How Do You Write a Creative Brief for a Graphic Designer?

To hire the right graphic designer for your next project, you must ensure that your creative brief is detailed yet precise. It should be well-curated to guide the designer and help them work according to your requirements. The brief should contain all the crucial steps that must be covered during the creative process. Besides, it must also feature important information the stakeholders might want to know about. When writing a brief, it is imperative to highlight the project’s objective, choose a target audience, select a tone, and prepare a compelling call to action before sending it to the concerned stakeholders.

What Do You Need to Include in a Graphic Design Creative Brief Template?

Here are some primary things that you must include: Project Name Background of the Company Project Objective Competitors Target Audience Key Consumer Benefit Key Message Attitude Call-to-Action Distribution Plan

Why Do You Need a Graphic Design Creative Brief?

This creative brief brings all your graphic designers on the same page. It helps them know about your project and your goals. In addition, the brief gives them a general look and feel of the project and an idea about the direction they should follow.

What Is a Graphic Design Creative Brief Template?

The template consists of a detailed layout and structure of the creative brief. If you haven’t worked with a graphic designer before or want to save time, you can use the brief creative templates. Besides, a template helps you include all the relevant information you may miss otherwise. It also guides you in creating a professional creative brief.

What Elements are Included in a Graphic Design Creative Brief?

A creative brief for a graphic designer usually has the following elements: Company profile Your project’s overview Objectives and goals Target audience All design requirements Schedule Budget Remember that the structure of a brief may vary from company to company. Besides, you may also need to design a separate brief for every new project. This effort must include all the data and elements that may help the project succeed.

Graphic Design Creative Brief Template

Prepared by:

[Author.FirstName][Author.LastName]

[Author.Company]

Prepared for:

[Client.FirstName][Client.LastName][Client.Company]

Project Details

Project Title:	(Name of the project that the designer shall work on)
Company Name:	[Client.Company]
Brand:	(Brand’s name that requires the design)
Product:	(Product or service that the design shall be based on)
Name of the Author:	[Author.FirstName][Author.LastName]
Title in the Company:	[Author.Title]
Date:	[Document.CreatedDate]

Contact Information

Name of Point of Contact: (Anyone with the best and complete knowledge of the project) or (Project leader)

Email Address:[Author.Email]

Phone: (insert number)

Mailing Address:[Author.StreetAddress][Author.City][Author.PostalCode]

Company/Client Information

Company Name and Background:

[Client.Company] is a well-known company that deals with (name of product or service) and helps create a difference in the life of its consumers. The company has worked on many successful projects before, including (names of previous projects), and now aims to build a strong identity with this one.

This (List Company Type/Speciality Here) company was formed in (launching year), and since then, it has only aimed to value its customers and create great projects for them.

Or

For (number of years) years [Client.Company] has been actively serving customers in locations (mention area) with our (list of products/services).

Brand and Product:

[Client.Company] has already launched or plans to launch a brand with (products/services) under the label. This project aims to highlight that (product/service) so that the end users can get attracted to them.

Brand Statement:

(Mention the Brand’s statement or vision and all things that they believe in)

Things to Avoid:

As per the culture and norms followed by the company, you should avoid the following elements in your design.

Element 1

Element 2

Element 3

Project Overview

Project Background:

(Summarize what factors led to this project and add a short history, if possible)

Project Objective:

(Write down the purpose of the project and also mention the goals that need to be achieved)

For example:

With this project, the company plans to solve issues such as (mention problems) while expanding its operations and improving its quality of service.

Opportunity:

(Explain the ultimate impact if the project turns out to be a success)

Timeline:

We aim to deliver this project on (month/day/year), so we want all our designs to be ready by (month/day/year).

Target Audience:

(Highlight the primary and secondary target audiences)

For example, the list of categories may include the following:

Location:	(USA, Canada, or Worldwide)
Behaviors:	(Customers’ buyer journeys)
Age:	(e.g., 30 to 50 years)
Gender:	Male	Female	Both
Job Title:	(Administration, CEO, etc.)

Our target customers include (gender) within the age range of (range), living in areas such as (locations). They usually enjoy activities like (mention things they like) and dislike (explain that here), and typically work in fields such as (mention jobs).

Tone and Attitude:

We expect the final product to have a (define the tone) and a consistent (define the attitude) throughout its design. You can use colors such as (mention the colors) to highlight this project's voice and overall tone.

Key Message:

(This should include the pain point and how a product/service can help overcome this. The message should be part of the illustration)

For example:

Our target audience often experiences (pain point); however, our newest product/service will help them experience (benefit). This is what makes (solutions) an unmatchable solution within our industry.

Key Consumer Benefit:

Our (features) are one of the best ways for our target customers to experience (benefit).

Project Expectations:

(Explain what kind of outcome your company expects)

Call-to-action:

(Mention your CTA for this project)

For example:

When our target customers see this project, we want them to (feel/do/think).

Project Budget:

The total design budget for this project is (mention the amount). This rate is non-negotiable.

Competitor links:

(Links to sources with a similar theme)

Names of Top Competitors:

(Competitor A)

(Competitor B)

(Competitor C)

(Mention what each competitor offers that you may want to improve)

Distribution Plan:

We aim to promote this (product/service) on various channels and platforms. Our company plans to use the following messages to grab the audience's attention.

(Message A)

(Message B)

(Message C)

Comments:

(Any additional comments from the company's creative head or senior position holder)

Signature

MM / DD / YYYY

Signature

MM / DD / YYYY

[Client.FirstName][Client.LastName]

[Client.Company]

[Author.FirstName][Author.LastName]

[Author.Company]

Graphic Design Creative Brief Template

Project Details

Contact Information

Company/Client Information

Company Name and Background:

Brand and Product:

Brand Statement:

Things to Avoid:

Project Overview

Project Background:

Project Objective:

Opportunity:

Timeline:

Target Audience:

Tone and Attitude:

Key Message:

Key Consumer Benefit:

Project Expectations:

Call-to-action:

Project Budget:

Competitor links:

Names of Top Competitors:

Distribution Plan:

Comments:

Graphic Design Creative Brief Template

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