- Setting the tone
- Questions before ideas
- Summarize the business
- Summarize the project
- Who decides?
- Give your client time and space
- But maintain the focus
- Research with purpose
- Assembling the design brief
- Tapping into something special
- Nature's poetry
- Field research that makes a difference
- Bringing the details to life
- Giving form to language
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Questions before ideas
Understanding your client’s motivations is about more than setting minds at ease, it’s about establishing a clear and strategic basis for your work. Before you can design anything of lasting value, you need context. And that starts with asking the right questions.
Paul Rand addressed this point in his book A Designer’s Art, saying, “The experienced designer does not begin with some preconceived idea. Rather, the idea is (or should be) the result of careful observation, and the design a product of that idea.”1
)
In other words, your job is to uncover and define the problem before attempting to visually solve it. Prioritize a structured conversation with your client where the answers you gather become the backbone of your design brief—a practical, working document that outlines goals, defines expectations, and gives both parties a common language to refer to throughout the project.
A good design brief is much more than paperwork. It’s a contract of clarity and a written understanding of what success looks like. It gives shape to what can otherwise feel abstract. When you and your client agree on the objectives up front, you’re better equipped to navigate disagreements later. And disagreements should be expected. Let’s say your client objects to a direction you’ve taken or suggests changes that feel misaligned. Instead of relying on personal taste or emotion, you can return to the brief. It gives you something solid to point to, a record of shared intent. That doesn’t mean you’ll always push back; often, you’ll adjust your work in response to feedback. But the brief ensures those adjustments are purposeful and not arbitrary.
Consider, for example, a logo I designed for Lee Haze, a running coach in England. The brief called for a simple, relevant, and distinctive mark—something with lasting clarity, not driven by trends. As the design phase progressed, Lee began to question whether the preferred concept might be too minimal. Instead of revisiting the logo itself, I referred back to the original brief and introduced the full identity system. This included a distinctive brand color, recommended typefaces, a relevant brand gallery, and a variety of mockups showing the logo in real-world use. Seeing the design applied to apparel, social media, and training materials helped shift the perspective. The simplicity of the mark wasn’t a limitation; it created space for the wider identity to shine. With the brief as our guide, we could move forward with clarity and confidence.
There are a variety of ways to gather information for the design brief. You might meet face to face, schedule a video call, or communicate entirely by email. For some clients, a carefully crafted digital questionnaire works. In my experience, a real-time conversation is much more revealing. What matters most is that you create the conditions for honest, detailed responses, and that you listen more than you speak.
)
)
)
)
The outline of the symbol matches the outline of a 400m running track, while the two lines subtly reference the relationship between coach and student.
The vibrant green helps differentiate from similar coaching businesses.
The brief should reflect everything you’ve learned: the client’s business goals, competitive landscape, creative preferences, audience insights, and success criteria. Avoid unnecessary jargon or filler. This is a document to clarify and guide, acting as a project anchor for use throughout the project. It will help you prioritize ideas, justify decisions, and stay aligned with the client’s vision. It’s there to prevent the work from drifting too far from its original purpose, even when your creativity takes you somewhere unexpected.
A strong brief doesn’t constrain creativity. It channels it.
