Design is just problem solving, and to solve the problem the designer must fully understand it.

A design brief is the answer. It should be a documented collection of relevant information about the project that allows the designer to hit the ground running. It also guides people to think holistically about the project and what they want out of it.

Communicating the following points before a project is underway will allow a designer to come up with the best solution.

What

Give an overview of the project and what it is. Think about what the deliverables are and how they will be used – will a social media graphic be posted on Instagram or LinkedIn? Where will a printed poster likely be mounted – how far away from an audience? Is a document to be printed, or digital and primarily viewed on mobile rather than desktop?

Talk about your organisation and the context within which this sits. Provide brand guidelines and potentially previous examples of similar assets along with notes on what worked and did not work. By doing this you can make the process a lot smoother.

Who

Who is your target audience and how can you communicate effectively with them? Design aimed at different demographics can be notably different in form, function and media so this should all be considered before you decide what the deliverables will be.

You know your audience; do you have any insights that would be helpful in a design solution; what else do they read, like, consume? Also consider the tone the asset should take when thinking about your audience – would they respond to a more playful visual or should it be kept professional or corporate?

Why

What are the goals of the design? Is it to communicate a specific message, drive traffic to a website, increase sales? Think about the key messages that the design is trying to communicate so the designer understands the primary focus and can build that into their design hierarchy. Good design leads the eye and will control how the viewer takes in the information.

When

When does everything need to be delivered by? Think of this more like a timeline rather than a single deadline. There can be many moving pieces in a larger project.

• When do you expect to get content?
• When do you want the first draft?
• When does it need to go to print?
• Do you need a hard proof before doing a larger print run?

Decide when the final item needs to be either physically distributed or digitally published and work backwards so everyone is clear on deadlines. This will allow the designer to plan plenty of time for ideation, build, review, and amends.

Addressing all these points should allow the designer to have all the information they need to provide an effective design. The commissioner needs to do a bit of work first in considering and writing the brief, but this is a necessary process that will allow the designer to work efficiently.

Additionally, it’s always a good idea to try and discuss the project with the designer in the early stages, pre-briefing. They can add value with alternate solutions or suggestions — use their expertise. Also, they usually really, really like talking about design.

If you have a design project which needs to drive your audience to take action or to understand your message clearly, please get in touch and we can discuss your requirements.

Cat Laing. 

Graphic designer.

Send us an email or give us a call on 01412210707

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