Tips on writing a design brief 

Source - http://www.davidairey.com/how-do-you-write-a-graphic-design-brief/

Any graphic design project needs a detailed design brief. There are two main reasons:

It ensures the client knows exactly what s/he wants to achieve from the project.
It acts as a point of reference for designers, forming the focus of their work.
This means less time (and money) is spent on the result. It comes down to this: The more information a client provides from the outset, the more value for money s/he will receive from the graphic designer.

Topics for inclusion in a design brief:

Corporate profile

Clients shouldn’t assume that people know their business well. Incorrect assumptions can render the entire opening discussion meaningless. A summary of the business and a brief history will help.

Market position

A realistic evaluation of the company’s service/product relative to what the competition is doing.

Current situation

An explanation of what’s happening to bring about the need for this project e.g., a new product launch.

Communication background

This includes both previous and present communication activity, such as research, advertising, direct mail, graphic design, public relations etc.

Communication task — “the message”

What’s the context of the specific message in relation to the business plan? Where possible, include information to be shown in the designed item e.g. taglines, body text, imagery, etc.

Target market

Demographics — the age, gender, income, employment, geography, lifestyle of those the client wants to reach.

Objectives

What does the client want to achieve? Make the objectives specific and the results measurable.

Schedule and deadline

The designer should have a detailed and realistic schedule of how the client wants the project to advance, considering these pointers:

Consultation (research, strategy)
Creation (concept and design development)
Production (artwork and print procurement)
Delivery (file handover)

How to Write the Perfect Brief

Source - http://www.harmony.co.uk/articles/write-the-perfect-brief/

Writing a brief for a website, or indeed any marketing or business requirement, is not commonly a regular undertaking. When you, or the company you are employed by, decide it is time to create, redesign or enhance a website, you will need to work out what is to be achieved, and how much a solution will cost.

You will also need to find and select a supplier who is able to offer you the best value for money, while capable of delivering to your requirements. The most effective way to begin this potentially daunting process is to create a brief.

What is a Brief?

To brief someone is to prepare or instruct them by giving a summary of relevant facts. In this situation, your brief is a document that informs the potential supplier your requirements, what you wish to achieve, what market and audience you are targeting, and any other related information.

The production of this document should allow you to establish which solution an agency proposes, how much it will cost, and how long it will take.

As a generic term, a brief could cover all types of projects, from a small five-page website, to a large scale, fully integrated business database system. For small projects, it may just begin as a few lines in an email, but for larger projects, it will take the form of an invitation to tender (ITT), and may span 2-300 pages in size.

In general, the response from the receiving agencies will reflect the brief supplied. For this reason alone, it is important that you set a good balance in terms of the information you provide for the agency to respond to.

Overall Guidelines

Before you embark on putting together a brief, here are some general guidelines that will help you set the right tone, and gain the most from your efforts.

Research

Have a look at websites you visit critically, and note what you do and don't like about them, with regards to design and functionality. It is best to look at sites in the same or similar industry to your own. Keep your notes as reference material, as you will need them for your brief.

Keep focused
Be absolutely clear about what you wish to achieve. The more accurate you are, the more accurate an agency will be able to cost out their solution for you. Statements such as "We wish to update parts of the website ourselves" are ambiguous, unlike "Ideally, we will be able to update the price list, products, news and contacts pages as independently and as easily as possible." Ambiguity tends to be punished by an increase in the estimate to cover all eventualities.

Avoid writing the solution

You may already have ideas in your mind at the sort of system, layout or process that may provide part of a possible solution to the challenge you propose. Resist the temptation to hint or elaborate on your own ideas in the brief, therefore asking the agency to fill in the blanks of your outline. Including such information could restrict the types of solutions that are proposed to you may mean your project will suffer in the long term.

Maintain flexibility

Whatever you do write in the brief, it is almost inevitable you will change your mind about some of the issues in the future. For this reason, give yourself the room to do so within the brief, without lacking detail. Request that there is some provision for flexibility with specific points, or within the project as a whole.

Writing your proposal

Following the format of any bestseller, there are three main parts to a good brief: beginning (introduction/background), middle (requirements) and end (supporting information).

However, unlike a work of fiction, it is not necessary to embellish situations, create twisting plot lines, or provide excessive character descriptions.

Your introduction will provide the agency with basic but vital information, including who you and the company are. Check out our example brief below;

1. Introduction
2. Requirements
3. Supporting Information