a website, all of them? What do you already have and what is missing?

2. What does your business do? A sentence or two is enough. "A specialty coffee shop near the station" says far more than "a café".

3. Who do you sell to? Who your customer is: their age, what they are looking for, why they pick you. The design has to speak to their eye, not yours.

4. How should the brand feel? "Modern and stylish" is what everyone says and everyone understands differently. Pick three words and, if you can, say the opposite too: "warm but not childish", "premium but not cold".

5. Colour. Is there a colour you must use or one you definitely do not want? If not, "I am open to suggestions" is an answer too.

6. Examples you like. Two or three brands or sites and what you like about each. An example you dislike helps draw the line as well.

7. Where will it be used? Signage, packaging, social media, vehicle graphics, business cards. A logo that goes on a sign is not designed the same way as one that will only ever be on a screen.

8. When do you need it? If there is an opening, a trade fair or a date when the product reaches the shelf, say so. The date affects the scope too.

Three habits that make the job harder

Dictating the solution. Instead of "put a lion in the logo", say why you want a lion: strength, protection, a family crest? A designer who knows the reason can draw the lion, or suggest something else that conveys the same feeling better.

More than one decision maker. It should be clear from the start who approves the design. When partners, family and friends each give separate feedback, the work ends up somewhere that pleases everyone a little and no one fully. Collect the opinions and give the designer one answer.

"I will know it when I see it." That means the designer has to guess, and guessing uses up revision rounds. Even if you do not know what you want, you can write down what you do not want.

How long should it be?

It does not need to go beyond a page. Short answers to the eight questions above are enough for most jobs. The glossary has a brief definition too.

A ready-made brief

If you would rather not start from a blank page, the design brief tool asks these questions in order; most are answered with a click. At the end you can copy the brief or attach it to your enquiry. What you write is not sent anywhere; it stays in your browser.