How to Write an Amazing Design Brief

Blog Introduction

Whether you're a first-time buyer of design or an experienced client, writing a great design brief is essential to driving results from your design team. A good brief will help your designers or freelancers understand your vision, goals, and objectives for the project, and will ultimately save you time and money by ensuring that everyone is on the same page from the start. So how do you write an amazing design brief? Here are four tips:

1. Be clear and concise, use references

The best briefs are clear, concise, and easy to read. They should get straight to the point without going into too much detail or using flowery language. Be sure to include all of the essential information about the project, but leave out any non-essential details that could clutter up the brief or confuse your designers.

2. Get input from multiple stakeholders:

Before you start writing, it's important to gather input from all of the stakeholders who will be involved in the project. This includes people from different departments or functions who may have a unique perspective on the project objectives. By getting input from multiple stakeholders, you can be sure that everyone's needs are represented in the final brief.

3. Define the problem

A great design brief always starts with a clear definition of the problem that needs to be solved. This is essential in order for the designer to understand the scope of the project and what they need to do in order to be successful. Be sure to include as much detail as possible about the problem, including any relevant data or background information that will help your team hit the ground running. Do use references for what you are looking to achieve but be mindful of not trying to steer the designer too much, remember that you have hired this person for their expertise so leave room for them to surprise you with ideas you might not have considered.

4. Set measurable goals & Be clear on expected deliverables

In order for your team to know whether or not they're being successful, it's important to set measurable goals for the project. These goals should be specific, realistic, and achievable, and they should align with the overall objectives of the project. By setting measurable goals, you can track progress throughout the course of the project and make adjustments as needed. When it becomes time for a final delivery it always helps to have specified the deliverables clearly in a checklist. A checklist might contain information such as which type of files needs to be delivered, what resolution and maximum size they should be and instructions on it should be uploaded. Spending some extra time on these details can end up saving both you and the designer lots of time in the end! 

5. Do a project kick-off.

When its time to kick off a project is a good idea to to set aside a couple of hours together with all the stakeholders to get to know each other and  set the rules and expectations for the project. In this session you'll have the chance to agree on how you are going to communicate: slack, email, phone etc. and how often you should have check-ins. If the project is fixed pricing you should also decide how many revision rounds are included in the price. If you are looking for some inspiration to your workshop session check out 5 ideas for your next project kick-off.

Bonus: Project Wrap up with reflection

Setting up a session to wrap up a project once its finished creates a great space to reflect on the time spent together, what worked well and what can be improved in the next project. Revisit the document that you created during the project kick-off and compared the expectactions that you set out to the actual goal, leave space for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings. And if the project has been launched to your target audience it can be a good idea to plan a revisit in a couple of months time when you've been albe to collect feedback from your users.

‍

Conclusion:

Keep these six tips in mind when writing your next design brief and you'll be sure to create a document that will help your team succeed. By being clear and concise, getting input from multiple stakeholders, defining the problem, and setting measurable goals, you can set your team up for success while ensuring that everyone is on the same page from start to finish.