How to create the perfect design brief, and get the best out of your agency
Loose briefs? Tight briefs? Half-assed briefs? We've seen all types of briefs. So how do you write a brief to get the best from your agency and produce an outstanding piece of work?
When briefing your agency there's no great mystical formula, but here are some of the things to avoid in the first place.
TIGHT BRIEFS. Squeezing the creativity?
A tight design brief can be a great timesaver, especially if you have a standard house style and branding elements, or for a simple job that doesn't require award-winning creative input. What a tight brief can do, though, is restrict the creative juices of your agency. If you've ever heard yourself saying "I could have done that", it's possibly down to an over-prescriptive brief. Give your agency the freedom to explore and develop new ideas.
LOOSE BRIEFS. Don't let it all hang out!
"Oooh... Surprise Me." Three words designed to send shivers down the spine of any designer. The client who comes to an agency with absolutely no idea of what they want usually won't like what's presented to them. After all, if you don't know what you're trying to achieve then the chances of a designer hitting the mark with a series of random designs is going to be pretty low. Even knowing what you DON'T like is a start.
SEXY BRIEFS. Be realistic about your expectations.
I haven't met a client yet who doesn't think their products or service is the dogs dangly bits. But very few are in the business of supplying something that is truly groundbreaking and original. Be sensible about your position in the marketplace and help us manage the expectations of your potential customers. We'll create a campaign or produce a catalogue that will inform, educate and sell to your customers, but it won't send them up the garden path.
HALF-ASSED BRIEFS. Don't look like a prat!
Fortunately we don't see too many of these. The half-assed brief is the one trying to be cool and knowing. It's usually full of jargonistic sales and marketing bollocks about 'blue sky thinking' and 'taking a helicopter position' on the situation. Talk to us like we're grown ups and we'll respond back with enthusiasm and great ideas.
So how do you create the perfect design brief?
Follow the guidelines below and you'll get great work from your agency
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO?
Seems simple enough, but better to assume that your agency has no knowledge of your business and its products and services
WHAT IS IT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
Is it to generate more sales from existing customers?
Are you launching a new product?
Is it into a new market?
The more background detail we have about you and your business, and what it is you're trying to achieve, then the better we'll understand it and be able to respond more effectively.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Know who your target audience is...
Their age range, occupation, lifestyle preferences, gender, geographical location. As much detail as possible please.
SELLING PROPOSITION
OK... so not every product or service has a UNIQUE selling proposition to differentiate it from the competiton. But you need to be focused on what it is that your product is offering. If YOU don't know what it is you're selling then how can WE create a piece of work to sell it? If you are selling into a highly competitive and homogenous market then it is essential to carve out any kind of niche that you can to differentiate you from the competition. In some cases this can be as simple as creating a brand that simply has more visual presence and personality to get it noticed.
VISUAL STYLE
You may have an existing brand identity that is tightly focused and rigorously policed, but even within the most strict of corporate and brand identities there is manouevre to create something with personality. Where there is more creative freedom it is important to get a feel for the style that will appeal to your target audience. This part of the brief is all about the mood you are trying to generate for the customer... is the product cheap, simple and no-nonsense, or is it flamboyant and expensive. The style has to be appropriate and engaging and 'fit' with the identity of the product.
TONE OF VOICE
This links directly to the visual style and is all a part of creating the right message. Should the tone be lighthearted and friendly?, cool and professional?, fun and chaotic?
Think how you would talk to that customer if they were sitting in front of you?
BENCHMARKING
It can be a useful exercise to benchmark a project against your competitors, or to other companies and organisations you admire. You may consider your business to be the Tescos of Garden Centres, or the BMW of Finance. This sort of feedback can be useful in determining how we position your campaign to the audience.
REQUIRED ELEMENTS
You know what your Company's colours and typeface are, but does your designer? Keep him up to speed with any rules and regulations regarding the use of logos, typefaces, images and graphics. And let him know of anything else that needs including, such as address details, references etc.
TIMESCALE
Be realistic with your timescales, or check with the designer as to how long something will take to produce. It's not helpful to everybody's stress levels if a job spends weeks in approval only for the client to say they want it completed in 2 days... and it's a 40 page brochure. But don't be afraid to lay something on us if it's a genuine emergency. After all... it's our job here to make you look good. Good planning will take care of the stress so get your designer involved as early as you can in the planning process.
BUDGETS
Or the $64,000 question. If you have a budget in mind, let us know. Don't be coy about it.
If you think the designer is going to rip you off if you tell them what your budget is, then maybe you shouldn't be working with that agency.
If you let us know what the budget is then we can make sure we spend the money down the pub as wisely as possible and get you the best return on your investment.
ENJOY IT
Producing great design work should be a mutually rewarding process for client and designer. Of course, not everything runs smoothly all of the time, however the vast majority of projects that don't turn out as the client hoped can be placed squarely at the feet of a rubbish brief in the first place.
Hopefuly this will have given you a few ideas next time you brief your agency. Next time it could be us! And if you're not sure about something then just give us a call and talk us through. Creating the brief WITH the client can often produced the greatest work.
RESULT!
The perfect end result is when a client looks at the finished piece and says "You know... that's not what I thought I wanted, but now that I've seen it I realise it's what I was looking for all the time."