How to Write a Brief for a Graphic Designer: a Template to Copy
A brief for a graphic designer is one or two pages that answer a few questions: what is being designed, who it is for, what it should achieve, what format it takes and what content it includes. For print, give the trim size (e.g. an A5 flyer at 148×210 mm), the bleed (usually 3 mm), the safe area (3–5 mm), the paper (e.g. 130–170 g coated stock), 300 DPI images, CMYK colours and the file format (PDF). Add final copy, a vector logo, your brand colours and a deadline. The less the designer has to guess, the fewer rounds of amends you will need.
A design rarely comes back for amends because the designer did a poor job. Usually it comes back because they were not given all the information. In this guide you will find the elements every brief for a graphic designer should include, the questions worth answering before you commission the work, a template to copy, a filled-in example brief for an A5 flyer and the most common gaps that get files bounced back by the printer.
What is a brief for a graphic designer and why does it save time?
A brief for a graphic designer is a short document describing what needs to be created, who it is for and the technical conditions it must meet. For a flyer or business card a single page is enough; for a campaign across several formats, two or three. What matters is that it answers the questions the designer would ask you anyway.
A good brief cuts down the rounds of amends, because the designer knows from the outset which copy to use, which colours are mandatory and what size to set the file up at. A brief along the lines of "make something nice and modern" ends in guesswork and several versions, none of which quite hits the mark.
What should a brief include?
Whether you are ordering a flyer, a poster or a social media post, the brief is made up of the same building blocks. The table shows what to write in each one.
| Element | What to include | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Company name, sector, contact person | Florist, Anna Smith, phone number |
| Product and format | Type of item, trim size, number of pages, print run | A5 flyer, double-sided, 2,000 copies |
| Objective | What the reader should do after seeing the design | Ring up and order a bouquet |
| Audience | Who will see it, where and how much time they have | Local housing estate residents, flyer through the letterbox |
| Content | Final, proofread copy split into headline, body text and contact details | Headline, 3 offer points, address |
| Assets | Logo (ideally SVG, PDF, EPS, AI), photos, icons | SVG logo, 4 product photos |
| Style and colours | Brand colours (CMYK, HEX, Pantone), examples you like and dislike | Brand green, minimalist style |
| Technical specification | Bleed, margin, resolution, colour space, file format, paper | PDF, 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI, CMYK |
| Deadline and scope | Delivery date, number of concepts, rounds of amends | Design in 3 working days, 2 rounds |
| Sign-off | Who gives final approval | Business owner |
What questions should you answer before commissioning?
Before you start filling in the template, answer a few questions for yourself. If you don't know the answer to one of them, settle it now rather than during the amends.
- What single message should the reader remember? One flyer means one main idea; everything else is supporting detail.
- What should the reader do? Ring you, visit your website, scan a QR code, bring the flyer in for a discount.
- Where and from what distance will the design be viewed? A flyer in the hand, a poster from 2–3 metres, a banner on a fence from across the road or from a car.
- Who is the audience? Their age, their needs, what they are looking for or worried about.
- How are you different from the competition? Be specific: delivery within 2 hours, free quotes, parking outside the shop.
- Which elements are mandatory? Logo, company details, promotion terms and conditions, wording required by a franchisor or by law.
- What do you definitely not want? Competitors' colours, a style that has already failed, stock photos.
Technical print specification: what to include so the file doesn't come back from the printer
This is the part clients skip most often, yet it decides whether the file gets through prepress without changes. Give the trim size (after cutting), the bleed, meaning the extra background beyond the trim line, and the safe area, where no text or logos should be placed.
For small formats the standard is 3 mm bleed on every side, a 3–5 mm safe margin, images at 300 DPI at 1:1 scale and colours in CMYK. For large format the requirements depend on the printer: roll-up banners and banners are often set up at 1:10 scale, the bleed may be larger, and roll-ups have a bottom zone hidden inside the cassette. Paste the specification of the printer you will be using into the brief.
Also state the paper and finishes, even if the designer isn't ordering the print. Matt and gloss coated stocks reproduce colour differently, and matt lamination or spot UV varnish affect the choice of background and the weight of fine lines.
| Product | Trim size | Size with 3 mm bleed | Typical material |
|---|---|---|---|
| A6 flyer | 105×148 mm | 111×154 mm | 130–170 g coated stock |
| A5 flyer | 148×210 mm | 154×216 mm | 130–170 g coated stock |
| DL flyer | 99×210 mm | 105×216 mm | 130–170 g coated stock or 250 g board |
| A3 poster | 297×420 mm | 303×426 mm | 135–200 g coated stock |
| Business card | 85×55 mm (UK); 90×50 mm (continental Europe) | 91×61 mm (UK); 96×56 mm (continental Europe) | 300–350 g board |
| Roll-up banner | 850×2000 mm | per printer's spec, file often at 1:10 scale | film or fabric per printer's spec |
A brief template for a graphic designer to copy
Copy the points below into a document or email and fill in each one. If a point doesn't apply to you, write "n/a" rather than deleting it, so the designer knows it was a deliberate decision and not an oversight.
The form at plakaty.shop (wielkareklama.eu studio) asks a similar set of questions: product, format, company name, content, style, colours and, optionally, a logo. The principle is the same as when working with a designer: the more precisely you describe the job, the more on-target the concepts you receive.
