How to Write a Design Brief (Template + Examples)

What to put in a design brief so a studio can quote accurately and design well — with a copy-and-paste structure you can send today.

A good design brief states the business problem, the audience, what success looks like, the deliverables you need, the budget range, the deadline and who approves. Budget and decision-maker are the two fields clients most often omit, and they are the two that most affect the outcome.

Studios do not need a long brief. They need a clear one. Half a page with the right facts beats twelve pages of background, because the facts are what shape the price, the timeline and the thinking.

The structure

1. Who you are, in two sentences.
2. The problem. Not 'we need a new logo' — why now, and what is going wrong.
3. Who it is for. Be specific enough to exclude someone.
4. What success looks like in twelve months, ideally with a number.
5. Deliverables you believe you need, flagged as a belief rather than a requirement.
6. Budget range. A range is enough.
7. Deadline, and what is driving it.
8. Who approves, and how many people sit behind them.
9. What must not change — colours, name, existing equity.
10. Three references you like and three you hate, with one line each on why.

Why does sharing your budget help?

Withholding budget does not get a lower price. It gets a guess, and guesses are padded. A range lets a studio tell you honestly what is achievable inside it, or say plainly that it is not enough — which is information you want before three weeks of proposals.

The brief is the first piece of design. Vague in, expensive out.

FAQs

What should a design brief include?

The business problem, the audience, success measures, deliverables, budget range, deadline, approvers and any fixed constraints. Reference examples with a short reason are the fastest way to align on taste.

How long should a design brief be?

One to two pages. Longer briefs tend to add background rather than decisions, and decisions are what a studio needs to quote and design accurately.

Should I tell a design agency my budget?

Yes. A range lets the studio scope honestly and tell you what is realistic. Without one, you receive a guess that is usually padded for uncertainty or scoped for a project you did not want.