From your logo to your website, your branding is your equine business’ identity, so it’s crucial you know how to structure a thorough and well-planned design brief before passing the reins over to your graphic designer.
Not only will an articulate and in-depth design brief give your equine business a professional edge, it will also allow you to outline your expectations from the outset; ensuring you and your graphic designer are in agreement, and have cleared up any issues before getting started.
Here’s our round-up of the nine sections to include in your next design brief:
1. Company Profile
Your design brief should begin with a synopsis of your company. This opening paragraph explains who you are and what you do. Don’t assume your graphic designer knows everything about your business. Your company profile should include a brief history, an explanation of your business structure, information on your products or services, and an overview of your niche market, as well as any other necessary information about your equine business.
2. Aims and Objectives
Your design brief should continue with an overview of your aims and objectives. Firstly, what are you needing designed? Is it a website, promotional flyer or pull-up banner, etc.? What goals do you want it to achieve? For example, generate sales, obtain customer information or encourage more social media engagement? Lastly, specify all the necessary details, such as menus, dimensions and where the item will be displayed. Consider using bullet points for this section.
3. Target Audience
One of the most important considerations in writing your design brief is specifying who your target audience is. This section should detail any classifying information, such as age, gender, occupation, income, location, interests and lifestyle. Without a deep understanding of who you’re trying to reach, your graphic designer will find it difficult to create unique and relevant designs for your equine business.
4. Purpose
The next section should explain the overall purpose of your design brief. Perhaps you’re re-branding or launching a new product? Explain why you are needing this design work done. This section is also ideal for giving examples of past collateral you’ve had designed before. What did you like and what didn’t you like, and did they achieve the results you wanted?
5. Copy and Images
Next, you’ll need to explain who is responsible for any necessary copy and images. Are you writing the copy in-house, are you using a freelance copywriter or have you selected a graphic designer who can handle this? Also, will you be providing images or will the graphic designer need to source images for you?
6. Examples
It’s important to show examples of designs that you find appealing. Take the time to research and don’t limit yourself to the horse industry. Explain in detail what it is about the design you like. Perhaps it’s the colour, images, copy, font or unique layout? Showing a collection of design examples will help your graphic designer understand your tastes and create collateral that hits the mark.
7. Social Media
Is your equine business on Facebook or another social media network? You may need to add a Facebook logo to your pull-up banner or create similar graphics for posts on Facebook. Include information on your social media pages, so your graphic designer can integrate your social media into their designs, if required.
8. Timeframe
It’s crucial you specify a deadline, so the finished project can be delivered on time. If you need the work completed by a specific date, such as for a trade show or product launch, be clear about this from the start. If you’re unsure how much time you’ll need, be upfront and discuss a deadline that works for both of you.
9. Budget
Finally, how much can you afford? If you’re unsure what’s reasonable, ask around or share your budget expectations with your graphic designer, so you can come to an agreement. Remember, some graphic designers will require some form of payment upfront. Make sure you’re both comfortable with any special requirements before proceeding.
Looking for some outside support? Don’t wait for success, create it — with the experts in equine marketing, Archer Creative. To learn more about how we can help you exceed your growth goals, call us on 1300 077 126 or visit www.archercreative.net.au.
