How to Prepare a Great Design Brief
Starting a design project without knowing who it's for or when it's due is a recipe for endless revisions and blown budgets. A design brief solves this by getting everyone on the same page before any actual design work begins.
Onigiri Design Studio
3 min read
The No-Fluff Guide to Design Briefs
Starting a design project without knowing who it's for or when it's due is a recipe for endless revisions and blown budgets. A design brief solves this by getting everyone on the same page before any actual design work begins.
A design brief is a short document outlining what a project needs to achieve, who it's for, and the rules of engagement. Clients or project leads usually write it to give designers clear direction on everything from website redesigns to brand logos.
What is a design brief?
Keeping communication straightforward: Clients, stakeholders, and designers all read from the same playbook.
Preventing scope creep: Keeps the team focused on what was actually agreed upon.
Speeding up decisions: When design options come up, you evaluate them against the brief rather than personal opinion.
Design Brief vs. Creative Brief: A design brief focuses on technical details (deliverables, exact screen sizes, timelines, brand rules). A creative brief is broader and focuses on big-picture marketing strategy.
Why bother writing one?
Think of a brief as the project's ground truth. It helps by:
Ready-to-use design brief template
A solid design brief covers both big-picture goals and tactical specifics. To see how it works in practice, explore this customizable FigJam template designed for real-world projects.
To make your brief truly actionable for a designer, spend time detailing these four specific areas:
Core Steps: How Clients Should Prepare Their Inputs
Bad: "Make our product look modern."
Good: "Redesign our onboarding flow to decrease user drop-off by 15%."
Tip: List 1–3 measurable outcomes so the designer knows what "success" looks like.
1. How to Write Clear Project Goals
Don't just say "We need a new website." Focus on the business problem you're solving and how you will measure success.
2. How to Define Your Audience
Design works best when tailored to the end user, not personal taste. Give designers context on who is using the product.
Detail basic demographics (age, job role, tech-savviness).
Explain their primary goal: What are they trying to accomplish on this page?
Highlight their key pain points: What frustrates them about current solutions?
3. How to Gather Inspiration (and Anti-Inspiration)
Abstract words like "sleek" or "clean" mean different things to everyone. Visual examples eliminate guesswork.
Create a Mood Board: Collect 3–5 links to websites, apps, or brand visuals you admire.
Explain the "Why": Point out specific details (e.g., "We love the subtle animations on this button" or "This typography feels approachable").
Include Bad Examples: Show 1–2 things you dislike so designers know what directions to avoid entirely.
4. How to Communicate Expectations & Constraints
Miscommunication around scope and deadlines causes most project friction. Lay out your boundaries upfront.
Budget & Timelines: State hard launch dates (e.g., an upcoming event) and realistic budget limits.
Brand Guidelines: Specify if existing colors, logos, and fonts are strictly locked or open for exploration.
Feedback Process: Clarify who has final sign-off authority and how many review rounds are expected.
What else goes inside a complete brief?
Project Overview: A quick summary of what you're making and why.
Problem Statement: The specific pain point users deal with.
Competitors: Who else is doing this well (or poorly) in your space?
Tone & Voice: How the brand should sound in copy and visual messaging.
Deliverables: The exact assets needed (file types, screen dimensions, resolutions).
How to build one in 4 steps
Pick a lead: Someone needs to own the brief—usually a client, product manager, or project lead.
Outline the basics: Draft core requirements like timeline, budget, and goals.
Talk to the right people: Fill in gaps by chatting with UX researchers, strategists, or developers.
Lock it in: Once stakeholders agree on details, hand it off to the design team so they can kick off.
Three simple rules to keep in mind
Keep it short: Write in plain language. If it's too long, nobody will read it.
Involve experts: Check with finance on budget and researchers on user data so assumptions stay realistic.
Make it accessible: Put the document somewhere public (like a shared FigJam board) so anyone can reference it throughout the project.
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