How to Write a Good Design Brief for a Custom Logo Design and Other Materials

Having a good design brief is all about having the right pitch for an idea – but in text format. The trick is to know how to use the written word to your advantage. Written design briefs for a custom logo design or other marketing materials can also be used to make business pitches. Instead of walking into someone’s office and giving them a convincing pitch, you can simply send them a good design brief.

Points to Consider:

Writing a good brief whether for logo designs or other materials requires some points to be considered. These include: • How can you keep people focused on the brief? • What does it take to make an excellent design brief with regards to clarity, structure and style? • Should a design brief have a “spoken tone” or a written one? • Should the brief have more photos, diagrams and pictures? • As compared to a spoken pitch, is the design brief supposed to be short or lengthy?

Some Questions a Good Design Brief Should Answer:

A design brief should ideally be concise but well detailed at the same time. The number of photos, diagrams and pictures being used depends on the content of the brief. They shouldn’t be too many or too little either. Other than the points mentioned above, good design briefs should have answers to questions like: • What is the goal of the design brief? • Does it solve the problem that is being addressed? • Who is the target audience? • Is the content of the brief as compelling and capturing as it should be? • What message is the pitch trying to deliver to the readers/viewers? • Why should the readers/viewers care? What kind of effect on the audience does the company (you) want? • What could possibly go wrong and how can you (the company) prevent and respond to the problem? • What sets you aside from your competitors? • What is the history of your company and what do you do?

The Composition of the Brief

A good design brief can be structured and designed in many different ways. Whether you are designing the brief yourself, or are giving the job to a professional logo design and design brief expert, here is one way the brief can be structured: 1. The Objective/Goal Get straight to the core of what message your pitch is trying to deliver. Keep the description well detailed and clear with short sentences. 2. The Thought/Idea Make sure the content delivers the thought the appropriately. Make sure it consists of a statement that delivers the message you are trying to give people. 3. The Predicament/Problem The problem has to be addressed with regards to the framework of the idea. Provide a bulleted list of points identifying the problems, as well as some practical reasons why the problems need to be addressed. 4. The Target Audience and Market Write the design brief with regards to who it is meant to appeal to. Consider the profile of both the potential and non-potential customers. For example, you will need to consider things like gender, age, geography, lifestyle, income, employment, attitude, views and the taste of the audience you are trying to reach out to. 5. The Progress and Approach Focus on what copies, diagrams, photographs, benchmarks, specifications and graphics will be incorporated into the design. The approach should clearly outline the idea to be implemented. Most importantly, remember to state the budget involved and who will provide these resources. If you plan to hire the services of professionals to write a good design brief for your business, be sure to contact The Logo Boutique.