Essential Steps to Write a Powerful Design Brief

Before starting any design project, the client and the designers usually create a design brief to better understand the scope of the project. It might seem an unnecessary waste of time, but design briefs are actually essential for the successful completion of the project.

The design brief sets the foundation for the project and provides a roadmap for the designer to follow. An effective design brief is crucial because it brings clarity, structure, and strategic planning to the start of a project, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned from the beginning. A well-written design brief ensures that the final product meets the client’s expectations and achieves the project’s objectives.

Whether you’re working with a traditional agency, building an in-house team, or partnering with a subscription-based design service, a strong brief is the foundation of successful collaboration. A good design brief facilitates clear communication, sets expectations, and enables effective planning, serving as a foundational document that guides the entire design process. In modern design partnerships—particularly with unlimited request models—briefs evolve from one-time documents into strategic frameworks that guide ongoing collaboration, rapid iteration, and continuous optimization.

In this article, we’re going to explore how to create powerful design briefs that drive results in today’s fast-paced digital environment.

What is a Design Brief?

A design brief is a document that outlines the details, objectives and all specifics of a design project. A well-written design can help both the designer and the client reach their desired goals for each project. A project brief, on the other hand, is a comprehensive document that outlines broader project objectives, stakeholders, and goals, and is distinct from a design brief. It also helps with the management of the design project. Every party should know the exact deadlines, project scope and budget of every deliverable to ensure they both are satisfied. Clearly defining the project title is a key element in the initial stages of creating a design brief.

A design brief is usually written by the client, but designers can also take part in it so that they ensure the client includes all the necessary details about the project. It is crucial to include all the details—such as objectives, requirements, stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables—to ensure clarity, effective communication, and project success.

You may also have heard about creative briefs, which can be very similar to a design brief. Though, these two are not the same. A design brief mostly handles the business and management side of the project, while a creative brief is more about the creative, artistic approach. A creative brief is written after the design brief is ready. Creative brief dives deeper into the target audience and company to understand it better and give reasoning to the chosen artistic and creative direction.

Why do You Need a Design Brief?

Another important question is why you need a design brief. Of course, there are a lot of things considered in terms of budget and timeline, but it all can be discussed with the designer, and the design brief may not seem necessary in this case.

So why do designers still need it?

Firstly, a design brief is necessary for understanding the details about the company, its target audience and the project overall. A comprehensive brand overview, including the brand’s background, values, and market position, helps ensure designers understand the company’s identity. It can help designers to clearly understand which direction they should choose to execute the project.

Then, it also helps both parties to set realistic deadlines and goals to cooperate successfully. Without a powerful design brief, designers may have lots of questions when executing the project, or in the worst-case scenario, the client won’t be satisfied with the final result. Clearly defining the client’s expectations in the design brief helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures the final deliverables meet the client’s needs.

So a design brief helps to:

• Understand the scope of the project
• Set realistic deadlines and budget
• Get insight into the brand, its industry and its target audience
• Provide a detailed description of the project’s scope, background, and objectives to ensure clarity for all parties.
• Involve the client more in the project
• Set a standard for the quality of every deliverable

Design Briefs in Modern Design Partnerships

The role of design briefs has evolved significantly with the emergence of subscription-based design services and agile marketing teams. Modern design briefs now facilitate collaboration and streamline project management for creative teams, supporting their overall project success. While traditional agency relationships might require extensive upfront briefs for fixed-scope projects, modern design partnerships benefit from more flexible, iterative brief frameworks.

Collaborative Brief Development

In progressive design partnerships, briefs aren’t just client documents—they’re collaborative tools developed with your dedicated project manager and design team. The project owner is the person responsible for creating, guiding, and finalizing the design brief, collaborating with the team, and having ultimate accountability for the project’s goals, scope, and deliverables.

