Process
How to write a brand brief that gets you better work
The brief is the cheapest part of a rebrand and the one that decides whether the expensive parts succeed.
Mariana Costa6 min read
We read around two hundred briefs a year. The ones that lead to great work are rarely the longest. They are the ones that make a few hard decisions before the designers arrive, so the studio can spend its time solving the right problem instead of guessing at it.
A good brief is not a wish list of adjectives. Modern, bold and timeless describe almost every brand on earth. What a studio needs is context, constraints and a clear picture of what success looks like in twelve months.
What to put in it
- Why now: the business change that makes this project necessary, such as a new market, a merger or a product the old brand cannot carry.
- Who it is for: one primary audience described as people, not demographics.
- What must not change: heritage elements, legal names or colours with real equity.
- Where it will live: list the five most important touchpoints in order.
- How you will judge it: one or two measurable outcomes, plus who signs off.
- Budget and timeline: real numbers, even as a range.
That last point makes people nervous, but hiding the budget does not get you a better deal. It gets you proposals that are impossible to compare. A studio that knows you have $60k will design the right scope for $60k.
What to leave out
Do not include mood boards or logos you like from other companies. They anchor the work too early and usually reflect taste rather than strategy. Do include brands you admire for how they behave, such as how they speak to customers or how they handle a price rise. That is far more useful.
Avoid listing every stakeholder's opinion. Synthesise them. If the CEO wants heritage and the head of growth wants disruption, the brief is the place to resolve that tension, not the first design review.
If you cannot explain in one sentence why the brand needs to change, the designers will not be able to either.
Then test it
Before sending, hand the brief to someone outside the project and ask them to explain it back. If they describe the same problem you had in mind, it is ready. If not, the gap you just found would have cost you weeks of revisions later. Fixing it now costs an afternoon.
