Design Brief to Design - Introduction

1. Sangeeta Jain
*

2. *

3. It is a journey…
It is a process…
It is problem-solving.

4. *
*Graphic Design is the art and
practice of combining text and
graphics and communicating a
message effectively through any
type of visual communication.

5. *
*A design brief is a written
document that summarizes
comprehensively and concisely
both the business and creative
objectives and requirements for a
specific project or relationship.

6. *
*The design brief is much more
about the business objectives
and digs deep into the project
and discovers the main factors
that will drive the creative
strategy.

7. *Most designers are either given creative briefs
by their clients or write them on their own, but
they have to be developed collaboratively.
*It should align the client’s business objectives
with the designer’s creative strategy.
*Design briefs are best written at the start of the
relationship and prior to the development of
any design solution.
*

8. *
*Brief identifies the “what” of the
design project and Design is the
actual “how” in a project.

9. *
*In 1978, Sony chairman Akio Morita authored a
design brief that concisely asked his design team
“…to make something that lets me listen to opera
recordings on long-distance airplane flights
without disturbing passengers around me”.
*Sony engineer Nobutoshi Kihara took up this
briefly stated challenge.
*The resulting design: the Walkman.

10. *From individual designers to most advanced
advertising agencies and design houses,
everyone strives to get a comprehensively
written design brief.
*A comprehensive, detailed brief eliminates
ambiguities in the design process. It becomes
the guiding document in the process and detects
exactly what the designer needs to do and the
constraints within which it has to be done.
*

11. *It explains the client’s requirements for the project
*It is a framework/foundation for the designers
*It contains a well-identified and articulated
summary of the key factors can impact a project
*It focuses on the outcomes of the design and the
business objectives of the design project
*It serves as an essential point of reference for both
the client and the designer
*

12. *It does NOT deal with the aesthetics of design.
*

13. Basic Components of
the Design Brief…

14. Client is the entity, individual or
organisation assigning and funding the
project, directly or indirectly.
This section of the design brief consists of a summary of
the client. Within the client, there are likely to be a
number other key individuals. It also includes
information about the brand, product or service,
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
involved with it or if there are there existing
advertisements or data to help understand the current
positioning of the client, brand, product or service.
*

15. This is you!
A graphic designer is a professional who creates an
effective and functional design to convey a message
effectively and attractively. Graphic designers solve
visual communication problems with images and text.
The key goal of graphic designers is to convey a message
that motivates the viewer to take an action. This section
of the design brief consists of a short introduction of the
designer or the design house.
*

16. A target audience is the intended
group of consumers for a particular
advertisement design.
This section of the design brief consists of the
demographics of the group such as the age, gender,
education, income, location, lifestyle, purchasing
characteristics etc. It may also identify the primary as
well as the secondary target audience and what do they
think of the client (brand) or product or service.
*

17. Competitors is defined as a company
in the same or similar industry which
offers a similar product or service.
This section of the design brief identifies the current and
also the future competitors. The reason why they are or
could be a threat to the client and what are their strengths
and weaknesses? How is the client (brand) and product
or service different from them? The competitive analysis
is a crucial part of any design project.
*

18. A problem statement is a clear
concise description of the issue(s)
that need(s) to be addressed.
An integral part of the process of design is the
identification and definition of a meaningful and
actionable problem statement which the designer will
focus on solving. It is the most challenging part of a
design project which requires a synthesis all observations
and data gathered. The problem statement brings clarity
and guides the ideation process in the right direction.
*

19. A unique selling proposition (USP) is
the factor that differentiates a product
from its competitors.
The USP assures a clearly articulated benefit to
consumers, offers them something that competitive
products can’t or don’t offer and is compelling enough to
attract new customers. In order to determine a USP for
any given brand one must undertake extensive research
of the client, competitors as well as consumers.
*

20. Advertising Budget is the amount of
money to be spent on advertising of
the product/service to promote it.
In the design brief it shows the plan of allocation of
money to various advertising activities by determining
the type of strategy, media and amount of exposure,
frequency of the advertisement including the cost of
various elements of advertising such as designing,
printing, distribution, materials, resources etc.
*

21. A timeline is a chronology of the
advertising plan over time.
Timeline is the proposed schedule of the entire
advertising campaign. It is useful to draft an initial time
plan and provide it to everyone involved in the process.
It is the schedule for the action plan and also includes
communications and sales support. In the design brief it
identifies all the key dates and builds a schedule based
on the milestones and deadlines that need to be met.
Creating the overall strategy is the most important step in
the process and needs to be done first.
*

22. Established codes are a set of non-
legislatively required commitments
which one or more individuals or
organizations agree to.
They are designed to influence, shape, control or
benchmark behaviour. A code may consist of a general
statement of principles and obligations as well as
technical agreements pertaining to specific operational
aspects such as reporting requirements and dispute-
resolution powers etc.
*

23. It is a list/description/details of…
*The assets that the client will provide to the designer.
*The entities that the designer will need to hire or buy.
*Any technical support that may be required.
*Any legal consultancy that may be essential.
*Any agreements that may need to be signed. Etc…
*

24. Deliverables is a term for the goods
or services that will be provided upon
the completion of a project.
Deliverables can be tangible or intangible and they are
often specified functions or characteristics of the project.
In other words it is what the designer promises to deliver
to the client to achieve the goal and in what format.
*

25. Ethics and legal constrains are
principles which govern the ways of
communication taking place between
the seller and the buyer.
Ethics in advertising is directly related to the purpose of
advertising and the nature of advertising. Having a list of
ethical and legal issues when creating advertisements
help to craft legal, responsible ad messages. The basic
legal standard for advertising is that all advertising
should be legal, decent, honest and truthful.
*

26. *

27. *
*PART 1: Create infographics/symbols to visually
represent the components of the design brief as
discussed above. Along with the final graphics
also submit a concept note to justify the design
decisions made.
*PART 2: Use these infographics to create a
design brief format for the purpose of self-
branding and as a template for further design
projects.

28. *
*Submit the assessment task in a PDF format.
*Due Date: End of Week 3
*Weight: 30%
*Important Note: The assessment task will be
submitted in a PDF format but students must
save their raw files for further use.