The fastest way to get disappointing design work is to send a vague brief. A strong brief doesn't constrain a designer — it gives them the context they need to make genuinely good decisions on your behalf.
Start With the Problem, Not the Solution
Most briefs open with 'I need a logo' or 'I want something modern.' That's a solution, not a brief. Start instead with the business problem you're trying to solve: Are you launching to a new audience? Repositioning after a rebrand? Looking dated next to competitors?
When a designer understands the underlying problem, they can choose the right approach — which may or may not be what you initially imagined. Give them the why before the what.
Describe Your Audience Specifically
'Everyone' is not an audience. The more precisely you can describe the person you're trying to reach, the more targeted the design can be. Think about their age range, profession, values, and what they already respond to visually.
- Include one or two real customer personas if you have them
- Note what platforms or contexts they encounter your brand in
- Mention any audiences you explicitly don't want to attract
Be Clear About Deliverables and Formats
List exactly what you need: a logo in SVG and PNG, a set of social templates in Canva, a brand colour palette with hex codes. Vague deliverables lead to vague invoices and missing assets discovered at the worst moment.
Also specify where the work will live — print, web, social, signage — because a design that works beautifully on Instagram may fall apart on a billboard or an embroidered badge.
Share Visual References — and Explain Why You Like Them
A mood board or a handful of reference links are helpful, but only if you annotate them. 'I like this' tells a designer almost nothing. 'I like the restraint of the typography here, but not the colour palette' gives them something to work with.
- Use tools like Pinterest, Are.na, or a simple Google Slides deck
- Include at least one example of what you don't want
- Note competitors' branding so the designer can consciously differentiate from them
State Your Constraints Upfront
Budget, timeline, number of revision rounds, brand guidelines you must adhere to — these aren't awkward to mention. They're essential. A designer who knows they have two revision rounds will use them wisely; one who doesn't know may assume unlimited amends are on the table.
If you have existing brand assets — fonts, colours, a logo that must stay — share those files from the start. Discovering constraints mid-project wastes everyone's time and goodwill.
Define What 'Done' Looks Like
Describe the outcome you want, not just the output. 'We want our website to feel trustworthy enough that enterprise procurement teams don't hesitate to book a call' is more useful than 'make it look professional.' Concrete success criteria help both parties know when the work has landed.
Leave Room for the Designer to Design
A brief should inform and direct, not micromanage. Once you've given a designer the context, the audience, the constraints, and the goal, trust them to explore. Prescribing exact colours, layouts, or icon shapes before seeing any concepts often produces work that is technically 'what you asked for' but creatively mediocre.
The best client-designer relationships treat the brief as a shared starting point, not a rigid specification. Be open to being surprised — that's what you're paying for.