This approach ensures:

• Technical feasibility is validated upfront (platform constraints, integration requirements, timeline realities)
• Strategic alignment between creative execution and business objectives
• Efficient scoping that maximizes value within your timeline and budget
• Knowledge transfer from specialists who’ve solved similar challenges across industries

Briefs for Ongoing Relationships

When working with subscription-based design services or retained agencies, your brief strategy shifts:

• Template-based requests for recurring needs (landing pages, email campaigns, social posts)
• Living documents that evolve based on A/B test results and user research findings
• Rapid brief cycles optimized for 1-3 day delivery timelines
• Integrated workflows through platforms like Slack, ClickUp, or Figma for seamless communication

Enterprise Considerations

For B2B SaaS companies, enterprise businesses, and regulated industries, design briefs must address:

• Security and compliance requirements (data handling, accessibility standards, industry regulations)
• Brand governance across multiple products, regions, or business units
• Stakeholder management with clear approval hierarchies and decision-making authority
• Integration specifications for CRM systems, marketing automation, analytics platforms, and design systems
• Master Service Agreements (MSAs) that define quality standards, IP ownership, and delivery expectations

For conversion optimization initiatives, specify whether you’ll use third-party testing platforms or proprietary solutions like Crolytics.ai that integrate directly with your design workflow.

These considerations ensure your design deliverables not only look great but also meet enterprise-grade standards for security, compliance, and scalability.

Understanding the Design Process

A successful design project doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of a well-structured design process. This process is a series of strategic steps that guide the design team from the initial idea to the final deliverable. It starts with a clear understanding of the project scope, ensuring everyone knows what the project will and won’t include. By identifying the target audience early on, the design team can tailor their approach to meet the specific needs and preferences of those who matter most.

A well written design brief is the cornerstone of this process. Clearly articulating the project’s purpose is essential, as it helps align stakeholders, guides design decisions, and ensures that outcomes meet the intended goals. It outlines the project’s objectives, project goals, and key deliverables, serving as a reference point for the entire project. When all stakeholders are on the same page, the design process becomes more efficient, and the chances of achieving a successful design project increase dramatically. With a clear understanding of the project’s requirements, the design team can focus on creating solutions that align with the client’s vision and business objectives.

How to Create a Design Brief

There are no general rules in creating a design brief; each client and designer can set their individual points to be included in the brief. Though, there are some points that are crucial to include in a brief. Identifying the key elements of a design brief, such as the project overview, stakeholder details, and specific design requirements, is essential for effective collaboration. Careful planning and clear communication in the design brief are vital for the success of any creative project.

And we are going to talk about these important points and describe step by step how to create a powerful design brief. Detailed briefs help align teams, protect project scope, and ensure successful outcomes.

Step 1: Define Your Goals

The first step in writing a powerful design brief is to understand your objectives. Before starting any design project, it is essential to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with the design project. Clearly defining the project’s goals and objectives is crucial, as it guides the design process, ensures alignment among stakeholders, and provides measurable success criteria. Specifying the project’s objectives in the design brief ensures that all stakeholders are aligned on the intended outcomes.

Connect Design to Business Outcomes

Strong briefs connect creative deliverables to measurable business results:

• Revenue impact: Will this design increase trial signups, demo requests, or product adoption?
• Pipeline velocity: How will this support sales enablement or accelerate deal cycles?
• Customer retention: Does this improve user experience, reduce churn, or increase engagement?
• Brand positioning: How does this strengthen market differentiation or thought leadership?

A well-prepared design brief ensures that creative deliverables are aligned with the company’s marketing strategy, helping design efforts directly support broader marketing goals.

Define Your Objectives

To define your objectives, consider the following:

1. What do you want the design to accomplish? Is it to increase brand awareness, drive new leads and conversions, or educate your audience?
2. Describe your target audience: who are they, and what are their needs and preferences?
3. What key messages do you want to convey through the design?
4. What are the specific deliverables and outcomes you expect from the project?
5. How do the project’s objectives align with your overall business strategy and quarterly OKRs?
6. What baseline metrics exist today, and what improvement targets are realistic?

Gathering valuable insights from market research, competitor analysis, and user understanding can inform your design brief and guide the overall design process.

For B2B SaaS Companies

If you’re in the B2B software or services space, also consider:

• Buyer journey stage: Is this for awareness, consideration, decision, or retention?
• User sophistication: Are you targeting technical users, business decision-makers, or end users?
• Product complexity: Does the design need to simplify complex concepts or showcase technical capabilities?
• Sales cycle support: How will this asset support your sales team or partner ecosystem?