- Company and contact: name, sector, website, person handling contact and sign-off.
- Product: type of item, trim size, number of pages, print run.
- Project objective: what the reader should do after seeing it.
- Audience: who will see the design, where and in what situation.
- Key message: one sentence that should stick in the memory.
- Content: headline, body copy, offer and prices, contact details, address, link for the QR code.
- Assets: logo (file format), photos (source, resolution), brand guidelines.
- Style: 2–3 examples you like and 1–2 you don't, with a brief reason why.
- Colours and fonts: CMYK, HEX or Pantone codes, brand fonts.
- Print method: digital or litho, paper and weight, finishes.
- Final file: print-ready PDF with bleed and margin, 300 DPI, CMYK; plus PNG or JPG for online use.
- Deadline, budget, number of concepts and rounds of amends.
Example: a completed brief for an A5 flyer
Below is the brief for a fictional florist that wants to distribute flyers on nearby housing estates. You can use it as a starting point and swap in your own details.
Notice that the copy is final and proofread, and the style is described with examples rather than adjectives. The designer doesn't have to invent anything except the design itself.
- Company: Pansy Florist, 5 Meadow Lane; contact and sign-off: Anna Smith, tel. 07700 900000.
- Product: A5 flyer (148×210 mm), double-sided, print run of 2,000, 170 g matt coated stock.
- Objective: phone orders for bouquets with delivery.
- Audience: residents of the surrounding estates, mainly aged 30–55; the flyer goes through letterboxes and sits on the shop counter.
- Key message: "Bouquets delivered to your door within 2 hours".
- Front: headline as above, large photo of a bouquet, prominent phone number, logo in the top right-hand corner.
- Back: 3 sample bouquets with prices, opening hours Mon–Sat 8am–6pm, address, QR code to the website, small location map.
- Assets: logo in SVG, 4 bouquet photos at 4000×3000 px from our own shoot.
- Style: light and airy, plenty of white space, natural colours, Scandinavian feel; no gold flourishes or dark backgrounds.
- Colours and font: brand green HEX #3C8D3F (convert to CMYK for print) and white; sans-serif font from the brand guidelines.
- Files: print-ready PDF at 154×216 mm (3 mm bleed), 4 mm margin, images at 300 DPI, CMYK; plus a JPG of the front for Facebook.
- Deadline: first concept within 3 working days, 2 rounds of amends.
The most common gaps in briefs and how to avoid them
Most amends stem not from the designer's mistakes but from gaps in the brief. These are the ones that crop up most often.
- No final copy: "I'll send the text later" or changing the copy after the design is done means rebuilding the layout. Write and check the copy before you commission the work.
- Too much content: an A6 flyer won't fit your entire price list. Pick the most important information, move the rest to your website and add a QR code.
- A logo from a screenshot: a small file pulled from an email will blur in print. Send a vector file (SVG, PDF, EPS, AI) or a high-resolution PNG.
- Photos from the internet: low resolution and no rights to use them. For A5 print you need roughly 1750×2480 px, i.e. 300 DPI at the final size.
- Vague words instead of examples: everyone understands "modern" differently. Show 2–3 designs that work for you.
- No technical specification: the wrong size or missing bleed means the printer will reject the file.
- Several decision-makers: conflicting feedback drags the project out. Collate the amends and send them in a single message.
- No proofreading: a typo in the phone number ruins the whole print run. Before printing, read every line of text, number and address yourself.
Checklist
- Copy finalised and read by a second person
- Phone number, address, website and opening hours match reality
- Trim size and bleed (usually 3 mm) match the printer's specification
- Text and logo at least 3 mm inside the trim line
- Images at 300 DPI at 1:1 scale (large format per printer's spec)
- Colours in CMYK, brand colours in line with the brand guidelines
- Logo in vector format or high-resolution PNG
- QR code tested with a phone
- Print-ready PDF signed off by the decision-maker
FAQs
What should a brief for a graphic designer include?
Company and contact details, the type and format of the product, the objective, a description of the audience, final copy, logo and photos, brand style and colours, technical specification and a deadline. For print, add the trim size, bleed (usually 3 mm), safe area, paper and file format, most often a PDF in CMYK.
How long should a brief for a graphic designer be?
For a flyer, business card or poster, one page is enough; for a campaign across several formats, two or three. Completeness matters more than length: short, specific answers to every point are better than a long description of your company.
Do I need to give technical specifications if the designer knows all about them?
Yes, because the designer doesn't know which printer you will use or what paper you will print on. Specifications vary, particularly for large format: file scale, bleed size, the zones hidden in a roll-up banner's cassette. Pasting the printer's requirements into the brief saves amends.
What format should I send my logo to the designer in?
Ideally a vector format: SVG, PDF, EPS or AI, because such a file can be enlarged without losing quality. If you only have a bitmap, send a PNG at the highest resolution possible, not a screenshot or a logo downloaded from social media.
How many rounds of amends does a design project include?
It depends on your agreement with the designer or the terms of the package, so it is worth stating the number of rounds in the brief. With a complete brief, one or two rounds are usually enough, and further amends are often charged separately.
Do I need a brief for an AI-generated design?
Yes, the principle is the same: the more precisely you describe the content, style, colours and format, the more on-target the result. Whoever prepared the design, read every line of text, phone number and address yourself before it goes to print.
