How to Write a Good Design Brief Even If You Know Nothing About Design

Design projects that go well have something in common: they start with the information shared from day one.

The brief is the document that makes that possible. It's the shared starting point, the foundation the studio builds its work on and the reference it returns to whenever a question comes up. A well-prepared brief can reduce the number of revision rounds, shorten timelines, avoid surprises and, above all, make sure that what's delivered at the end solves the problem set out at the beginning.

Many clients arrive at a project with a wish list or a general idea of what they'd like to see, and the information gets pieced together through rounds of questions and answers. Organising it from the outset saves weeks.

This article is for anyone who wants to do that work well, even if they've never prepared a brief before.

01What a brief is and what it's for

A design brief is a document that describes the problem to be solved, the context it will be solved in and the result that's expected. It doesn't describe the solution — that's the designer's job — but the framework the solution has to work within.

The most common confusion is thinking the brief should describe what the result ought to look like. "I want a modern website with dark tones and a sans-serif typeface" isn't a brief. It's an aesthetic preference. The brief that produces good design doesn't describe the destination: it describes the context, the problem and the criteria for success.

The distinction matters because the designer has the judgement to solve design problems, but not to define your business, your audience or your goals. That information comes from you, and the brief is the vehicle for passing it on.

Key point: a brief doesn't describe how you want the design to look. It describes the problem the design has to solve. The difference between the two produces completely different results.

02The questions to ask yourself before writing anything

Before opening a document, there's some thinking worth doing. These questions guide that process.

What is the real problem you're trying to solve? Not the visible symptom — "I need a new website" or "the logo looks dated" — but the underlying problem. Are you failing to build enough trust at first contact? Does your presence fall short of the level of what you offer? Are you attracting a different kind of client from the one you want? Identifying the real problem lets the designer go to the root, not just the surface.

Who is your audience and what do they care about? Not in the abstract, but concretely. Who are the people this project is for? What expectations do they bring? What earns their trust and what makes them hesitate? How do they make decisions? The clearer you are about the audience, the more precise the design decisions will be.

What do you want to happen after the project? What concrete result would you expect to see in six months if the project goes well? More incoming enquiries, better-quality quote requests, stronger client retention, greater brand recognition. Defining the expected result isn't the same as defining the design, but it guides every decision that leads to it.

What are the project's limits? Budget, timelines, technical constraints, existing brand rules. Limits aren't a sign of scarce resources; they're design information. A designer who doesn't know the limits is working in a vacuum and may propose solutions that can't be delivered.

What must not happen under any circumstances? This question produces some of the most useful answers in a brief. Concerns and non-negotiable restrictions are as valuable as aspirations. "I don't want to look like a cold corporate company" or "the tone must never be pushy" are guidelines that steer concrete decisions.

03What to include in the brief: the essential structure

A well-structured brief covers these blocks of information. They don't have to follow this exact order, and not all of them carry the same weight in every project, but together they map out what the studio needs to work well.

The business context

Who you are, what you do, since when, for whom and why what you do matters. Not as marketing copy, but as an honest description. What makes your offer different. The context of the sector you work in. What's happening in that market that's relevant to the project.

This block seems basic, but many clients skip it, assuming the designer "will pick it up" as the project goes along. It's worth spelling out. Your business has nuances only you know, and the designer needs them to make decisions with judgement.

The audience

Who the outcome of the project is for. If you have defined client profiles, include them. If not, describe in as much detail as you can the people you want to respond to what's going to be designed: characteristics, context, expectations, how they make decisions.

If you have different types of audience, define them separately. Designing for everyone is not the same as designing for a main audience with secondary ones.

The problem and the goal

What's happening now that isn't working or could work better. And what should happen after the project that isn't happening now. Be specific: "we want more visibility" isn't a goal, it's an aspiration. "We want to increase the number of quote requests coming through the website by 30% over the next six months" is.

If the goal can't be quantified, at least describe it concretely enough to know when it's been achieved.

The expected deliverables

What needs to exist when the project ends. An eight-page website. A complete visual identity with logo, palette and typefaces. A communication system for social media. A corporate video. It's not the design you're describing here, but the inventory of what's needed.

Also include the formats those deliverables will be used in: digital, print, at what resolutions, on which platforms. That information affects the project's technical decisions.

The references

Examples of things you think are well done, even if they're from another sector. Examples of what you'd rather not resemble. Not as "copy this" references, but as material that helps the designer understand your aesthetic register and your limits.

You don't need to know exactly why you like the references you include. The designer knows how to read them. What matters is that they're honest: references that genuinely appeal to you, not the ones you think you ought to have.

The budget and the timeline

The approximate budget available for the project and the timeframe in which it's needed. Both are design information, not negotiation. A designer who knows the budget can propose a solution that can actually be delivered. Without that figure, they're proposing in a vacuum.

If there's a fixed deadline — an event, a launch, an opening date — say so from the start. Fixed deadlines affect how the work is organised and which commitments can be made.

Key point: budget and timeline aren't confidential information to reveal only if the studio presses you. They're data the studio needs to make a real proposal. Without them, any proposal is speculative.

04Five habits that make a brief far more useful

These are the adjustments that improve a brief the most, and the ones that save the most time later.

Describe the problem before the solution. "I want a minimalist website with subtle animations and a hero with background video" is a list of solutions. When you also explain what needs solving, the designer can propose what will genuinely work — which sometimes matches what you imagined and sometimes improves on it.

Explain the thinking behind each reference. "I like Apple's website because it's clean, that restaurant's because it's warm and that artist's because it's experimental" are three very different registers. Saying exactly what appeals to you in each one turns that mix into valuable information.

Include the "obvious" too. What's self-evident to you about your business, your sector or your audience is new to someone coming from outside. Designers are good at solving design problems; you bring the context. Include the basics even if they feel redundant.

Communicate changes. Projects evolve and goals get refined, and that's part of the process. When new ideas emerge or the business situation changes, telling the studio keeps the work and the expected result pointing in the same direction.

Speak with one voice. When several people contribute to the brief, it's worth aligning their views before sending it. A document that reflects an agreed position gives the designer a clear direction.

05The brief as the start of a conversation

The brief isn't an exam you have to pass before the studio will talk to you. It's the start of a conversation. Whatever you write, even if it's imperfect, is more valuable than writing nothing.

An experienced studio knows how to read a partial brief and ask the questions that fill in what's missing. It can spot contradictions and resolve them in conversation. It can tell the difference between what the client says they want and what the project really needs.

The context, the goals and the budget come from you, and the brief is the most efficient way to pass them on. If you're still choosing who to work with, this guide on how to choose a web design studio will help, and this one on what a professional website costs gives you a reference point for setting a budget range.

If you'd like to see how we approach projects from the very start, you can read about our way of working in detail. And if you have a project in mind and want to talk it through before preparing anything, you can simply get in touch — the conversation becomes the brief.

Design work begins long before the first sketch. It begins when someone sits down to think clearly about which problem needs solving.