Brand brief
A brand brief puts the business, the audience and the positioning on one page, so design starts from decisions rather than guesses.
Answer what you can. Gaps are useful too: they show what to decide first.
The business
- Company and offer
- What you sell or do, in plain words.
- Market
- Where you sell: cities, countries, online, in store.
- Stage
- New brand, rebrand or refresh, and why now.
- Mission
- What the business is for, beyond what it sells.
Audience
- Primary audience
- Who buys, and who decides if that is someone else.
- What they need
- The problem you solve for them.
- Touchpoints
- Where people meet the brand: store, site, social, packaging, events.
Positioning
- Difference
- What you offer that competitors do not.
- Competitors
- Brands you compete with, and how you want to differ.
- References
- Brands you admire, in any sector, and what you admire about them.
- Personality
- A few words for how the brand should sound and feel.
Scope
- Deliverables
- Logo, colour, typography, tone of voice, guidelines, packaging, templates.
- What stays
- Existing assets that must be kept or respected.
- Where it will be used
- Print, digital, signage, product, social.
Practicalities
- Decision makers
- Who approves, and who else needs to see the work.
- Timeline
- Key dates, such as a launch or an opening.
- Budget range
- A range is enough to shape the scope.
- Material to share
- Current guidelines, research, photography, anything useful.