An introduction to briefing
Where art is primarily concerned with aesthetics, design is essentially a problem-solving discipline. Great design, therefore, must begin with a comprehensive understanding of the business problem that needs to be solved and this is the purpose of a design brief.
A design brief is a written document that thoroughly explains the problem that needs to be solved by a designer or designer team. It should primarily focus on results of design, outcomes of design, and the business objectives of the design project. It should not attempt to deal with the aesthetics of design. That is the responsibility of the designer.
A proper design brief is not the same as a request for proposal (RFP), or the resulting proposal. These two documents are incorporated into a proper design brief after the design team has developed a preliminary proposal in answer to the RFP. The person or group with the need for design prepares the RFP, and design groups prepare the proposal as a response to these stated needs.
A fully developed design brief for a major project must incorporate the background, needs statements, and tactical information such as time frames, budget, and desired outcomes, contained within both the RFP and the proposal. Once these two documents have been completed, they are melded together into a proper design brief, which will usually include more comprehensive data than had been included in either the RFP or the proposal. It is essential this document is written down rather than being in the form of a verbal agreement to avoid later disputes.
A truly useful design brief should be developed by two people - one representing the group with the business need for design and one person representing the design company that will execute the design work. Both individuals are equally accountable for the results of the design project.
A good design brief should answer the following questions:
- Why are we doing this project?
- Why are we doing it now?
- What specific business outcomes, or results, do we expect from this design project?
- Who are we designing for (this requires a very precise and complete description of the target audience for the design project)?
- Who are the key stakeholders (eg sales, marketing, law, distribution, procurement, manufacturing, etc) in this project?
- What is the current and anticipated business environment for the results of this design project?
- What, precisely, are the phases of this design project?
- How much time must be devoted to each phase?
- How much will each phase cost?
- What is the competitive environment like?
- Who will approve the final design solution?
- What criteria will be used for this approval?
- How will the design solution be implemented?
- How will the results be measured?
A design brief assists all the key stakeholders in the design project. The designer must have every bit of information possible in order to develop an effective design solution. It is rather like a relationship with a physician. If the physician isn't told about all of the patient's symptoms, then the physician cannot offer the best treatment for the problem. Similarly, relevant information should be withheld from the designer, who needs it in order to design a useful solution.
For all stakeholders, including the designer, the design brief becomes a written agreement describing business objectives and the design strategy to meet those objectives. It is a roadmap through the process, a project-tracking document, an outline for a presentation for approval of the design project, an implementation plan, a plan for measuring results of the design project, and an archival document that will be useful for similar projects in the future.
The design brief should not dictate how a designer will actually execute the design. Rather, the design brief describes the problem and the desired business outcomes of the design work. It is up to the designer to create the most effective and creative design solution to solve the problem, using the most effective techniques employed by the particular design discipline.
In nearly all cases, the outcomes of the design project will be measurable data, such as an increased percentage share of market, an increase in sales of the product or service, increase in customer satisfaction, or increase in overall profitability. These measurements generally reflect the business needs of the enterprise.