The single biggest factor in how quickly you get great design back is not the designer. It is the brief. A clear brief means fewer rounds of amends, faster turnaround and work that does what you need it to. The good news is that a great brief does not need to be long. It just needs to answer the right questions.
1. What is it, and what sizes do you need?
Be specific about the deliverable. “Some social posts” leaves a lot of room for guesswork. “Three Instagram posts at 1080 × 1350 and one LinkedIn post at 1200 × 627” does not. If it is for print, include the size, whether it needs bleed and who is printing it.
2. Who is it for?
Describe the audience in a sentence or two. A recruitment ad for graduates and a funding report for trustees need very different approaches, even if they come from the same organisation.
3. What should it achieve?
What do you want people to do, think or feel after seeing it? Sign up, book a table, download a guide, or simply recognise your brand? One clear goal leads to a clearer design.
4. What is the key message?
If someone only glances at it for two seconds, what is the one thing they should take away? Supply the final copy wherever you can. Designing around placeholder text and then swapping in the real wording is one of the most common causes of extra amends.
5. What assets are available?
- Logos (ideally vector files such as SVG, EPS or PDF)
- Brand guidelines, fonts and colour codes
- Photography, with any usage rights
- Previous examples you liked or that need to match
6. Any examples or references?
A couple of examples, even from completely different industries, can communicate a style faster than a paragraph of description. Say what you like about each one: the colours, the layout, the tone.
7. When do you need it?
Give the real deadline and mention if anyone else needs to approve it. If there is a print or publishing date behind the deadline, say so.
A simple brief template
- Deliverable and sizes:
- Audience:
- Goal:
- Key message and final copy:
- Assets attached:
- References:
- Deadline and approvers:
Giving feedback that helps
When the first draft comes back, combine everyone’s feedback into one list rather than sending it in pieces. Be specific (“make the headline larger and move the logo to the top right”) rather than general (“make it pop”). And if something is not working, say why. It helps the designer solve the actual problem.
Design support that gets to know your brand
With a design subscription, your designers learn your brand and preferences over time, so briefs get shorter and results get better. Find out what Design Shake can help with.
