Briefing Your Project

How to write a project brief that gets you accurate quotes and aligned expectations.

A good brief saves everyone time and prevents misunderstandings. Use this template to structure your brief:

1. Business Context

Answer: "Who are we and what do we do?" in 2-3 sentences.

• Company name: [Your company]
• What you sell/do: [Product or service in plain language]
• Who you serve: [Target customer type]
• Key differentiator: [What makes you different]
• Company stage: [Startup/growth/established]

Example: "We're a freelance design studio that helps small businesses get professional branding. We work with startups and creative entrepreneurs. Our differentiator is fast turnaround and affordable prices."

2. Project Goals

What will success look like? Be specific and measurable.

• Primary goal: [Main objective]
• Secondary goals: [2-3 supporting goals]
• Success metrics: [How you'll measure success]
• Timeline: [When do you need it?]

Example: "Primary: increase online sales by 30%. Secondary: improve brand perception, reduce customer support load. Metrics: conversion rate (currently 1%, target 1.5%), customer inquiries (currently 50/month, want to reduce to 30 with better info). Timeline: 4 months to launch."

3. Target Audience

Who will visit the website? Describe in detail.

• Audience persona 1: [Age, job, income, pain points, how they'll use the site]
• Audience persona 2: [Different persona if applicable]
• Technical ability: [Are they tech-savvy or non-technical?]
• Devices they use: [Mobile-first? Desktop? Both?]

Example: "Sarah, 35, small business owner. Looks for quick solutions, doesn't have tech skills, uses mobile mostly. John, 28, tech-savvy marketer. Wants customization options, uses desktop and mobile equally."

4. Project Scope

What exactly are you building? List pages, features, and integrations.

Pages

• Homepage
• About page
• Services (3 service pages)
• Blog (10 initial articles, ability to add more)
• Contact form

Features

• Mobile responsive
• Contact form with email notification
• Blog with categories and search
• Image gallery

Integrations

• Google Analytics
• Mailchimp email signup
• Stripe for payments (if applicable)

5. Design Direction

Provide visual references and brand guidelines.

• Brand colors: [Hex codes if you have them]
• Logo: [Attach your logo]
• Brand guidelines: [Fonts, style guide, tone of voice]
• Design inspiration: [Link to 3-5 websites you like and why]
• Design style: [Modern/minimal/playful/corporate?]

Provide links to sites you like: "We like the clean layout of X, the color palette of Y, the typography of Z. We want something modern but approachable."

6. Technical Requirements

Any technical constraints or preferences.

• Hosting preference: [Managed WordPress/Webflow/custom/no preference]
• CMS preference: [Must you be able to edit content yourself? What system?]
• Existing systems to integrate: [CRM, email, accounting software, etc.]
• Domain: [Already own one? Need new?]
• Email accounts: [Do you need custom domain email?]
• Speed targets: [Important to you? What's acceptable?]
• Accessibility requirements: [ADA compliant?]

7. Timeline

When do you need each phase complete?

• Kickoff: [Date]
• Design approval deadline: [Date]
• Launch deadline: [Date]
• Any hard constraints? [Trade show, marketing campaign launch, etc.]

8. Budget Range

Be realistic. $500 doesn't get quality. $100k is enterprise.

• Budget range: [$X - $Y]
• Fixed or flexible? [Will you go over if necessary?]
• Priority if budget is tight: [What's essential vs. nice-to-have?]

Example: "Budget is $10-15k. Flexible to $18k if scope requires it. Essentials: mobile responsive, SEO-friendly, blog capability. Nice-to-have: membership system, advanced analytics."

9. Success Criteria Post-Launch

How will you measure the website's success?

• Metrics you care about: [Traffic, leads, sales, engagement]
• Baseline: [Current numbers]
• Target: [Expected numbers after launch]
• Monitoring tools: [Google Analytics, etc.]

10. Links & References

• Current website (if exists)
• Competitor websites
• Design inspiration links
• Brand guidelines document
• Any existing content (brochures, documents to repurpose)

Brief Checklist

Before sending your brief to developers, confirm:

• Business context is clear (who you are, what you do)
• Goals are specific and measurable
• Target audience is described in detail
• Page list and features are comprehensive
• Design direction is shown (colors, logos, references)
• Technical requirements are listed
• Timeline is realistic
• Budget range is specified
• Success metrics are defined
• No assumptions left unstated