By defining your objectives with this level of clarity, you’ll be able to communicate your expectations clearly to the designer and ensure that the final design meets your goals. Regularly revisiting the project’s goals throughout the project lifecycle helps align stakeholder expectations and ensures the final deliverables meet the overall objectives.

Step 2: Research Your Target Audience

The second step in writing a design brief is to identify your target audience. Understanding your audience’s needs, preferences, and behaviors is crucial to creating a design that resonates with them.

To better understand the needs of your audience, answer the following questions:

• Demographics: What is their age, gender, income level, education, and occupation?
• Psychographics: What are their interests, values, attitudes, and lifestyles?
• Behaviors: How do they interact with your brand? What channels do they use to access information and make purchase decisions?

Creating user personas—detailed, realistic representations of your target users—can help guide design decisions and improve user-centered outcomes.

The more you know your target audience, the better you will be able to create a design that speaks to their needs and preferences and resonates with them on a deeper level. If you’re sure you know everything about your audience, you can skip this step, but if you have some doubts or haven’t updated your buyer persona profile, it’s better to do some research. Conducting thorough market research is essential for understanding your audience and identifying opportunities to better meet their needs.

Step 3: Research Your Competition

Besides researching your target audience, you need to analyze your competitors too. Understanding your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and design strategies is essential to creating a design that sets you apart from the crowd. It’s important to identify and analyze both direct and indirect competitors to inform your market positioning and develop targeted strategies.

So, analyze their branding, online presence, and design strategies: What colors, fonts, imagery, and messaging do they use? How do they present themselves online? What features do they offer that you can improve upon?

Also, don’t forget to analyze their interaction with their audience: What are their customers saying about them? What complaints or criticisms do they have that you can address in your design?

All this information can help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and understand what kind of design will make your brand different.

Step 4: Outline the Project Scope and Scope of Work

Next, you need to understand the scope of work. What do you want specifically, and what designs do you want the designer to create? Are they logos, brochures, social media posts, or website designs? Defining the project’s deliverables, requirements, and guidelines is crucial to ensuring that the designer has a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Clearly outlining project deliverables helps ensure alignment between all parties and avoids misunderstandings about what will be provided.

Specify Exact Deliverables

Be precise about what you need:

• Format and specifications: Dimensions, file types, responsive breakpoints, color profiles
• Platform requirements: WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, HubSpot, or custom development
• Quantity and variations: How many designs, pages, or assets? What variations (mobile, tablet, desktop)?
• Core features: Identify the core features that must be included in the design to deliver primary benefits and meet key user needs.
• Integration needs: CRM connections, analytics implementation, marketing automation workflows

Technical Requirements

For digital projects, specify:

• CMS and development constraints: Platform limitations, existing design systems, component libraries
• Accessibility standards: WCAG compliance level, screen reader compatibility
• Performance requirements: Page load targets, image optimization needs
• Browser and device support: Which browsers, operating systems, and devices must be supported?

Brand and Design Guidelines

Think about the guidelines and standards that the designer should follow in creating the design:

• Brand guidelines: Logo usage, color palettes, typography, tone of voice
• Design system integration: Existing component libraries, UI patterns, style guides
• Compliance requirements: Industry regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2), legal disclaimers, copyright considerations

If you have brand guidelines or design systems, make sure to share them with the designer so that they can better understand your brand and maintain consistency across all touchpoints.

Define What’s Out of Scope

Equally important is clarifying what’s NOT included:

• Features or pages that will be addressed in future phases
• Third-party integrations that require separate vendor coordination
• Content creation or copywriting (unless explicitly included)
• Ongoing maintenance or updates post-launch

Integration and Workflow Tools

Specify how the project will integrate with your existing workflows:

• Design collaboration: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch
• Project management: ClickUp, Asana, Slack channels
• Development handoff: GitHub, version control requirements
• Review and approval: Feedback tools, stakeholder review processes
• CRO and analytics: Crolytics.ai, Google Analytics (GA4), Optimizely, VWO, Hotjar

Basically, during this step, you need to specify all the design and technical requirements so that the designer working on the project can create an output that will correspond to all your desired standards. Clearly defining the final deliverables at this stage also helps ensure a smooth handoff to development teams and that the project meets both strategic and functional goals.

