Design brief template (Google Docs and Word, with a filled-in Bay Area example)

This design brief template works in Google Docs and Word and takes about 30 minutes to fill in. Copy the text version below or download the Word file, answer the ten sections, and send the same document to every designer or agency you talk to. You will get quotes you can actually compare, and fewer “so what exactly do you need?” calls.

There is no sign-up and nothing to buy. Further down you’ll find what each field is for, a filled-in example for a Bay Area SaaS company, and the mistakes that most often lead to bad quotes.

What a design brief is for

A design brief is a short document that tells a designer or agency what you need, why you need it, who it is for, what “done” looks like, and what limits they must work within: budget, deadline, brand rules and approvals.

It does three jobs:

1. It makes quotes comparable. If three agencies read three different phone conversations, you get three different scopes and three prices you cannot line up.
2. It forces decisions you would otherwise make mid-project. Who signs off? Is the logo changing? Do you need copy written? Those questions cost the most when they come up in week six.
3. It becomes the yardstick. When the first concepts arrive, you judge them against the goal and audience you wrote down, not against whoever spoke last in the review.

Design brief or creative brief? People use the words loosely. A creative brief usually sets the message and the idea for a marketing campaign. A design brief adds the practical side: deliverables, formats, budget, timeline, files. This template covers both, so you can use it for a website, a brand refresh, a pitch deck or a campaign.

The Design Brief (Ep1/4) | Free Example | Design Insights (opens YouTube)

The design brief template

Copy everything in the box into a new Google Doc or Word file, or use the download above. Replace each line in square brackets.

DESIGN BRIEF

Project name: [Short name everyone will use]
Company: [Legal or trading name]
Brief owner: [Name, role, email]
Date: [Date]   Version: [1.0]

1. BACKGROUND
What does your company do, in two sentences?
[...]
Why are you starting this project now? What changed?
[...]

2. GOAL AND SUCCESS MEASURE
What must this project achieve? (one main goal)
[...]
How will you know it worked? (a number, date or decision)
[...]

3. AUDIENCE
Who is this for? (role, company type, what they already know)
[...]
What do they need to think, feel or do after seeing it?
[...]

4. KEY MESSAGE
The one thing the audience should take away:
[...]
Proof points that support it (facts, not adjectives):
[...]

5. DELIVERABLES
List each item, format and quantity:
- [e.g. Homepage + 6 inner page designs, Figma]
- [e.g. Responsive build in Webflow / not included]
What is explicitly NOT in scope:
[...]

6. BRAND AND CONSTRAINTS
Existing brand assets (logo, colours, fonts, guidelines link):
[...]
What must not change:
[...]
Accessibility, legal or technical requirements:
[...]

7. INSPIRATION AND COMPETITORS
Examples you like and why:
[...]
Competitors and how you want to differ:
[...]

8. BUDGET
Budget range: [$ low to $ high]
Payment terms or approval limits:
[...]

9. TIMELINE
Key dates (kickoff, first concepts, launch):
[...]
Fixed deadline and the reason for it:
[...]

10. PEOPLE AND APPROVALS
Day-to-day contact:
[...]
Who gives final approval:
[...]
Who else must be consulted:
[...]

ATTACHMENTS
[Links to brand guidelines, current site, research, analytics]

How to fill in each section

Most of the value is in being specific. Here is what each section is for and what a weak answer looks like.

1. Background

Two sentences about the business and one paragraph on why now. “We raised a Series A and the site still describes our seed-stage product” tells an agency far more than “we want a fresh look”. The trigger explains the urgency and what is at stake.

2. Goal and success measure

Pick one main goal. A homepage cannot be equally optimised for recruiting, investor credibility and self-serve sign-ups. Then write how you will judge it: a conversion rate, a launch date, a decision such as “the sales team uses the new deck in every first call by March”. If you can’t measure it, describe the decision it should enable.

3. Audience

Describe a real reader: their role, what kind of company they work at, what they already know, and what they are skeptical about. “Heads of finance at 200 to 2,000-person companies who have been burned by a tool rollout before” gives a designer something to design for. “B2B decision makers” does not.

4. Key message

One sentence the audience should remember, plus the proof behind it. Proof means facts: customer counts, certifications, case results, awards you can document. Agencies cannot invent proof for you, and you should not let them.

5. Deliverables and what is not in scope

This is where most disputes start. List every item with its format and quantity, and write a separate “not in scope” list. Common grey areas to settle up front:

• Copywriting: does the agency write it or do you supply it?
• Development: design only, or design and build? On which platform?
• Photography and illustration: stock, commissioned, or AI-generated?
• Source files: will you receive the editable files at the end?
• Revisions: how many rounds are included?

6. Brand and constraints

Link your logo files and guidelines, and say what must not change. Add hard requirements here, such as accessibility (many teams target WCAG 2.2 AA), legal review, or a CMS you are locked into.

7. Inspiration and competitors

Three to five examples, each with a sentence on what you like: the navigation, the tone, the way pricing is shown. Without the “why”, agencies copy the surface. Name two or three competitors and how you want to look different from them.

