8 Tips to Write the Perfect Logo Design Brief - Print Peppermint

8 Tips to Write the Perfect Logo Design Brief

A logo design brief is a document that contains the info the designer needs to create a perfect logo for your new business. Before they start designing the logo, they need a clear explanation of your vision for it. 

Quite often, entrepreneurs make mistakes that result in impersonal logos. They either ignore the brief altogether or write ridiculously long documents that leave the designer with more questions than answers. 

In this post, you’ll find:

  • a straightforward explanation of why a written brief is the best way to go
  • eight professional tips on how to write an effective logo design brief 
  • a great logo design brief template for inspiration. 

If you feel like getting straight to the point, feel free to scroll down to the needed section. 

Here we go.

Why a Written Logo Design Brief is the Best?

“Why do I need to write a brief? Can’t I just talk to my designer and explain everything?”

This is a good question. But no matter how many talks you have with your designer, there still should be a brief in writing. 

As someone who’s involved in doing business, you know that some things are better put in writing for future references. Just think about it: during your meeting with the designer, you both will come up with lots of ideas. If not written down, some of them might not be as clear a week or two later.

So, here are the reasons to write the logo design brief:

  • it gives the designer something to refer to. The designer might be working on a bunch of other things, too, so, like a thesis writing company, they juggle a lot of information. If they don’t have the brief at their disposal, there’s a chance they will have to rely on the recollection of what you said during your meeting
  • It’s your tool for providing information about your business. You, as a business owner, for example, know much more about it, so you’re the best person to give such important details as a business’s vision, mission, and history. 
  • it’s an explanation of your motivation to create a logo. We’re looking to create a logo to get our business going.” That’s a typical reason that business owners give to designers for designing the logo. A brief is a good chance to go beyond the obvious and spell out the motivation behind everything in detail.

Okay, so now we know why we should put a logo design brief in writing. Let’s walk you through each step in the writing process, so you feel confident when creating your brief.

Related: The Comprehensive Guide to Logo Design

8 Tips to Write the Perfect Logo Design Brief

These are the most important parts of your brief. Each section in this part represents a section in the final version of the document. 

1. Provide the Name of Your Company

The graphic designer working on your logo is likely to be involved in other projects, too. Make the name stand out visually on the brief to make it easy to distinguish it. 

2. Describe Your Business’s History, Mission, and Vision

The logo designer needs the most important information about your business to come up with something that makes sense. 

That’s why, in this section, briefly describe:

  • your motivations for starting the company
  • how you actually started it and where
  • products and/or services you provide
  • what makes you stand out from the rest.

Basically, describe the whole picture needed to make a meaningful logo. 

A logo for a small family-owned coffee house, for example, will be much different from a big chain of coffee houses. Giving all these details increases the chances that the final versions of logo designs will make sense to you. 

3. Describe the Goal of the Project

We touched upon this one above with the example of a lack of specifics (“we need a logo for our company.”) 

To avoid that, be very detailed about what you want out of this design project. If it’s a logo, for example, make a list of characteristics that you prefer for it to be associated with. 

4. Provide Reasons Why You Need a Logo

“I need a logo to get my business started.”

Of course, many clients need to grow their business. So, the reason why your business needs a logo might be obvious. To you. As for the designer, things are a bit different. 

Here are some details that might need to understand the real motivation behind the project:

  • your company might be in the middle of rebranding, so the current logo is unsuitable
  • you want to attract a specific audience with the new logo 
  • you need it to reflect specific values.

All these variables are incredibly important for the designer, so you need to list them, too. 

Related: Top Signs It’s Time for a Logo Redesign.

5. Provide Examples of Logos You Like

Are there some logos that you really like and would like your own logo to be based on?

If yes, then provide links to resources where the design could check them out. Also, briefly describe why you like each. 

One thing: the designs you like might not be used by real businesses. Options from inspiration catalogs and compilations are totally fine. 

For example, if you were looking for business card design examples, you might find the guide below useful. 

Related: 11 Great Designs for Business Card Layout Inspiration.

6. Describe the Target Audience of Your Business

The graphic designer needs to know the audience targeted by the logo. This information helps them to create something that the audience will find appropriate, attractive, and interesting. 

7. Let Them Know the Deadline

In this section, share the date when you’d like the new logo to be done. While some super complex designs might require 20+ of work, simpler ones can take as short as 24 hours. 

For example, the folks here at Print Peppermint deliver initial logo design concepts between 24 and 48 hours. 

8. Identify Your Budget

Finally, it’s time to let the designer know about the project budget. We’re including it last, so they review the brief and have an idea about how much they might charge. 

How Long Should the Logo Design Brief Be?

The best way to write a brief is to keep it between one and two pages. That’s 300 words minimum, 600 words maximum. 

Simple Logo Design Brief Template

As promised, here’s a simple and to-the-point template you can use for your briefs. Keep in mind that it could be used by both clients and designers. www.caasimada.net The latter can simply turn each section into a question to make it suitable for a client interview. 

Logo Design Brief Template
1. Name [company name here]
2. About Our Business [description of the business’s history, mission, and vision here]
3. Project Goal [create a brand new logo, what should the ideal design be like, etc.]
4. Why You Need a Logo [grow your business, establish a new identity, etc.]
5. Examples of Good Logos [list of logos you like to help the designer understand your vision]
6. Target Audience [identify the primary customers, e.g., Millennial customers]
7. Deadline [let the designer know when you’d like to see an initial concept and/or the final version to be done]
8. Project Budget [your budget for this logo design project here].

Feel free to use this template to help with guiding your next logo design project. If you find some more sections that should be there, don’t hesitate to add them to make it really yours. 

The Bottom Line

As a business owner looking for a logo design, do you need a written design brief?

Absolutely.

Taking care of each of these sections shouldn’t be too difficult but will make a lot of difference for the project. 

The only thing left to tell you is to be concise. Remember: the perfect logo design brief shouldn’t exceed 600 words, so plan accordingly.

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