A design brief
that gets the right design.

A design brief captures what a design project must achieve before any designing starts: the problem, the audience, the deliverables, the style and the constraints. A good brief is the reference you both return to when feedback starts pulling in different directions.

For campaign or multi-channel work, the creative brief template adds messaging and channels. For a full identity, use the branding questionnaire first.

Details

• Client / company: [Name]
• Completed by: [Name, role]
• Date: [Date]

Project overview

• What is the project, in one sentence? [Answer]
• Why is it happening now? [Answer]
• What does success look like? [Answer]

Brand and audience

• Who is the design for? Describe the audience. [Answer]
• How should it make them feel or act? [Answer]
• Do you have brand guidelines, logos, fonts or colours we must use? [Answer]

Deliverables

• What exactly needs designing (e.g. logo, packaging, brochure)? [Answer]
• Which sizes, formats and file types are needed? [Answer]
• Where will it be used (print, web, social, signage)? [Answer]

Style and references

• Which designs do you like, and why? [Answer]
• Which do you dislike, and why? [Answer]
• Who are your main competitors? [Answer]

Constraints

• What is the budget? [Answer]
• What is the deadline, and is it fixed? [Answer]
• Is there anything mandatory, such as legal text or logos? [Answer]

Approvals

• Who gives final approval? [Answer]
• Who else needs to see the work? [Answer]
• How quickly can feedback be returned? [Answer]

1. Run through the brief with the client on a kickoff call rather than sending it cold.
2. Write the objective in one sentence and agree it before anything else.
3. Collect references the client likes and dislikes, and note why.
4. List every deliverable with sizes, formats and where it’ll be used.
5. Confirm budget, deadline and mandatory elements.
6. Name the approver and the feedback window, then share the brief for sign-off.

Microsoft Word

1. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
2. Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
3. Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.

Google Docs

1. Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
2. Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
3. Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.

PDF

Fill it in Word or Google Docs, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs.

Sample answers from a fictional client.

Sample answers

• What is the project? New bag designs for our two single-origin coffees.
• Who is it for? Specialty coffee drinkers, 25–45, buying online and in independent shops.
• Which formats? 250g and 1kg bags, print-ready PDF with bleed, plus web mock-ups.
• References? We like the restraint of Japanese stationery; we dislike busy, illustrated bags.
• Deadline? Files to the printer by 30 September — fixed for the autumn launch.
• Approver? Our founder, Priya. Feedback within three working days.

• Ask “why” about every reference: the reason tells you more than the picture.
• Separate what’s fixed (deadline, mandatory elements) from preferences.
• Get the brief approved in writing; it’s your defence against moving goalposts.
• Revisit the brief when feedback conflicts with it, rather than redesigning blindly.

Angelwood turns questions like these into an onboarding plan: requests with instructions, owners and dates that clients answer in their portal, reviewed by your team before kickoff.

Browse all briefs templates or the full template library.