A branding brief you can fill in today.
A good brief is the cheapest way to get better branding work. This template walks through the ten questions a designer needs answered, what to gather, and the mistakes that make briefs fail.
- A brief is a decision document, not a wish list.
- Ten questions are enough: answer them in a page or two.
- Examples you like and dislike say more than adjectives.
5 min readPublished By Domeq Solutions
Why a brief matters
Branding work goes wrong most often at the start, when nobody has written down what the brand is for. A designer can only solve the problem they have been given, so a vague brief gets a polished answer to the wrong question.
Writing the brief also helps you. Having to say who the business is for and what makes it different forces decisions you may have been avoiding, and those decisions are most of the value.
A brief is a decision document, not a wish list.
The brief, question by question
Answer each in a few lines. Do not aim for perfect prose. A clear, honest page or two is far more useful to a designer than a long document.
Domeq's work starts with your business context, audience, priorities and constraints, so you do not need a finished brief to begin.
Ten questions to answer.
What does the business do, in one sentence?
Write it as you would say it to a stranger. If it takes two sentences, that is useful to know.
Who is it for?
Describe the customer you most want, not everyone who might buy.
What problem do you solve for them?
Say it from the customer's side: what is hard or frustrating before they find you.
What makes you different?
Name the one or two things competitors cannot honestly say.
How should people feel when they meet the brand?
Pick a few words, and say what each does not mean. Trusted, not stuffy; friendly, not casual.
Where will the brand appear?
List the places: the website, social media, packaging, documents. The identity must work in all of them.
What do you have already?
A logo, colours, a name or material in use. Say what stays and what can change.
What must the project achieve?
Be specific: a launch, a refresh, standing out from a competitor.
What are the limits?
Timeline, budget, legal or practical constraints. Better stated now than discovered later.
Who decides?
Name the person with the final say, and anyone who must be consulted.
Show, don't just tell
Words like modern, clean and bold mean different things to different people. Examples settle it. Gather brands you admire and brands you dislike, and write one line on why for each.
Include what you already have too. Old logos, past campaigns and product photos give a designer a starting point, and show the real range the identity has to cover.
Eight things to gather.
- Current logo files, if you have them
- Any existing brand material, such as old documents or social posts
- Three brands you admire, with a line on why
- Three brands you dislike, with a line on why
- A list of your main competitors
- Product photos or examples of your work
- Three to five words for the tone of voice
- A list of everywhere the brand will be used
Briefing mistakes worth avoiding
Most weak briefs fail in the same few ways. Check yours against this list before you send it.
Describe the problem, not the solution.
Six ways a brief goes wrong.
Describing the solution, not the problem
Saying you want a blue logo skips the question of why. Explain the problem and let the designer solve it.
Too many decision makers
Feedback from many people with equal say produces compromise. Name one decider.
No priorities
If everything matters equally, nothing does. Say what matters most.
Vague words
Modern, clean and premium can mean anything. Use examples instead.
Hiding the constraints
A limit revealed late means rework. State timeline and budget at the start.
No timeline
Without dates, projects drift. Agree what happens by when.
What you should get back
A good identity project returns more than a logo. You should expect a considered system: a logo, a set of colours and typefaces, a style for imagery and written guidelines so the identity stays consistent as more people use it.
Domeq's Branding & Visual Identity works this way, and you own the work and assets once the final payment is made. The steps below show what happens after you send the brief.
What happens after the brief.
Understand
The designer reads your brief and asks about anything unclear.
Define the position
Settle how the brand is different and how it should sound.
Design the identity
Create the logo, colours, typefaces and imagery style.
Hand over the guidelines
Receive the rules for using the identity, and the files to use it.
Questions, answered.
What is a branding brief?
A short document that tells a designer who the business is, who it is for, what it needs from its brand and what limits apply. It is the starting point for the work.
How long should a branding brief be?
One to two pages is usually enough. Clear answers matter more than length.
Do I need a brief if I only want a logo?
Yes. A logo works best when it comes from a clear idea of the business. Even a short brief makes the result stronger.
What if I do not know what I want?
That is common. Say what you do know, include examples you like and dislike, and be honest about the uncertainty. A good designer will help you work through it.
Who should write the brief?
Someone who knows the business well, usually the owner or founder. Gather input from others, but keep one decision maker.
Can Domeq help if I do not have a brief?
Yes. Domeq's work starts with understanding your business context, audience, priorities and constraints, so you do not need a finished brief to begin. Start a project to talk it through.
Keep reading.
More guides on the same topic, and on the ones around it.
- What Is Brand Identity? The Parts, and How They Fit TogetherWhat is brand identity? Learn how it differs from a logo and from branding, the parts a complete identity contains and how to know when yours needs work.Branding & Visual Identity
- How to Define Your Brand Voice: A Step-by-Step MethodHow to define your brand voice in five steps: gather real examples, choose traits, write do and don't rules, test them and turn them into a one-page guide.Branding & Visual Identity
- Website Brief Template: What to Send Your Web AgencyA website brief template with the eight sections a web agency needs, plain-English prompts for each and an example of a strong answer.Website Design & Development
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