How to Create a Good Design Brief
The best Gold Coast web designers always have your needs and preferences in mind—the project should always be about you. Ignition Media has built a good name over the years by simply following that principle. Every project should be handled with great care, technical expertise, and most of all, expectations.
Speaking of expectations, the best way to deal with it is by creating a design brief. Usually with our able guidance, we allow our Gold Coast clients to complete their own design brief or we brainstorm each of the essential elements together.
When creating a design brief, ask:
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What is my objective?
Each project has a purpose whether it’s to set up a blog, provide information, promote your services or sell products online via an ecommerce website. The goals and objectives will be our barometers in measuring the effectiveness and the success of the design. They also serve as our guides when defining the other components of the design brief.
Under this one, learn:
- The type of website you need, which can be static or CMS (content management system)
- Layout of the website
- Website features
- Overall look and feel
- Compatibility with browsers and/or mobile devices
What do I want to see on the website?
This is where you get to be more technical when it comes to website design. Most people have no clue as to what makes a good website design. That’s why we’re here to help! Usually, an awesome design includes:
- A sitemap — you can consider a sitemap as the “table of contents” of your website. It serves as a directory of all the links that make up your website and provides you and your users a better idea of what your site is all about.
- A great colour scheme — there are no definite rules when it comes to choosing colours except that, for branding, you want them to complement or look similar to the shades of your logo. The colour combination should allow for easy reading and scrolling.
- HTML coding — HTML codes these days can be fixed, fluid, adaptive, or responsive. Regardless of what you choose, these HTML codes will serve as the backbone of your website. They will be its foundation, so you need to choose the best—the one that helps you meet your desired objectives.
How much am I willing to spend?
One of the sources of contention between clients and website designers is cost. “I like your idea, but it’s just too expensive.” It’s really a struggle sometimes to let them understand that they’re not just paying for any type of product or service—they’re paying for customisation, convenience, expertise, skill and experience.
Nevertheless, to know if you’re truly paying something valuable, always ask for samples. You can include what specific samples you’re looking for in your design brief. For instance, if you want to create a website for your restaurant, then encourage your prospective designers to provide website pages of restaurants they had worked on. If they hadn’t worked on such type of project, you can allow them to create renders to give you an idea if they truly understand your vision.
What is your time table?
With so many websites being launched every single day, time is of the essence. Website designers know this too, but they still want to know the specifics because:
- Some schedules are hard to follow—don’t expect a dynamic eCommerce website to be completed within a week.
- They also have to provide quality service to other clients. Although this isn’t really your concern, you also want to make sure you give them enough time to work on yours.
- There should always be some room for testing and revisions.
A great way to speed up the process is to provide existing materials that may be helpful in website design such as brochures, logos, company images and videos, etc.
What are my dos and don’ts?
Include in the design brief your dos and don’ts. Do you have some special instructions or limitations as far as the design process is concerned? The brief can also include a list of these dos and don’ts. Although they may sometimes not be technically part of website design, they are still invaluable in the entire workflow. For example, perhaps you want the team to update you at least once every week or that you prefer to be notified of anything through a specific e-mail address.
Conclusion
A design brief makes the lives of all parties involved a lot easier, simpler and more convenient. It greatly improves communication, helps the project move towards the intended results and allows clients to have a better understanding of what we web designers do and how the entire process works.
Writing it, however, is just half of the process. You need a Gold Coast website designer who respects its value. Ignition Media can help create custom-made websites that are built to your design brief. We offer 100% satisfaction guarantee. For more information, please visit our Web Design page.
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