A comprehensive design brief serves many purposes. It gives your designers the information they need to strategise, gets you to focus on what you need and why and creates an understanding between both parties as to what’s needed, how it’s to be developed and what it aims to achieve. Answering these questions lays the foundations for a successful process and outcome.

 

1. Project Purpose and Business Objectives

• What are you trying to achieve with this project? (sales, awareness, education, promotion, etc.)
• What do you see as the best way to achieve this?
• Are there any alternative means we should look at?
• What is promoting you to undertake this project right now?

 

2. Scope of Work and Deliverables

• What type of project is needed?
• What are the final items to be delivered?

 

3. Core Target Audience

• Who are the audience?
• How old are they and where are they from?
• What are their attitudes and aspirations?
• What are their buying and usage habits?
• What are their lifestyles like? What are their needs and wants?
• What are three words to describe how you’d like your audience to see you?
• How do they actually see you now?

 

4. Positioning and Competitors

• Who are your competitors and what is your position in the market?
• What are your competitors strengeths and weaknesses?
• Is there a way of using this information to our advantage?

 

5. Product Features and Consumer Benefits

• What are the most important and compelling features?
• What are the main consumer benefits and how will they be better off?
• Do you have information to support these claims?

 

6. Key Messages to Communicate

• What is the single most important message we need to communicate?
• Is there anything else we need to communicate?

 

7. Personality or Visual Tone

• What is the personality or visual tone of this project?
• What are the overall personality traits the brand must communicate?
• What would you like the target to think after they see this?

 

8. Creative Considerations and Restrictions

• Where will the text, illustration and photography come from?
• What must be included? (logos, colours, legals, etc.)
• What are the limitations of this project?
• Any special considerations?

 

9. Production and Distribution

• How will this be produced and distributed?
• How does this affect the budget, time, colour and mechanical requirements?

 

10. Project Timing, Budget and Measurement

• What are the schedule milestones and final deadline?
• How do we measure the success of this project?
• What are the budget limitations?