Step 5: Determine Your Budget and Timeline

The next step in writing a design brief is to determine your budget and timeline. This is very crucial, as behind every successful design project are clearly defined deadlines and budgets that ensure that the project is completed within your expectations and resources. Establishing a clear project budget and project timeline upfront is essential for transparency and realistic planning.

Define your budget: How much are you willing to spend on the project? Consider the design’s complexity, the designer’s expertise, and the project’s scope. Then think about the timeline, deadlines and when you plan to publish the designs. You can coordinate this process with the designer or designers you’re going to work with to set a more realistic budget and timelines.

Always try to think strategically, as some design projects can take months to be completed. So, the earlier you start thinking about your next project and starting it, the more time the designers will have to work on the project and create a better outcome. When preparing your design brief, be sure to outline the scope and objectives of your upcoming project, as this will guide the process from initial conception through to the final deliverables. Setting a reasonable timeline during the initial stages helps ensure smooth project execution and stakeholder agreement.

Step 6: Include Some Design Examples and Inspirations

When writing a brief or planning a new project, business owners would usually think only about their project specifically and provide strictly project-related information to designers. But besides that, it’s also important to provide some design examples and inspiration. Sharing initial design ideas and visual ideas through mood boards can help convey the desired aesthetic and guide the creative process. Research similar design projects, see what you like more, and include some of your favorite examples in the brief. They will help the designers to better understand what you expect from the project to create designs that will exceed your expectations.

Design examples do not include only examples of similar projects; they can be color schemes, typography, textures, patterns, themes, or ideas. Incorporating key design elements and referencing graphic design inspiration can help ensure a cohesive and expressive visual concept.

Step 7: Describe Your Brand Identity

In order for designers to better understand your brand, it’s not enough to include information about your target audience or competition; you need to communicate your brand identity. Providing branding guidelines helps ensure consistent brand identity and guides the visual direction of the project.

What are the beliefs and principles that your brand upholds, such as sustainability, diversity, or quality? What tone and style does your brand use to communicate with its audience, such as formal, conversational, or humorous?

All these questions can help you better communicate the idea behind your brand and show designers who are going to work on your project what the essence of your brand is. Including an overview of the client’s business in the design brief is crucial to ensure that project objectives align with the company’s overall branding, goals, and target audience.

Step 8: Set Expectations for Feedback and Revisions

The eighth step in writing a design brief is to set expectations for feedback and revisions. Clarifying how the designer can expect feedback and how many revisions are included in the project is essential to ensuring that the design meets your expectations.

This part is generally decided by both the client and the designer. If you’re going to work with an experienced specialist or a design agency, they would usually offer you a certain round of edits, whether it’s one, two or even three. Of course, depending on the project, they may make exceptions, but usually, designers have their terms. So make sure you both have the same expectations regarding the number of edits.

Also, define the feedback process: How will the designer receive feedback? Will it be through email, phone calls, or in-person meetings? Additionally, outline the steps for the approval process, specifying how revisions will be reviewed and approved, to ensure smooth communication and set clear expectations for both parties.

You need to discuss all these technical details and make sure you are both looking for the same thing; otherwise, you may not receive the results that you expected in the first place.

Involving key stakeholders in the creation process of the design brief and feedback cycles enhances understanding and collaboration.

Step 9: Review and Finalize the Design Brief

The final step is to review and finalize the document. It is essential to review the brief carefully and ensure that it contains all the necessary information and details. Preparing a thorough brief with specific questions and realistic expectations is crucial for effective collaboration and project success.

Check whether you included all the necessary information and discuss with the designer or designers what additional details you need to include in the brief. Establishing the expected outcome and defining how you will measure success are critical for aligning expectations and evaluating project effectiveness. Make sure to proofread the document before sending it and save it in a format that is easy to share and distribute, such as PDF or Word.

