How to Write a Design Brief to Keep Your Web Design Projects on Track
Today more than ever, a strong website presence can help make or break a customer’s decision to choose one business over a competitor. When a client comes to you in need of a website, you’ll more than likely take on the project--even if you don’t know how to build one yourself, or have anyone on hand who does.
Luckily, there are countless web designers out there. But before you hire one and have them get to work, you’ll need to set up a design brief. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better idea of not only how to write a design brief, but also how to keep the project on track.
What is a Design Brief?
A design brief is a document written by the client that the web designer will use to estimate the amount of time required and the costs associated with a project. The client specifies all their wishes regarding the design and the various features that need to be added.
Sometimes, the customer hasn’t fully envisioned the project. The brief allows them to record all their ideas in writing so everyone involved reaches a mutual understanding.
Parts of a Design Brief
An effective design brief should contain information on the following topics:
- The target demographics
- Any features you want on the website
- What people can do on the site
- Language options
- Logos and color schemes
- What tone of voice should be used
- A brief example, or a similar website, and what to try to incorporate
- The budget and deadline
Keeping the Target Demographics in Mind
Nowadays, sites fill a variety of niches, partly because there are so many different people. Are you building a site to market to a local audience, or are you trying to grow your brand and reach a larger group? Is the website intended for a younger generation, an older community, or a mix of the two?
These are the sort of questions you need to answer in your brief so the person completing the project knows what to do. For example, if you’re building a website for elderly adults to use, you would use a larger font, links embedded into anchor texts are visible to the user, and there shouldn’t be a large amount of background animation because it will be distracting.
This is the exact opposite of what you would do with kids and teens, though. With younger people, you can use animations and use a variety of images. A good designer knows where the fine line is between stunning and cluttered. They would also use bright colors and play with the color scheme to make the site exciting.
Functionality
Different sites will be capable of doing different things. However, all sites should share some things in common, such as social media plugins, a frequently asked questions tab, contact information, and a navigation tab.
If the site is marketing a product, then you should talk to the designer about adding a section for customer reviews. If the site is selling a product, then you need to communicate what forms of payment will be accepted on the website.
If you’re trying to build a launchpad or a news site, then communicate how you want the homepage to look. Should it be various tiles with the names of different articles, or should be it a list going down the page? Also, how should the site be organized? Continuing with the news site example, you may want to include a ribbon with different types of articles, like finance and style.
Language Options
Regardless of where you live in the world, various groups of people will find their way to your site; it’s important to keep that in mind while writing the brief. Some websites are now including different flags above the navigation ribbon or acronyms of various countries to allow users to translate a website without having to use external software.
By including this feature on your site, the content is more accessible, prompting people to stay on the website longer. If they stay on longer, they’re more likely to browse other sections of the site, or shop around depending on if the site is designed to inform or facilitate commerce.
Use of Logos and Complementary Color Schemes
It’s important to note this one because a beautiful site could be the difference between someone staying on it or going to a competitor’s website. If using a logo, think about that logo, and communicate with the designer that you want to use a similar color scheme.
If your logo and color scheme don’t complement one another, it creates a sense of disjointedness that will make people shy away from your site. Specifying a color palette in the brief will help avoid this entirely.