Design brief template
The seven questions every design brief should answer, with a real example filled in. Copy the template, or send it as a guided brief.
The template, filled in
Example answers for Ember Coffee identity, a new café.
What’s the business or brand called?
Ember Coffee
What does the business do?
A sentence or two is enough.
A specialty coffee roaster. We’re opening our first café, near the university campus.
What should this project achieve?
An identity for the café: the sign, cups, bags and menu. It has to be ready before we open.
Who are we trying to reach?
The people this work is for: who they are and what they care about.
Neighbors who care where their coffee comes from. Students too, the café is near campus.
What should people think or feel when they see it?
A few words is fine.
Warm and a little nerdy. Not fancy.
What do you like, and what should we avoid?
Brands, links and examples welcome.
We like simple type and hand-drawn menus. Please avoid gold, thin serifs, and anything like the chain café two doors down.
Anything else we should know?
Key dates, must-haves, anything we haven’t asked.
We open in early December. Cups will probably be printed in one color.
What makes a good design brief
A design brief says what the project is for, who it’s for, and how it should feel, before anyone designs anything. It’s what you check the work against when feedback starts.
Keep the answers short and specific. “Warm, not fancy” is more useful than a page about the brand’s values. If an answer is missing, ask again before you plan: a guess now becomes a redo later.
A logo, a website or packaging needs a few more questions. Find them in the client questionnaire. When the brief is done, turn it into a dated timeline.
Clients skip PDFs. They answer questions.
With Briefscope, your client gets one link and answers the brief one question at a time on their phone. You get the answers read and sorted.
Send your next brief as one link.
Free during beta. No card needed.