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A design brief is a document provided by a client to a project designer, describing the basics of the project. This brief provides a set of guidelines from which the designer can work while allowing you to use their creativity to improve the design. To write a design brief, provide an overview of the project goals and provide an estimate of the project’s intended audience. Additionally, clients should aim to include budget issues, the project completion deadline, and any references that may help convey the image of the client to the designer.
When a design project is undertaken, designers are likely to come up with their own ideas on how the project should be done. Clients may have conflicting ideas, which need to be communicated early enough in the process to ensure the project turns out as clients expected. That’s why it’s crucial for clients to write design briefs that can take some of the guesswork out of the project for both parties.
It is important to write a design brief that includes a brief description of the clients themselves. After all, the designer may have no idea of the clients’ history or what they represent, which can have a huge effect on the overall design. General goals and objectives should also be included. What is ultimately expected from the project should be the first thing on the designer’s mind.
Giving the designer an idea of a project’s target audience is another priority for the person who is asked to write a design brief. Knowing the demographics of a project can greatly help the designer. Also, knowing the basic budget and time considerations for a project is also a must for the designer, so this data should also be included in the brief.
On some occasions, it may be necessary for clients to write a design brief that includes some element of the design, such as photos or video, which must be provided by another source or by the clients themselves. In some cases, design reports may even be required for projects that are already in a partial state of completion. While this doesn’t necessarily mean the designer should copy the previous design, it can give you a good idea of what the designer should and shouldn’t do when completing the project.