A good brief does not need to be long. It needs to give the designer enough information to make decisions without guessing. The clearer the input, the faster and cleaner the design work.
The short version
Before booking a designer, gather:
- Business name and contact details
- What the design needs to achieve
- The audience or customer type
- Final or near-final copy
- Logo and brand files
- Photos, illustrations, or product images
- Size, format, or platform requirements
- Deadline and launch date
- Examples of styles you like and dislike
For logo or branding work
Send the business name, strapline if you have one, what the business does, who it sells to, and how you want it to feel: premium, practical, playful, technical, local, bold, calm, or something else.
If you already have a logo that needs fixing, send every version you have. Even an old PDF can help more than a screenshot.
For flyers, ads, and social graphics
The most useful thing you can send is the message. What should the reader do after seeing it? Call, book, visit, buy, enquire, register, or remember the date?
Also send the exact offer, dates, prices, URLs, phone numbers, and any legal or practical details that must appear. Fixing missing details late is one of the easiest ways to slow a simple job down.
For print-ready artwork
Send the printer's specification if you have it. That might include size, bleed, safe area, colour mode, PDF preset, paper stock, fold type, or dieline.
If you do not understand the printer's spec, send it anyway. A designer can translate it into the right file setup.
A simple brief template
If you are not sure what to write, use this structure:
- Project: what needs designing?
- Goal: what should the design help people do?
- Audience: who is it for?
- Message: what is the main thing they need to understand?
- Content: what text, images, and details must be included?
- Format: where will it be used or printed?
- Deadline: when do you need the first draft and final files?
That is enough for most practical design jobs. A designer can ask sharper follow-up questions once the basics are visible.
What not to do
- Do not send low-resolution screenshots if proper files exist
- Do not start design before the main copy is agreed
- Do not ask for "something modern" without examples
- Do not hide the deadline until after booking
- Do not rely on a designer to guess business-critical details
Designers can make judgement calls. They cannot reliably invent facts about your business.