8. Budget

Give a range. People leave the budget out hoping for a low quote, but it backfires: agencies either guess high to protect themselves or guess low and cut scope you assumed was included. If you have no idea of the market, read what Bay Area design agencies charge first, then set a range you could actually approve.

9. Timeline

List the dates that are fixed and say why: a launch event, a board meeting, a trade show. “ASAP” is not a deadline. Agencies plan staff around your dates, so a real reason helps them tell you honestly whether they can make it.

10. People and approvals

Name the day-to-day contact and the single person who gives final approval. Then list who else has a say. Late feedback from someone who never saw the brief is one of the most common reasons projects run over.

How to Write a Powerful CREATIVE BRIEF (GUIDE) (opens YouTube)

A filled-in example (Bay Area SaaS website refresh)

Illustration only. The company is fictional and the figures are examples, not market data.

Section	Example answer
Background	Ledgerline is a 45-person San Mateo company that sells spend-management software to mid-size firms. The site still describes the product we sold two years ago.
Goal	Increase demo requests from the website. Measure: demo requests per 1,000 visits, compared over the 60 days before and after launch.
Audience	Controllers and finance directors at 200 to 2,000-person US companies. They are short on time and skeptical of “AI” claims.
Key message	“Close the month two days faster without changing your ERP.” Proof: three named customer case studies with their permission, SOC 2 Type II report.
Deliverables	Homepage, pricing page, 4 product pages, 1 case study template, in Figma. Design system for these pages. Not in scope: copywriting, development, new logo.
Brand and constraints	Keep logo and primary colour. Fonts can change. Must meet WCAG 2.2 AA. Built later by our team in Webflow.
Inspiration	Two competitor sites we think explain pricing clearly; one non-competitor site for its calm visual tone.
Budget	$40,000 to $60,000, paid in three milestones. Spend over $25,000 needs CFO sign-off.
Timeline	Kickoff in January; first concepts in 3 weeks; final files by mid-March for a launch tied to a customer event.
People	Day-to-day: Head of Marketing. Final approval: CEO. Consulted: Head of Sales, one product designer.

Notice what the example does: one goal, a number to judge it by, a clear “not in scope” list, a budget with an approval limit, and a real reason for the deadline. That is what lets two agencies quote the same job.

Using the template in Google Docs or Word

Google Docs:

1. Download the .docx file.
2. In Google Drive, choose New, then File upload, and select it.
3. Right-click the file, choose Open with, then Google Docs. Google converts it to a Doc you can edit and share.
4. Share it with “Commenter” access so agencies can ask questions in the margin.

Or skip the download: open a blank Doc and paste the template from the box above.

Prefer a form? Noondesk’s free creative brief generator (Noondesk has the same owner as this site) asks ten short questions and builds a one-page brief you can copy or download as text. It covers the basics (goal, audience, message, formats, references, deadline, approver) but not budget or scope exclusions, so add sections 5 and 8 from the template above before you send it.

Word: open the .docx and use Save As to keep a master copy. Turn on Track Changes before you send it round internally, so the final version shows who changed what.

Version it. Put the version number in the header. When an agency quotes, ask them to name the version they quoted against.

Design brief or RFP?

Situation	Use
You are talking to one or two agencies or freelancers	A brief
Budget is small, or the project is a single deliverable	A brief
You invite three or more agencies to compete	An RFP with the brief attached
Procurement or a board needs a documented, scored decision	An RFP
Public sector or grant-funded work	Usually an RFP (check your rules)

If you need the formal route, our design agency RFP template with weighted scoring is built to sit on top of this brief.

Seven mistakes that lead to bad quotes

1. No budget range. Proposals come back at wildly different scopes and you cannot compare them.
2. Three goals of equal weight. The design tries to do everything and does nothing well.
3. Adjectives instead of decisions. “Modern, clean, bold” describes most websites on the internet.
4. No “not in scope” list. Copy, development and photography are the usual surprises.
5. Hidden approvers. The CEO sees the work for the first time at the final review.
6. Inspiration without reasons. You get a copy of the example, not the quality you liked in it.
7. Different briefs for different agencies. If you tweak the brief after the first call, send the new version to everyone.

Before you send it: a quick checklist

• One main goal and a way to measure it
• A named audience with what they already know
• Every deliverable listed, plus a “not in scope” list
• Budget range and payment approach
• Fixed dates with the reason for each
• One final approver named
• Brand files and guidelines linked
• Version number in the header

When an agency replies, turn your brief and their proposal into a scope of work before anyone signs. Once the brief is ready, use these questions to ask a design agency before you sign on your first calls, and how to hire a design agency in the Bay Area for the full process from shortlist to contract.

Further reading

• Gareth David Studio: what makes a good design brief, a designer’s view of what a brief must contain.
• AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services, the US design association’s modular contract terms, useful when the brief turns into a contract.
• W3C: WCAG 2 overview, if accessibility is one of your constraints.