How to Write an Effective Design Brief

A design brief is a written document outlining company and project details needed by a designer.  It must highlight key information so the designers get into your head and that of the target market and understand your requirements fully to ensure high quality, relevant materials. 

This document is not set in stone and amendments can be made but it is a vital part of the design process. It should also be used as a clear reference of what has been agreed so both parties stay on track!

This form will always need to be completed before any work commences.

What is the Purpose of the Design?

The desired outcome of a design can change depending what you want to achieve.  A clear purpose needs to be communicated to the designer so they can design with it’s purpose in mind.

I.e. Do you want to:

• Generate new sales?
• Open dialogue with potential customers?
• Gather data?
• Increase brand awareness?

Budget and Time-Scale

It is good to know at the start of a project what the budget or ball park figure that you have available, this will allow the designer to come up with realistic solutions.

Time scale is also very important as it will let a designer know how much time they have available to brainstorm and discuss ideas before producing the first proofs. tight.

Describe Your Organisation’s World

The designer will need to know about your company, the people, products/services, unique selling points, industries you work in.  They do not need a detailed 10,000 word essay, just a brief overview so they can start putting a picture together!

The Target Market

Who are your target market?

• B2B or B2C
• Typical Consumer
• Location/Geographic’s
• Demographics – Age/Sex/Income/Occupation
• Sector Primary/Secondary/Tertiary
• Industries
• Company Size
  

And lots more, whatever you feel is relevant about your target market include this into your information, the more we have the clearer the picture we can build!

Get Feedback From Colleagues

Discussing your design brief with colleagues is a great form of feedback before the project has even started.  It ensures that you are not just taking into account your own personal opinions about the company and what needs to be achieved.

This should help to save on time and costs by resolving any issues or adding valuable suggestions before the project has even begun.

Provide Examples

Provide examples of designs that have worked for your target market.

Show the designer what your materials currently look like and highlight the aspects that you would like to follow through to the new item/s being created.

If there are certain images, styles, fonts or colours that work well for your brand please include this information.

The more information you give about your design tastes, the more likely the designer will be able to produce something close to your aims first time.


If you would like to discuss your design brief in more detail please call 0845 643 1637 or email info@taurus-solutions.co.uk