Just Imaging Design Studio

Most, if not all of the time, the results given by a designer are only as good as the information supplied by the client. This is best achieved by using a good design brief. In short, a design brief is a written explanation - given to a designer - outlining the aims, objectives and milestones of a design project.

Since it would be pretty unreasonable to expect everyone to know how to prepare a design brief, here’s a set of guidelines to help you supply me with the information that I would need to get you the best results for your project:

Company Profile

Start your design brief with a short, honest synopsis of your organisation or company. Don't take this information for granted, and don't assume that I will necessarily know anything about your industry sector.

Ask yourself these questions when creating the profile

• What does your organisation do?

• How long have you been established and how many staff do you employ

• What is your niche market

• How do you fit in to your industry sector

Your Aims

Good design can have a huge influence on the success of a company's marketing strategy - but in order for success to be ensured, clear goals must be set.

For example, do you want to:

• Generate sales?

• Encourage enquiries?

• Gain newsletter subscribers?

• Obtain information from your audience?

• Encourage them to tell a friend?

If your aims and objectives are not this clear, then your design brief has already achieved another purpose... One of most rewarding parts of actually sitting down and writing a design brief is that it helps to clarify your thoughts and can indirectly help to find flaws in what you initially thought was a solid idea.

Your Target Audience

Detail your primary, secondary and tertiary audiences. Explain if you are looking to consolidate your existing client-base or appeal to new markets. 

Detail any demographic figures about your audience that may be useful to the design. These may include:

• Age

• Sex

• Income

• Occupation

• Location

Your Budget And Time-Scale

Even if you can only provide a ball-park figure, a budget expectation will give me a good idea of the type of solution I will realistically be able to provide.

Time scale is also an important consideration - so let me know if there is a specific deadline that has to be met.

Design Examples

Providing examples of what you consider to be effective or relevant design can be a great help in a design brief.

Just as important are examples of what you don’t want or like!

Don't feel that you have stick to the medium that you are designing for when giving a list of inspiration and influences. If a television advert or music video creates the atmosphere that you want your flyer to create, then that is a perfectly reasonable statement to make in a design brief.

The more clues you give about your design tastes, the more likely I will be able to produce something close to your aims. Expecting your designer to second-guess what you require rarely produces the best results.

Remember that professional designers will not copy the ideas you send them... but will use them as the start of the design process.

Hi. My name is Joseph and thanks for visiting my site. I got started in design in the late 90’s, working part time while studying, then working in the IT industry. In 2008 I took the plunge and set out on my own, and Just Imaging was born.