A brand project becomes difficult when everyone agrees they want something “modern” but imagines a different result.
For one person, modern means quiet typography and plenty of space. For another, it means bright colours, motion, and a logo that looks good on a delivery bag. Neither interpretation is automatically wrong. The brief needs to connect those preferences to the business you are building.
Set aside an afternoon with the person who will approve the work. Open a blank document. You are aiming for a shared reference, not a presentation full of marketing vocabulary.
Begin with the business as it is today
Write what you sell, where you operate, and how a customer currently buys. Include the business stage: preparing to launch, changing direction, expanding a product range, or replacing an identity that no longer fits.
Then describe the practical reason for the project. “Our packaging needs to work across six product sizes” is actionable. “We need a more premium vibe” needs another conversation.
Use observable problems where possible. Perhaps the logo is hard to read on a small label. Perhaps enquiries consistently mistake you for a wholesaler. Perhaps the website and packaging look like unrelated companies. These are useful starting points because the finished work can be reviewed against them.
Describe one buyer in a real situation
Avoid building a fictional biography with unnecessary details. The useful parts are what the customer needs, how they assess options, and what makes them hesitate.
For a hypothetical tiffin business, a buyer might be someone looking for weekday lunches near their office who wants predictable delivery, clear menu information, and an easy way to pause an order. That situation says more about the communication task than a generic age bracket.
If you have customer conversations, quote common questions faithfully and remove identifying details. If you do not, label your audience description as an assumption to test. A brief becomes less useful when guesses are presented as research.
Make a choice about the promise
Finish this sentence: “Choose us when you need…” Keep writing until it names a reason someone would care about.
It might be a particular specialism, a convenient process, a clearly defined product, or a reliable way of handling a difficult task. Do not invent superiority claims. “The best” creates an argument you probably cannot prove. A specific offer gives the designer and writer something they can communicate.
List a few competitors or alternatives, including doing nothing or handling the work internally. Explain what you admire, what confuses you, and how your offer actually differs. The purpose is to understand the choices around you, not to commission a near-copy of a favourite brand.
Turn visual preferences into usable directions
Choose a small number of references and annotate them. “I like the generous spacing and readable labels” is far more useful than “make it like this.” Also state what you do not want copied.
Describe where the identity must work: a shop sign, invoices, packaging, a website header, social posts, staff clothing, or a tiny app icon. Prioritise the real uses. A logo shown only on a beautiful presentation slide has not yet faced the conditions of your business.
Discuss language requirements early. A bilingual identity can affect typography, spacing, file preparation, and approvals. Mention any existing elements that must be retained and why.
Agree the deliverables and decision process
Separate essential launch items from later work. Specify the files and guidance you need at handover, including editable sources where agreed, export formats, colour references, typeface licensing information, and examples of correct use.
Name the final approver. Gather input from other people before consolidated feedback is sent. Conflicting comments from several channels can consume a project without improving the design.
Include your budget range, deadline, and dependencies honestly. If printing must begin by a certain date, the design deadline is earlier. If a business name is still undecided, that is a dependency rather than a detail the designer can quietly work around.
Finish with a review you can actually use
Read the brief and ask whether the completed project could be assessed against it. “Does this make us feel successful?” is hard to answer consistently. “Is the name readable on our smallest label, and does the packaging explain the product clearly?” is a useful test.
Mark unresolved questions and assign someone to answer them. A brief does not need false certainty, but it does need to show where uncertainty remains.
Our brand brief builder helps organise these notes. If you want help turning the brief into an identity that works across real applications, see our brand identity service. Bring the rough document. Clear thinking is a better starting asset than a polished mood board with no explanation.