Design Brief Best Practices for Different Partnership Models

How you approach design briefs varies depending on your design partnership model:

Traditional Agency Projects

• Comprehensive upfront briefs with detailed specifications for fixed-scope projects
• Formal approval gates at key milestones (concepts, revisions, final delivery)
• Change request processes for scope additions or modifications
• Longer timelines to accommodate back-and-forth communication

Subscription-Based Design Services

• Streamlined brief templates optimized for rapid turnaround (1-3 day delivery cycles)
• Iterative refinement with quick feedback loops and continuous improvement
• Flexible prioritization allowing you to adjust focus as business needs evolve
• Ongoing collaboration with dedicated project managers who learn your brand over time

In-House Design Teams

• Lighter briefs leveraging existing brand knowledge and institutional context
• Cross-functional collaboration with product, marketing, and sales teams
• Design system integration ensuring consistency across all deliverables
• Knowledge sharing that builds internal capabilities over time

Choosing the Right Approach

Consider these factors when determining your brief approach:

• Project complexity: Simple updates need lighter briefs; major initiatives require comprehensive documentation
• Timeline urgency: Rapid turnaround benefits from templated, streamlined briefs
• Stakeholder involvement: More stakeholders require more detailed alignment documentation
• Technical complexity: Platform integrations and custom development need thorough technical specifications

Leveraging Design Expertise

The best design briefs aren’t just instruction documents—they’re conversation starters that leverage your design partner’s expertise:

Ask for Strategic Input

• Challenge your assumptions: “Is there a better approach to achieve this goal?”
• Request alternatives: “What other solutions have worked for similar challenges?”
• Seek industry insights: “What best practices should we consider from our industry?”

Build on Proven Patterns

Experienced design teams have solved similar challenges across dozens or hundreds of projects:

• Conversion optimization patterns proven to increase signups, trials, or purchases
• UX best practices that improve user engagement and satisfaction
• Technical solutions for common integration or platform challenges
• Industry-specific approaches tailored to B2B SaaS, e-commerce, or other verticals

Continuous Improvement

Treat each brief as a learning opportunity:

• Document what worked in successful projects for future reference
• Refine your templates based on feedback and outcomes
• Share learnings across your marketing, product, and sales teams
• Measure results and use data to inform future briefs

When you partner with experienced design specialists—particularly those in the top 0.5% of talent with 5+ years of expertise—your briefs become more than instructions. They become strategic frameworks that combine your business knowledge with design expertise to create exceptional results.

Final Words

Creating a powerful design brief is both an art and a science. By following the essential steps outlined in this article, you’ll be able to create design briefs that communicate your vision, preferences, and expectations clearly while leveraging the expertise of your design partners.

Remember that there is no one correct form of the design brief—every project, partnership model, and organization has unique needs. The key is to:

• Start with clear business objectives tied to measurable outcomes
• Provide sufficient context without overwhelming with unnecessary detail
• Specify technical requirements that ensure seamless implementation
• Build in flexibility for creative problem-solving and expert recommendations
• Establish clear processes for feedback, revisions, and approvals

Whether you’re working with a traditional agency on a fixed-scope project, partnering with a subscription-based design service for ongoing needs, or managing an in-house team, a well-crafted brief is your foundation for success.

Next Steps: Put These Principles Into Action

Ready to create design briefs that drive measurable results?

Immediate Actions:

1. Audit your recent projects – Review past briefs and identify what could have been clearer
2. Create brief templates – Build standardized frameworks for your most common request types (landing pages, campaigns, product updates)
3. Share this framework – Align your marketing, product, and sales teams on brief best practices
4. Measure and iterate – Track which brief approaches correlate with best project outcomes

Looking for a Design Partner That Makes Briefs Simple?

If you’re seeking a design partnership that combines:

• Enterprise-grade quality with subscription flexibility
• Rapid 1-3 day delivery on unlimited requests
• Senior specialists (top 0.5% of talent, 5+ years experience) across design, development, CRO, and AI
• Dedicated project managers who streamline the brief process
• Transparent pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments

Book a consultation to explore how subscription-based design services can transform your creative operations—or download our design brief template to get started today.