How to give the best briefing

Posted September 4th, 2012 by Husky

It's something that bothers me when I think of hiring a designer.

Is there a set form of guidelines you(as designers) would like for customers to follow or if there's a set way of giving a good brief of what is required.

How would you prefer people to present their ideas and vision to you so you can creatively include it all into your work.

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Jason Carne said about 8 months ago

The biggest thing people leave out when e-mailing me is reference imagery. If I don't know what style you want your project done in, I can't accurately quote you for it. Provide visuals - chances are the images you send over will speak volumes more about what you want than your words do.

Also, be detailed without writing a novel. Let us know what the design will be used for, what file format you need it in, what kind of deadline we have to work with, etc. I'd rather read one long e-mail full of details then have to have a conversation with someone stretched over 20 of them to figure out exactly what they want.
chad manzo said about 8 months ago

Jason Carne said:The biggest thing people leave out when e-mailing me is reference imagery. If I don't know what style you want your project done in, I can't accurately quote you for it. Provide visuals - chances are the images you send over will speak volumes more about what you want than your words do.

Also, be detailed without writing a novel. Let us know what the design will be used for, what file format you need it in, what kind of deadline we have to work with, etc. I'd rather read one long e-mail full of details then have to have a conversation with someone stretched over 20 of them to figure out exactly what they want.

to add:include payment details, how soon you can pay, payment methods accepted by the designer, and any specific quirks you would want the designer to pay attention to.
lonelykidsclub said about 8 months ago

Keep it brief.
Smiths Canvas said about 9 months ago

lonelykidsclub said:Keep it brief.

Not sure if you are just trying to be funny. But some of the worst advice I've ever heard for a project brief.
DanielAndHisArt said about 9 months ago

Smiths Canvas said:
lonelykidsclub said:Keep it brief.

Not sure if you are just trying to be funny. But some of the worst advice I've ever heard for a project brief.

Agreed. Lengthy detailed emails in the beginning of a project help with not getting those "ummm, this isnt what i wanted...." emails in the future.

Be specific. Even if you have to write 2 pages worth of stuff. I would rather know everything i can going into a project than learning it along the way.