How to create a design brief that improves communication with your client?
Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2025 4:49 am
When it comes to the creative process, there are few obstacles like poor communication. When a designer and client communicate poorly, designs are scrapped, money is wasted, and trust is shattered. Additionally, the client’s time is often wasted in meetings where design parameters are discussed and refined; this can easily take days or even weeks in extreme cases. So how do you create a design brief that actually improves communication with your client?
When you ask someone for a favor, you tell them exactly what you need from them. You would never ask your coworker to pass on information they didn't quite understand to someone who was equally confused.
So why do so many designers try to communicate with clients without being clear? It’s impossible to explain your needs clearly without first discovering and understanding those needs yourself – but how do you determine what a client wants if they’re not sure themselves?
The key may be to develop a design brief that uae phone number list clients and designers can complete together before commencing a design engagement.
What is a design brief?
A design brief is used to gather requirements that inform and direct the creative process while being managed by the client (customer/user). It forms part of your contract with the client. The better the design brief, the better the outcome (design solution) will be.
The design brief can take the form of a questionnaire, an interview, or some combination of both.
The goal of a design brief is to identify the client's needs in such a way that there are few surprises and little room for interpretation.
Ideally, the designer and client will work collaboratively to create a design brief that is specific enough to guide their creative direction and flexible enough to accommodate changes in scope.
Why create a design brief?
The purpose of a design brief is not simply to document what the client wants, but also why they want it. The brief allows you to uncover hidden needs, ensure realistic expectations are set from the outset, and craft solutions that fit the client’s intended use.
A good design brief can reduce miscommunication during the project (which saves time and money) and better communicate the value propositions to you as a designer/business owner and to your clients.
Completing this process early provides an opportunity for discovery if there was no prior knowledge of what you do, and forms the basis of a long-term relationship.
How to create a design brief?
1. Know your customer and their potential needs
First, you need to know exactly who your audience (the client’s team) will be. Use this knowledge and what you already know about them (their job titles, the company they work for, how they got there) to create the best design brief that will reduce complexity and speed up your communication with the client from the start.
2. Develop your brief with the beginning and end in mind
Next, create an explanation that you will present as to why this brief is necessary. The best way to prove the importance of your design brief is by describing both the problem and the possible solutions.
This may seem redundant given the existence of the design brief itself, but it’s important to ensure that everyone in your meeting understands that we’re working towards a solution.
3. Create space in your brief to set standard expectations
Setting expectations during the design process will help both parties feel safe if changes are made along the way. Include a space in your design brief to set and discuss expectations.
Make sure to ask them questions and explore their answers in depth – this will help you understand their implicit needs as well as explicit requirements (and things they may not even realize they want/need).
When you ask someone for a favor, you tell them exactly what you need from them. You would never ask your coworker to pass on information they didn't quite understand to someone who was equally confused.
So why do so many designers try to communicate with clients without being clear? It’s impossible to explain your needs clearly without first discovering and understanding those needs yourself – but how do you determine what a client wants if they’re not sure themselves?
The key may be to develop a design brief that uae phone number list clients and designers can complete together before commencing a design engagement.
What is a design brief?
A design brief is used to gather requirements that inform and direct the creative process while being managed by the client (customer/user). It forms part of your contract with the client. The better the design brief, the better the outcome (design solution) will be.
The design brief can take the form of a questionnaire, an interview, or some combination of both.
The goal of a design brief is to identify the client's needs in such a way that there are few surprises and little room for interpretation.
Ideally, the designer and client will work collaboratively to create a design brief that is specific enough to guide their creative direction and flexible enough to accommodate changes in scope.
Why create a design brief?
The purpose of a design brief is not simply to document what the client wants, but also why they want it. The brief allows you to uncover hidden needs, ensure realistic expectations are set from the outset, and craft solutions that fit the client’s intended use.
A good design brief can reduce miscommunication during the project (which saves time and money) and better communicate the value propositions to you as a designer/business owner and to your clients.
Completing this process early provides an opportunity for discovery if there was no prior knowledge of what you do, and forms the basis of a long-term relationship.
How to create a design brief?
1. Know your customer and their potential needs
First, you need to know exactly who your audience (the client’s team) will be. Use this knowledge and what you already know about them (their job titles, the company they work for, how they got there) to create the best design brief that will reduce complexity and speed up your communication with the client from the start.
2. Develop your brief with the beginning and end in mind
Next, create an explanation that you will present as to why this brief is necessary. The best way to prove the importance of your design brief is by describing both the problem and the possible solutions.
This may seem redundant given the existence of the design brief itself, but it’s important to ensure that everyone in your meeting understands that we’re working towards a solution.
3. Create space in your brief to set standard expectations
Setting expectations during the design process will help both parties feel safe if changes are made along the way. Include a space in your design brief to set and discuss expectations.
Make sure to ask them questions and explore their answers in depth – this will help you understand their implicit needs as well as explicit requirements (and things they may not even realize they want/need).