A better brief makes a better website.
Liam MorrisonTela Studios
The strongest website briefs explain the business behind the work. A few clear priorities, useful project materials and an agreed way to make decisions give the design a firm starting point.
Start with the business priorities.
Describe the services you offer, where you work and the projects you want to attract. Be honest about what is working and what is getting in the way. You may need a stronger first impression, a clearer explanation of your services, or a simpler way to handle enquiries.
List the questions that come up repeatedly in conversations with prospects. Those questions often reveal the information your website needs to provide. A good brief connects the design to a real decision your visitor is trying to make.
Bring the material you already have.
Gather your logo files, brand guidelines, project photographs, service descriptions and any content you want to keep. Include permission and credit information for photography. If material is missing, identify it early so the work can be planned around it.
Your existing website is useful evidence even if you want to replace it completely. Note any pages that receive useful traffic, links in current advertisements and forms or booking tools that need to keep working. Access details should be shared securely, not placed in a public brief.
Explain what you like—and why.
A few references are more helpful than an enormous moodboard. Explain whether you respond to the clarity, photography, typography or sense of pace. The aim is to understand your taste and standards, not to borrow another business’s identity.
Also describe what would feel wrong for your clients. For a contractor, an elaborate interaction that makes the contact form difficult to use may be a poor trade. The strongest direction combines character with a clear route through the information.
Agree how decisions will be made.
Identify who approves the work, who supplies content and when feedback can realistically happen. If several people are involved, agree how their comments will be consolidated. Clear decisions keep a project moving without reducing the care given to it.
Share your target launch date and any fixed dependencies, such as an advertising campaign or a new service. Discuss scope, investment and ongoing care before the full build. A concept can help establish the visual direction, while the proposal defines the work needed to deliver it.
Bring a clear business goal, a useful set of assets and a realistic decision process. The visual direction can grow from there.Put the thinking into practice