Design Brief
1: Understand the problem
2: Gather information
3: Develop a concept

The goal of the design brief is to outline the company's needs and client's expectations as clearly as possible. It also includes determining the target audience, developing a concept and determine the best media for the project.

The BRIEF is GENERALLY prepared by the client if you are working with a large company. If your client is a small local company, you as the designer/art director, must prepare your own brief in the form of questions to ask your client at the first or second meeting. Do your research about the company BEFORE your first meeting so your prospective client knows that you are interested in them.

This one brief will be used as the basis for each of the pieces in the series. Continuity in a series is extrememly important and it is important to refer back to the brief as you are designing.

When writing your brief be sure to label each section you are describing (as they are in red below). The Brief must be typed and well designed (font, point size, line spacing etc).

Things to be included in the brief:
1. Research:
• Research the company/product and describe what it does. Everyone claims to make a quality product or have a quality company. What sets this one apart? List all the things that make this company/product special.

• If you are designing for a particular product include information about that product and list all the things that makes this product special.

• Who is the competition? Designers are expected to do their own research into a product or company's competition and understand how the company's brand fits into the competitive landscape. Are there other organizations that do the same thing?

Include the following in your brief:
- Tag line/ slogan
- Brand name or logo
- name of product
- stores where they are sold (local/world wide)
- Website of designer (if available)
- Magazine ad will include info about the product (description, type of people to purchase/wear etc.)

2. Objective:
What is the clients projected outcome? Is the company trying to change it's image or find new customers? This will help determine the kind of piece(s) to be designed; print, web, etc.

3. Format (list types of media to be used):
Once an objective is stated and refined, you need to determine the best format(s) to be used to reach the objective (this has been determined for this project). Options to think about; print collateral (ads, poster, brochure etc), web design, mobile media (iphone, ipad), outdoor advertising (billboard, transit shelters, etc), guerilla advertising.

4. Target Audience: (age, sex, social background etc.)
Define your audience with as many specifics as possible. Too broad an audience (i.e adult males and females) will be more difficult to design for.

5. Concept:
Develop a creative concept. What type of image(s) will best represent your product/company; literal or non-literal? If your idea is literal, how can you make it interesting and unique? Once the research, objective and audience are defined it is much easier to develop a creative concept. Write a short paragraph describing your idea and why you feel it will work. Include images if helpful.

6. Tagline/slogan:
Develop a catchy and appropriate tagline/slogan for this advertising series. It will be used in each of the pieces designed for continuity within the series.

7. Budget (leave blank at this point):
Designers are responsible for coming up with a concept that can fit within the budget. The company manages budgets closely. This will determine number of colors to be used in the design and how many can be printed, how long can outdoor advertising be used etc.

8. Delivery:
Clear, explicit instructions are always given on delivery dates and conditions. Check with the printer to see that your timeline can be met. Always start with your deadline date and work backwards. REMEMBER, it always takes longer to design than you initially think.