The quality of your logo and website depends heavily on the brief you give your designer. A clear brief saves rounds of revisions and gets you to a design you love faster.
What to include in a design brief
1. Business overview
What you do, in plain language, plus your mission and what makes you different.
2. Target audience
Who buys from you: age range, role, industry, location, and what they care about.
3. Goals
What the logo or website must achieve: credibility with investors, more booked calls, online sales.
4. Brand personality
Three to five adjectives. Also note what you are not (e.g., “modern, not trendy”).
5. Competitors
List 3–5 competitors and what you like or dislike about their branding.
6. Inspiration
Brands you admire, from any industry, and specifically why.
7. Practical requirements
Where the logo will appear (app icon, signage, embroidery), required pages, features and deadlines.
Copy-and-paste design brief template
Business name:
What we do (1–2 sentences):
Ideal customer:
Top 3 goals for the brand:
Personality words (3–5):
We are NOT:
Competitors (and what we think of their branding):
Brands we admire and why:
Colors we like / avoid:
Where the logo will be used:
Website pages needed:
Deadline:
Tips for better results
- Explain the “why” behind preferences, not just the “what.”
- Be honest about what you dislike. It’s as useful as what you like.
- Avoid asking for the logo to show everything you do. Simple marks work best.
- Consolidate feedback from co-founders before sending it.
StartupLime clients fill in a guided version of this brief, our Brand Discovery questionnaire, right after checkout. It takes about 15 minutes.
Skip the blank pageOur guided questionnaire does the heavy lifting.
See how it worksFAQ
How long should a design brief be?
One to two pages is ideal: detailed enough to guide the designer, short enough to read in a few minutes.
Should I include examples in my brief?
Yes. Visual examples of brands you like and dislike, with reasons, are among the most useful parts of a brief.
