How to write a design brief.

A well detailed brief is the instruction manual for every creative project and ensures that you get the best work from your designer and your project goals are achieved.

Throughout my career I have learnt that not all clients are familiar with how best to put together a brief, and I don’t expect them to be either, their expertise lie elsewhere, this is where your graphic designer can be of service. If the client provides just a short verbal brief, or no brief at all, then I will always write one for them and get this signed off before the project begins. This also helps to build reassurances that we’re on the same page. However, I will always encourage the client to participate, as the process of writing one allows you to thoroughly examine your project and build clarity.

By utilising my years of experience as both a graphic designer and a lecturer, I’ve compiled this list of components to help you write a great brief that will not only make your design agency fall in love with you but will lead to great results for your project. It may seem like a long list, but most of the answers can be covered in one or two concise and simple sentences. Try not to overthink this process, generally the first answers to come to your mind will be the truest, so start with those.

[note] I was going to add a downloadable brief template and some examples to this post but ultimately decided not to for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with a written out example we can tend to mirror the comments that are already there as we’ll presume this is the right “answer” and your true comments will miss the opportunity to shine. Secondly, the way way a client chooses to compose the design brief can be full of visual cues that are very revealing to an astute designer.

History.
A bit of background.

What is your brands backstory? Why does it exist? What is your mission? What sets you apart from the competition? Who are your people? What are your ethics? This information helps the designer get a grip on who your brand really is, what makes you tick, what your vision is, where you’re heading to and how we can help get you there. 

Project.
Why are you doing this project?

Instead of focussing purely on sales goals, try to think about what has driven you to create this service or product. Is there a problem you have created a solution to? Is there something you could do better or improve upon? Perhaps it’s an every-day product you have managed to produce in a new and sustainable way. Whatever it is, try to be as honest, as within these answers is the beating heart of your project and one of the keys to its success.

Goal.
What is your goal?

What do you desire? What would the best outcome look like to you? What benefit would you like to give to your audience? What would you like to change within your field? How would this make your audience feel and act?

We know that a business needs to generate a turnover to exist, this is a goal that can go unsaid, but increased sales and interaction is the by-product of a well executed goal. For example, Hiut Denim create stylish, simplistic and sustainable jeans with free repairs for life - the longer you wear them, the better they look. Their goal is to protect the planet and actively encourage their community to buy less, disengage with fast fashion and invest in sustainable style.

I too share the idea that if you put people first, profits will follow, this does not mean that you shouldn’t focus on profits, that’s unrealistic for any business, but some the most successful brands today, such as Netflix and Patagonia, have built their success on an approach that is focussed on people.

Format.
How do you want to achieve this?

In what format would you like this project to be created? Is it packaging design, a printed and digital publication or is it time for a rebrand? Would you like a social media campaign or perhaps a poster series for an exhibition?

You may have an idea of what has been successful for you in the past, there may be something new you would like to try or you may not have a clue. Please don’t fear this one too much as any good design studio will be able to advise you on the best format and output to reach your goal, it’s part of the expertise you’re hiring us for.

Audience.
Who is it for?

Most brands have a good idea of who their audience already is, larger brands may even have ‘customer profiles’ that they wish to share or some form of market research, but don’t worry, not everyone has this information to hand and the designer is here to help.

The broader your audience is, the trickier it can feel to hone in on them, but try not to overthink it. The Metro System may at first appear to be for everyone, but it’s actually only for people who want (or need) to take public transport and prefer to use the Metro over other modes of public transport. Now we can ask ourselves why we think that is. What are the benefits that the Metro adds to their lifestyle? Is it faster? More efficient? Cost effective? Geographical?

Core Message.
What do you want to say?

We know why you’re doing this, what your goals are and what you want the outcome to be, but what is the message that you want to share? What is it that you want to say?

This information can be boiled down into a call to action, or a killer campaign slogan, that grabs attention and connects with your audience. Just Do It, I’m Loving It, Got Milk?, not all brands I love, but brilliant and memorable slogans that show where a carefully considered core message can lead to.

Timeline and Deadline.

Always try to work in advance, you don’t want your creative work to be delivered on the same day as you’re launching it, but equally you don’t want it sitting around for weeks going stale. Try to give the designer as much time as possible to work on a project, as the more time they spend with it to follow the creative process and generate ideas, the better the results will be for both of you.

Your brand guidelines and assets.

If you’re looking for branding design then you won’t have a set of brand guidelines (but you will be about to get a set of your own). If you’re an established brand, then you will more than likely have guidelines, you need to provide these, along with any assets such as logos, so that the designer can get an idea of your identity, tone of voice, style elements and creative direction.

Competitors.

It’s a good bit of insight to see who your competitors are, what they’re doing, what area of the market they are dominating and where they may have left wide open. Finding a niche here could really power up your brand project and set you apart from the competition, giving you the chance to offer your audience a true alternative.

It gives everyone a better idea of the brands positioning and a clear path forward. Nudie Jeans don’t have the denim market dominance of Levis, but they are dominating their niche in the market that Levis have left wide open, and that is premium sustainable denim with free repairs for life.

Budget.

This one is subjective, you may not have an idea of budget but you can always work with your designer or agency to reach a figure that works for the both of you. I will always ask a client for an indicator on budget with their brief, the scope of a design project can be endless so this provides me with a set of constraints to work within when outlining my proposal, and where limitations exist creativity thrives.

When planning your budget it’s important to consider what the true value of the project is to your brand, especially if it could make or break your business. Remembering the age old rule of ‘you get what you pay for’.

With a good design firm that’s experience, skill, insight and wisdom. You could use your weird second cousin who has a copy of photoshop, you get to pay as little as possible, but who would you trust more with the future of your livelihood?

You can contact me here if you would like to discuss creating a brief and working with me on a project. Thanks for reading. RH.