How to Write an Effective Design BriefJoin now to read essay How to Write an Effective Design BriefDesign BriefHow To Write An Effective Design BriefA design brief is a written explanation – given to a designer – outlining the aims, objectives and milestones of a design project.A thorough and articulate design brief is a critical part of the design process. It helps develop trust and understanding between the client and designer – and serves as an essential point of reference for both parties.
Above all, the design brief ensures that important design issues are considered and questioned before the designer starts work.This article outlines some of the most important factors to consider when writing your design brief.Clear Design UK – Web DesignClear Design UK Ltd DetailsClear Design UK Ltd1 Gas Ferry RoadBristolBS1 9UNRegistered in England and WalesCompany Number: 4597034t: 0117 9300222e: [email protected] ServicesLogo DesignWeb Design BristolCompany ProfileStart your design brief with a short, honest synopsis of your organisation or company. Dont take this information for granted, and dont assume that the designer will necessarily know anything about your industry sector.
Below is a summary of what you should know.Deregulation is a key design issue – the issue is most acutely felt on the web. Most people assume to a limited extent that the designers will be taking all the effort necessary to understand and understand your business, which in turn can lead to poor, repetitive work environments and the appearance of poor quality product and service. To make matters worse, designers are rarely informed of the various ways that your design will change or work. In most cases this isn’t a problem – most design consultants and designers are aware of this – they take their time to learn every detail, and they are often quick to correct or even improve the design when it doesn’t look and feel right.A couple of months ago a British Design Society called itself “one of the leading online design consulting communities” and its website was heavily criticised in the UK for its lack of transparency. A few weeks later and the blog was shut down to the public. We will use this to help illustrate what’s really at stake.It’s a simple yet important question.What about the designers themselves, who are responsible for their own website design work?In a nutshell, it looks like this:The only way you can trust design designers: don’t let them mislead. A good job design consultants always know what their clients want in their website. No one wants to compromise that. Do it carefully, consider the options and choose the one you trust.It isn’t usually going to be very much practice: do nothing, but ask your clients what sort of website you want and how many pages they’re expecting to see. Ask them how you can improve their site without compromising their experience. This is a good point to start with, as you need to consider their feedback and ensure that your team know which kind of website you trust.If you have been reading our previous blog, you now know what issues this makes. The first thing people should realise: if you are going to use their site for marketing, design or other purposes, you must take the time to examine the web structure a lot and then identify the issues as they arise. The reason what you are seeing is not a design issue but a problem. To understand the problem, it is probably prudent to know what features and things the user is experiencing and how they might relate to your business.Design professionals should be aware of the issue and fix it. The best way to fix this is to understand how you are working with your design team. When your designers are working collaboratively, they need to consider aspects of your business which are normally outside the scope of the team. For example, you may need to determine what is ‘new’ and what hasn’t changed, which is the source of your problems, and which is likely to change quickly
Below is a summary of what you should know.Deregulation is a key design issue – the issue is most acutely felt on the web. Most people assume to a limited extent that the designers will be taking all the effort necessary to understand and understand your business, which in turn can lead to poor, repetitive work environments and the appearance of poor quality product and service. To make matters worse, designers are rarely informed of the various ways that your design will change or work. In most cases this isn’t a problem – most design consultants and designers are aware of this – they take their time to learn every detail, and they are often quick to correct or even improve the design when it doesn’t look and feel right.A couple of months ago a British Design Society called itself “one of the leading online design consulting communities” and its website was heavily criticised in the UK for its lack of transparency. A few weeks later and the blog was shut down to the public. We will use this to help illustrate what’s really at stake.It’s a simple yet important question.What about the designers themselves, who are responsible for their own website design work?In a nutshell, it looks like this:The only way you can trust design designers: don’t let them mislead. A good job design consultants always know what their clients want in their website. No one wants to compromise that. Do it carefully, consider the options and choose the one you trust.It isn’t usually going to be very much practice: do nothing, but ask your clients what sort of website you want and how many pages they’re expecting to see. Ask them how you can improve their site without compromising their experience. This is a good point to start with, as you need to consider their feedback and ensure that your team know which kind of website you trust.If you have been reading our previous blog, you now know what issues this makes. The first thing people should realise: if you are going to use their site for marketing, design or other purposes, you must take the time to examine the web structure a lot and then identify the issues as they arise. The reason what you are seeing is not a design issue but a problem. To understand the problem, it is probably prudent to know what features and things the user is experiencing and how they might relate to your business.Design professionals should be aware of the issue and fix it. The best way to fix this is to understand how you are working with your design team. When your designers are working collaboratively, they need to consider aspects of your business which are normally outside the scope of the team. For example, you may need to determine what is ‘new’ and what hasn’t changed, which is the source of your problems, and which is likely to change quickly
Tell your designer:• What your organisation does• How long you have been established and how many staff you employ• What your niche market is• How you fit in to your industry sectorYour AimsGood design can have a huge influence on the success of a companys marketing strategy – but in order for success to be ensured, clear goals must be set.
For example, do you want to:• Generate sales?• Encourage enquiries?• Gain newsletter subscribers?• Obtain information from your audience?• Encourage them to tell a friend?If your aims and objectives are not this clear, then your design brief has already achieved another purpose One of most rewarding parts of actually sitting down and writing a design brief is that it helps to clarify your thoughts and can indirectly help to find flaws in what you initially thought was a solid idea.
Your Target AudienceDetail your primary, secondary and tertiary audiences. Explain if you are looking to consolidate your existing client-base or appeal to new markets.Detail any demographic figures about your audience that may be useful to the designer. These may include:• Age• Sex• Income• Occupation• LocationYour Budget And Time-ScaleEven if you can only provide a ball-park figure, a budget expectation will give the designer a good idea of the type of solution they will realistically be able to provide.
Time scale is also an important consideration – so let your designer know if there is a specific deadline that has to be met.Consult with ColleaguesConsult