A web design brief is usually created by a company to plan a new website or redesign its existing site. An effective design brief should be concise and informative. It needs to communicate to your design team exactly what the final website should look like.
This is a design roadmap that helps with time management, planning, and budgeting. It provides an outline of design requirements and preferred stylistic elements. It also informs the design team of the project’s main aims and a timeline or schedule.
A good design brief defines the core details of a project. These could include the project’s goals, scope, details about budgeting and schedule, etc. It is a roadmap of design decisions and guides all collaborators involved in the process. Its purpose is to inform both the designers and their clients what to expect from the final product. A detailed web design brief guides the entire design process.
At the start of your brief, clarify your goals and objectives. The more specific and clear these are, the easier your design process will be. Before starting your design brief you should ask the following questions:
What are we building? What issues are we trying to resolve and what project aims are we trying to achieve?
Why are we designing this website? What do we expect to achieve at the end of the project?
Who are we designing this website for? Who are our ideal clients and who will be reading our content?
I have compiled a list of tips to consider whilst forming your web design brief. To help aid your design process, here are my top 5 components of an ideal design brief:
1. Your main goals and objectives
Begin your brief by deciding the main features of your project. Provide information on the goals and objectives of the new design. Why does your business need this web design? Your goal could be to target an audience or to strengthen your brand identity.
Explain the scope of the project. How will the new web design strengthen your branding? Will this project help increase revenue or reach more clients? The scope of your project includes the project deliverables. These are the goals you expect to achieve at the end of your design project.
Some examples of project goals are:
To increase brand awareness.
To improve online presence.
To have an interactive and responsive website design.
To generate leads and inquiries for your business.
To gain more clients.
To construct a bespoke platform or service.
Introduce your company and provide a background on the services you provide. What are this company’s values? What are its main branding elements? This helps the design to gain an understanding of your company’s vision. You could also mention information on company history, branding, company size, and location. This will help your design team gain a better understanding of their client.
Include any introductory material or graphic designs which are already available. Is there any specific information you would like to include on your website? Make a note of these. Similarly, mention any “do nots” that may exist. Identify any stylistic elements which you do not want to include on your website.
State your plans for future growth. This helps clarify your company’s aims and set a foundation for these in your web design.
2. Prefered design elements
Documentation of any preferred or required design elements is vital. You can provide a website template for reference or to guide the design process. Explain how you would like your website to appear at first glance. List any specific design requirements. Do prefer a template that contains a sidebar or a large header bar? Make note of these preferences.
Here are some examples of stylistic elements you could incorporate:
A specific, preferred web-design style such as “minimalism”.
A preferred color scheme.
A preferred website theme such as “dark colors”.
Any changes to your branding.
Provide a list of functionality you need on your website. These include user profiles, interactive maps, and inquiries pages. Explain how pages such as the “About Us” section should lay out of the site. Map out how these interactive elements should appear to your client.
Do not try to outline every detail of the final design. Be flexible and leave some room for changes during the production process. Your design brief should define the core concepts of your branding. The brief should be an overview of the design project’s aims.
3. Competition analysis and example websites
Make note of the website designs of your main competitors. What stylistic elements have they adopted? Identify what your competitors do well and what their web designs lack. Researching your competitors will help decide how you can differentiate your website. Identify how your web design will stand apart from others in your field.
Provide some background on your existing website and what you like and dislike about it. Explain what has been working well and what you hope to change. Map out the intended look and feel of the reworked design. What are the ways in which your new web design is different from your existing one?
Include examples of websites you want your site to look like. Provide your design team with links to websites within your field. This will help your team build an outline of your web design.
4. Your content management strategy
Once your site goes live, it would need a content management strategy. Design agencies often help manage the sites they create. Research the available web design agencies and look at their portfolios. Make an informed decision on who will assist you in creating and managing your website.
Decide on a schedule of how often you will publish new content. Make suggestions of what content management systems you will use. Who in your team will help manage your website? This is resourceful information for both the design process and content management.
Other critical elements of your design brief are the budget and schedule. Mention all monetary expenses which will go into the design process. Map out a timeline that your team should follow and the milestones you intend to hit.
Inform your team of who the key decision-makers are in the design process. Make note of who will approve of the final design. This will help the design team consult the right people if needed.
5. Internal and external feedback
Gain and analyze feedback from staff and clients. Be attentive to what current users like and dislike about your current web design. Allow this feedback to help guide the design process. Find out what works well and what could change.
Finally, identify potential obstacles to your web design plans. What are the risks involved in reworking your web design? Your final design brief should include a detailed analysis of the current issues you need to fix and the goals of the design project.