Design briefs ensure brand consistency, efficient work from designers, and clear design specs. Download this free design brief template to use in your company. 

Design brief template | Qatalog

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<h1 style="text-align: center;">A design brief template for all your creative projects</h1>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Use this design brief workflow for website design, audio/visual work, graphic design, and more to help your company’s design stand out</h4>

In creative project management, a design brief is a document outlining the details of digital design assets to be created. The purpose of a design brief is to give clarity to the designers, videographers, animators, or artists who will be working on the project. By providing these designers with clear instructions and resources, they’ll be able to complete their work more efficiently, which reduces the number of revisions and the chances of miscommunication. When successful, a design brief saves time, money, and effort for those who both write and receive the brief.

What is a design brief & what is its purpose?


Design assets are the creations a designer is expected to deliver as outlined in a design brief. These assets, their format(s), and any specifications on size, length, or brand requirements should be made clear on the project brief. Common digital design assets include:
<ul>
<li>Video files, e.g recorded footage, animations, etc.</li>
<li>GIFs.</li>
<li>Images, e.g. photography, graphic design, etc.</li>
<li>Audio files, e.g. music, voiceover recording, etc.</li>
<li>Design files or templates, e.g. Adobe files, Figma files etc.</li>
</ul>

What are design assets?

A design brief template is for anyone or any team that needs a universal and consistent way to brief designers on project expectations. Commonly, however, it is used by marketing and product teams, who are arguably in the most frequent need of design support for their projects.

To use our design brief template,<ahttps://docs.google.com/document/d/16pVaCehl0VgkIxwueBAVUajLkHU-7-JygtjDR61me7o/edit?usp=sharing" rel="follow"> click here</a> to access a free copy via Google Docs. Each time you want to create a new project brief, click “File,” then “Make a copy,” and fill in the section prompts with the requirements for your design workers. Since it’s a template, you’re encouraged to add, delete, or adjust any of the sections or content within the template to meet the needs of your organization.

Who is this design brief template for and how to use it?

Since every project is different, each design brief will also vary in what’s included. However, most of them will contain most (if not all) of the following:

<ol>
<li>A scope of work overview to inform designer(s) about the project’s overall purpose and any basic logistics.</li>
<li>The project’s outline to specify the goals, message, and guidelines of the project at large, as well as the format and size/dimensions for the design assets themselves. </li>
<li>​​External (and internal, if available) examples of designs that should be emulated or serve as inspiration for this project. </li>
<li>​​The company’s brand style guide, or any resources the designer will need to create the assets, such as the organization’s color palette, brand assets, fonts and iconography, and general company information. </li>
<li>A thorough, step-by-step checklist of each deliverable’s description, format, and specifications. ​​</li>
<ol>

What is included in a design brief?

A detailed design brief provides the answers to questions that a designer needs to know in order to get the work done swiftly and accurately. The following questions should be addressed before sharing the brief with a graphic designer or creator:​​
<ul>
<li>What is the goal or purpose of this design?</li>
<li>Does the design play a role in a larger campaign, project, or initiative?​​
<li>​​What format type(s) should the design be delivered as?</li>
<li>What are the image specifications, file size, or project length?</li>
<li>What resources are available to ensure the design is brand-compliant?</li>
<li>What is the project’s timeline and budget?</li>
<li>Who is the target audience for this design and why?​​
</ul>

What questions do you ask in a design brief?

Have you tried structuring your briefing process as an automated <a href=https://qatalog.com/workflows/ rel="follow">check-list or a workflow</a>? By bringing your briefing process into Qatalog workflows, your documentation and structure are transparent and accessible to the entire org. This way, other teams can rely on your tried and tested steps when it’s time for them to design their own briefing processes, while being able to edit and customize for specific tasks.

How to standardize the briefing process in your organization?

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<h1>Try Qatalog with   your team for free</h1>

A design brief template for all your creative projects

Use this design brief workflow for website design, audio/visual work, graphic design, and more to help your company’s design stand out

Related templates

Usability testing plan

Copywriting brief

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Try Qatalog with your team for free

Try Qatalog with  
your team for free