When you’re dealing with a graphic or logo design project, it’s vital to write a detailed design brief at the very beginning. There are two main reasons for this:

• Firstly, it ensures that you, as a business owner or in-house manager know exactly what you want to achieve from your project.
• Second, the brief acts as a point of reference for designers, giving them key points to focus on.

This means less time — therefore less money — is spent on the result. The crux of the matter is this: The more information you provide at the beginning of the project, the more value for money you’ll receive from your graphic / logo designer.

To help get you started, I’ve set out some pointers when writing your graphic design brief. Consider including your:

Corporate profile

Don’t assume that people know you well. Incorrect assumptions about you can render the entire opening discussion absolutely meaningless. Provide a summary of your business along with a brief history.

Market position

A realistic evaluation of your company, service, or brand relative to your what the competition is doing.

Current situation

Explain what’s happening to bring about the need for this project. For instance, a new product launch that needs advertising.

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 your business plans?
Include pieces of information to be shown in the designed item e.g. text, logos, images etc.

Target market

Demographics — the age, gender, income, employment, geography, lifestyle of those you want to reach.

Objectives

What do you want to achieve? Make your objectives specific and the results measurable.

Available budget

Providing your budget tells the designer if it’s worth his / her time initiating the design process. I get a lot of requests for logo designs from people with only £100 / £200 allocated. It’s simply not feasible for me to spend the time involved for this amount of money.

Schedule and deadline

Give your designer a detailed and realistic schedule of how you would like the project to advance. Take the following into consideration:

• Consultation (research, strategy, brief development)
• Creative (concept and design development)
• Production (artwork, printing and other production)
• Delivery

If, as a designer, you’re dealing with a client who hasn’t produced a design brief, it’s important to have your own template that you can send them at the beginning.

This shows the client your professionalism and ultimately saves them time and money. I direct clients to my hire page, before any work begins, asking them to complete the logo design questionnaire and to ask if they’re unsure of anything.

Have you had experience of designing without a brief? Do you think there are any specific pointers that should be added above?

• Create a visual identity and communication method to encourage people to participate in sports and potentially lead into the 2012 Olympics.

• To encourage adults and young people to participate in sporting activities.

• To encourage people to frequently use leisure or fitness centres and the green environment.

• To convince the target audience to eat more healthily.

• To inform the audience as to which events could be in the 2012 Olympics.

• To become well recognised within the public eye (Vital as the Olympics has spent a lot of money and time)

• The brand will Promote the London 2012 Olympics which is only 3 years away. Allowing the time until then to be used to encourage people into participating in one or more sports. I want to be able to promote people into doing exercise and taking up a sport(s) as part of their daily lives. Facts show that participating in exercise for short periods of time, regularly, increases the length of your lifespan.

• Eating healthily for a longer life.

• Engaging sports with all ages.

• Slam dunk your fat saturated junk food and eat healthily.

• Promote events which could be present in the 2012 Olympics.

• Fun, inspirational, supportive and full of persuasion
  

• Informative with a humour involved

• Name
• Logo
• Typographic style
• Colour theme
• Promotional posters
• Promotional Video or advert (yet to be decided)
• Leaflets