Design Briefs: What to Send to Start a Project Without Rework
A project often begins with a simple request: we need a presentation, a campaign, or a new visual language. The problem arises when everyone understands that request differently. For clients, a design brief is an opportunity to turn an intention into decisions the team can discuss, execute, and approve.
You do not need every answer for the first conversation. You do need to distinguish what is decided, what requires investigation, and who can decide. A good brief makes these gaps visible. This helps avoid changes caused by information that existed within the company but never reached the people creating the work.
Design brief: start with the situation that needs to change
Describe something concrete. "Our presentation mixes old and current services" says more than "we want something modern." Add who will see the piece and in what situation: someone comparing suppliers on a phone has different needs from a team attending a meeting.
Adobe advises gathering business objectives and audience information in the discovery phase, as well as clarifying scope, deliverables, deadlines, and revisions. Use this conversation to define project conditions before evaluating visual proposals. Adobe: briefing in the discovery phase
Avoid turning preferences into objectives. Liking a color is useful information, but it does not explain the piece's task. If the priority is helping someone find a service, the project should also be evaluated by how it organizes information. Appearance and function belong in the same conversation.
What to send with your request
Context: what the company currently offers and what situation prompted the project.
Audience and use: who will encounter the piece, where it will appear, and which action it should support.
Deliverables: a list of pieces, versions, languages, formats, and known adaptations.
Content: approved texts, data, available images, and outstanding items with assigned owners.
Constraints: mandatory information, elements that must remain, and production limitations.
Process: the person consolidating feedback, who approves, and dates dependent on third parties.
Organize files in a shared folder with clear names. Separate current material from references. If you lack an element's original file, say so; an image received through messaging should not be presented as a production file. Also specify which photographs and illustrations the company is authorized to use.
References need captions
Sending an unexplained collection of images can produce opposite interpretations. Beside each reference, write what interests you: information order, the way photographs are presented, or a sense of approachability. State what should not carry over to the project as well.
A reference can help discuss a quality without becoming a template to copy. If two people choose incompatible images, discuss the conflict before design begins. Ask which better addresses the situation described in the objective; a vote based on personal taste rarely clarifies this decision.
Fictional example: a sales presentation
The situation below is entirely fictional and illustrates an initial brief. Aurora Oficina wants a presentation to send after the first sales contact. It maintains corporate furniture, but its current file highlights residential work it no longer accepts.
Field | Initial answer |
Objective | Enable the purchasing manager to understand which corporate services they can request. |
Use | A PDF emailed and viewed on mobile; a meeting version will also be discussed. |
Deliverables | Main presentation and editable file, subject to scope confirmation. |
Available content | Updated service list and authorized photos; final copy still requires validation. |
Decision | The coordinator gathers feedback; management approves content and visual direction. |
This brief still needs discussion. The designer may ask whether the file should support internal updates, which photos truly represent the services, and whether the two use situations require adaptations. Discovering this now is part of defining the work; it does not mean the client submitted a poor brief.
Practical tool: a readiness checklist
Before commissioning, mark each item as "defined," "to be decided," or "depends on someone." For the latter two states, record the owner and next step. The checklist below is an editorial proposal to organize the conversation, rather than a quality score.
I can explain the problem in one observable sentence.
I know which pieces I need to receive and which are still possibilities.
I distinguish approved copy from provisional copy.
I have one person responsible for consolidating feedback.
I know which dates are preferences and which depend on a real event.
I understand how additional pieces or changes in direction will be handled within the scope.
Before approving the commercial proposal, confirm what final delivery means: formats, editable files where included, adaptations, and transfer method. Also agree how the team will record a change of objective. A new need may be legitimate, but it must be acknowledged so the timeline and work can be reassessed.
Bring your context to the first conversation
You do not need to solve the visual direction yourself. Gather what you know, identify questions, and share materials showing the current situation. For brand-related projects, explore Briccitly's visual identity service and send your initial brief to discuss scope. Explore visual identity at Briccitly
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