Every time I get a new client as a creative director, there is one thing that is common across most of them. They usually give you their vision in a very non-specific way, or they communicate what they want and leave you to figure out the rest on your own. For example, someone may say, "I want a logo for flower business." And that is all.
This is mostly challenging when the creative starts probing, and it turns into an uncomfortable interrogation. In most cases, they were not prepared to share that information because they had not thought through what they needed to communicate before reaching out to a designer or a studio.
Creatives will need to understand the idea, the goal, the audience, the expected outcome, and the thinking behind the project. But you as the client also need to have thought through your idea so that if any question comes up, your answers are clear and direct.
That is exactly why we need this article.
A design brief is the information you share with a designer about your vision of the project you are working on and the expected outcome of your engagement with them.
It explains what the project is, what it is about, the impact you want to achieve, who the project is intended for, and what it should communicate.
These form the core of the brief. But beyond that, a good design brief should also help the designer understand your thought process. What made you come up with this idea? What gap did you identify? Are there similar concepts already existing? If not, are there concepts that inspired your idea, your choices, or the direction you want to take?
This information helps the designer get into your shoes and view things from your perspective. It also makes it easier to meet you at the exact point of need and deliver what is required. In simple terms, a good design brief helps the designer read your mind.
Here is why this is important.
If you come to a designer with very broad information such as, "I want a logo for my flower shop," that is not enough. Most people will also add, "I want something that looks nice," or "I want something that looks good." That is still very broad. It is not specific enough to guide the design process.
Now, what happens if a creative does not have this information?
What will happen is that a creative will design from their broad understanding, based on the interpretation of the little information provided, essentially communicating their vision of your idea.
Then the revisions begin:
"This is not what I wanted."
"It doesn't look nice."
"Something is missing."
These are some of the most common responses designers receive when the communication was not clear from the beginning.
We have also had situations where we started a project and, halfway through, noticed a communication barrier or an interpretation issue. In some cases, the best decision was to pause or stop the project due to lack of unity in direction.
What did you have in mind? What did you envision when you came up with the concept? What brought about the idea? What gave birth to it?
That background helps the designer understand the thinking behind the project. It explains where the idea came from and what you want the project to achieve. If you're still working out that foundation, our piece on why brand clarity drives business growth is a useful starting point.
Who is the design intended for? Who are the people receiving the information you are trying to communicate with?
Information intended for children will not be communicated in the same way as information intended for CEOs. The language, tone, visuals, colors, layout, and overall direction will be different. That is why understanding the target audience is important.
What do you expect to achieve from this design? What impact do you want the design to make? What emotions do you want to evoke? What thoughts do you want to provoke in the people interacting with the design?
Do you want them to feel empathy, happiness, or excitement? What kind of impression should the brand leave: classy, premium, approachable, serious, or playful?
These descriptions help guide the design direction. They also tie directly into your positioning, which we cover in Differentiated, or Just the Industry Average?
What should you expect to receive from the designer once the project is complete?
This is especially important for bigger projects such as brand identity design or UI/UX design, where the project may involve a wide range of assets and deliverables. You need to clearly communicate what you expect to receive.
For instance, in a brand identity project, the expected deliverables may be to hand over your brand identity assets in different formats. These may include JPG, PNG, PDF, and vector files. If you're unsure whether your business needs a logo or a full identity system, see Logo vs Brand Identity: What You Need and When You Need It.
However, there are instances where you may need specific file formats. You may need a PSD file instead of only a PNG. You may need an encapsulated PostScript vector instead of only an SVG vector. This is why you need to be specific about the files and deliverables you expect.
For website projects specifically, deliverables and direction should also account for performance and structure. Our articles on AI-ready website design in Kenya and why fast, simple websites still win outline what a well-built brief should anticipate.
Complementary to the project goal, this addresses what you are actually communicating.
Attend the cycling event, or maybe come for a yoga session? That is the core message.
Design direction with references is one of the easiest ways to brief a designer. If you have a concept in mind, references can help the designer understand the direction you are thinking about. This can be achieved by sharing examples and mood boards.
This is like giving a negative prompt when working with AI. You explain what you want, but you also explain what you do not want. If you are already established, a brand or style guideline would make this very easy. The style guide helps the designer understand what is allowed, what is not allowed, and how the brand should be represented.
These are some of the most ignored parts of a design brief, but they are very important.
Timelines and deadlines help the designer plan the delivery process properly.
Decision makers are also important to avoid going through unnecessary cycles. Too many approval channels can slow down the process and create confusion.
Ideally, the budget should be mentioned at the beginning because it helps the designer determine whether the project is a good fit. It can also be discussed further toward the end so that both you and the designer can agree on what can be delivered within that budget. For a sense of realistic pricing, see What Does Branding Cost in Kenya?
I am starting a flower shop in the CBD area of Karen. My target clients will mainly be elderly women who live in posh areas and often visit each other. The flowers will be packaged in small arrangements with a lot of sentimental value.
The gap I identified is that most flower shops sell flowers as ready-made packages, but they do not always give the client a chance to create something personal based on the emotion they want to express. I want the shop to feel more intentional and personal, not just like a place where someone walks in and picks a bouquet that has already been arranged.
The message I want to send out is that someone can walk into the shop and leave with something very personalized to their liking. A client can come in, pick the flowers they like, and create something that expresses the emotion they want to communicate to the person receiving the flowers.
My target clients will be high-end ladies because these will be high-value flowers, so they will also come at a cost.
There are already flower businesses in the market, but the direction I want to take is more personal and experience-based. I do not want the shop to only be about buying flowers. I want it to be about the process of choosing them, understanding them, and creating something that carries meaning.
The concept was inspired by something I saw in Italy, where elderly ladies were often visited by their families. Their families loved taking flowers to them, and they would take time to pick the exact flowers their loved ones liked. The recipients appreciated the effort because the flowers matched their personal preferences.
The idea behind my shop is to mimic that flower-picking experience. Someone can come in, pick the flowers they want, and be guided by someone who helps them understand what the flowers mean, how they can be packaged, how they can be arranged, and how they can be delivered.
I am working on a tight budget of KES 65,000 for the full brand identity package (referencing our rate card package components), to be delivered within the next one month.
If the brief ended there, that information would already tell me what the business is, what it is intended for, who the audience is, the demographic of that audience, how the business will interact with the clients, and the expected outcome.
For reference, you can download this template to help you prepare.
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