Design brief

What is a project brief? This question is often asked by business owners facing their first ever conversation with a graphic designer or copywriter. It is not always necessary to fill in a brief, but there are situations when it is necessary.

A design brief may as well be several lines as it is multiple pages. Without it, it is difficult to move on with a complicated project. How to balance a sufficiently detailed brief with the needs of the ordering party who rarely wants to fill it in? 

What is a project brief? 

A design brief, despite its serious name, is in fact a simple document, usually prepared on 1-2 A4 pages. Currently, it is more often filled in on-line, but there is also a paper version. The creator or marketing agency asks basic questions about the shape of the project (which can be, for example, engaging advertising campaign): 

• what's the budget 
• How much time is there for the project? 
• Who is in the target group?  
• What is the purpose of the project? 
• What does the company do? 

This is an exemplary set of questions, because they may differ, especially when it comes to different industries and types of orders. All this is then used to make arrangements between the parties, and the creators make it easier to prepare the valuation and offer. 

How to prepare a project brief? 

The project brief is a popular tool in industries such as: 

• marketing, 
• b2b marketing 
• graphics, 
• copywriting 
• and related fields. 

Design brief

For specialists from these industries, it is a matter of course without which it makes no sense to start cooperation. However, the principals are often not even aware of what a project brief is and do not want to fill it in. Sometimes they do it so carelessly that the task loses its meaning. Then a freelancer or agency has two most popular scenarios in front of them.

In the first one, he decides to cooperate without a brief. The effects are usually dire. There is no framework on which to use when creating a project. If the customer is dissatisfied, it's hard to know what went wrong. 

An alternative approach is one in which the project brief is not filled in directly by the business owner. The easiest solution is to talk to him and fill in the fields yourself. You can then present the document to him and ask if that was the point. It may seem like an unnecessary additional obligation. The truth is, however, that many business owners are involved in business development on a daily basis and do not like to express themselves in writing. A copywriter or a graphic designer on the contrary - wants to see the entire page written with thoughts and tips. Taking a client through a project brief by phone may be the only way to get the information they need. However, this method is not always available. Sometimes a brief is supposed to contain sufficiently detailed or technical information that the creator cannot fill it in for the owner of the company. It also happens that the specialist does not have time to fill in the brief on his own. Then appropriate communication strategy becomes really crucial.  

How to fill in a project brief? 

Those who have just found out what a project brief is may be wondering how to complete it. There is also no one good answer here, because it will depend on the industry and the specifics of the project. Above all, however, a few features of a well-completed brief are important: 

• honesty - it is better to enter real goals and needs if the brief is to answer them. 
• Handling examples - it is easiest for the creators to understand the keynote if they see the examples. 
• Specifying the recipient - the group of recipients should be as narrow as possible to make it easier to adjust the implementation to their needs. 

Design brief - the most common mistakes 

On the part of the creator of the brief, the most common mistake is to ask too many questions. This is especially true for copywriters and editors. They like to express themselves in writing and do not take into account that if their client could efficiently formulate thoughts on paper, they would not need their help. Therefore, a design brief cannot be "art for art". If the assignment is simple and short, most fields can be omitted or the question set can be simplified. Thanks to this, you can eliminate any later eventuals mistakes in marketing communication and their effects.

Design brief

On the part of procuring entities, the most common mistake is to ignore the brief. They feel that the arrangements have been made some other time, or that the freelancer will figure out what the need of the moment is. Those who treat the project brief as a mere formality and carelessly fill it in, are later often dissatisfied with the results of the cooperation. When the creator investigates the reasons, it turns out that the source of the problems is a nonchalant approach to the brief, which was supposed to be the basis for cooperation.

Ordering parties are often put off by the length and detail of the brief. They should be aware that a complicated brief can only accompany the first cooperation with a given agency. Later, when the cooperation is successful and involves another similar order, there will be no need to explain everything.

Cooperation without a brief - possible scenarios 

Design brief to many people it seems to be an unnecessary obstacle in relations with a subcontractor or a colleague. Meanwhile, without it, they run the risk of numerous difficulties: 

• delays due to subsequent corrections and questions; 
• no agreement when details are not in writing; 
• longer waiting time or refusal to implement - the creator will first deal with the order, which is precisely described; 
• completely missing the vision. 

The Project Brief is a tool to avoid such misunderstandings. It is enough to fill it in correctly to ensure harmonious cooperation.