Branding projects are uniquely tricky. Unlike a website or a brochure, you're not creating something that exists in isolation — you're defining how your entire business looks, feels, and communicates. Get it right, and everything that follows becomes easier. Get it wrong, and you'll be living with the consequences for years.

A strong branding brief doesn't just describe what you want. It gives the designer enough context to make decisions you'd agree with, even when you're not in the room.

Here's what to include.

Business Foundation

Company Overview

Start with the basics:

What does your company do?
When was it founded?
How many employees do you have?
What's your company structure (startup, established business, franchise, etc.)?

These aren't just formalities. A 100-year-old law firm needs different branding than a two-person tech startup, even if they serve similar markets.

Products and Services

List your main offerings. Be specific about:

What you actually sell or deliver
What problems you solve for customers
Your price positioning (budget, mid-range, premium)
Any flagship products that define your business

Designers will reference this constantly when making decisions about tone and style.

Mission and Values

This is where many briefs get vague. "We value excellence and customer service" says nothing useful. Instead:

What drives your business beyond profit?
What principles guide your decisions?
What would you never compromise on?
How do you want customers to describe you?

Real values have edges. If a value wouldn't help you make a difficult decision, it's probably too generic.

Market Context

Target Audience

Be as specific as possible:

Demographics (age, gender, location, income level)
Psychographics (values, interests, lifestyle)
What are they trying to achieve?
What frustrates them about current options?
Where do they spend time online and offline?

If you have multiple audiences, list them in order of priority. A brand can't optimise for everyone equally.

Competitive Landscape

List 3-5 competitors. For each one, note:

What they do well
Where they fall short
How they position themselves visually
What makes you different from them

This helps the designer understand the category norms — and where there might be opportunities to stand out.

Market Position

Where do you fit in your market?

Are you the premium option or the affordable alternative?
Are you the established player or the disruptive newcomer?
Are you mainstream or niche?

Your branding should reinforce your positioning, not contradict it.

Brand Personality

Brand Attributes

If your brand were a person, how would you describe their personality? Choose 3-5 attributes:

Confident / Humble
Playful / Serious
Traditional / Innovative
Warm / Professional
Bold / Subtle

Contradictions are fine — brands can be "professional but approachable" or "innovative but trustworthy." Just make sure the tensions are intentional.

Tone of Voice

How does your brand communicate?

Formal or casual?
Technical or accessible?
Direct or nuanced?
Enthusiastic or measured?

Include examples if you have them — an email you've written, a tagline you like, even the voice you use when talking to customers on the phone.

Visual Direction

Style Preferences

Rather than describing abstract concepts, share examples:

3-5 brands whose visual style you admire (and why)
3-5 brands whose style you want to avoid (and why)
Any specific colours you're drawn to or need to avoid
Imagery styles that resonate with you

Be specific about what you like in each example. "I like the confidence of this brand" is less useful than "I like how this brand uses bold typography and lots of white space."

Existing Brand Assets

What do you already have?

Current logo (even if you don't like it)
Colour palette
Typography
Photography style
Any brand guidelines

Even if you want to change everything, seeing where you started helps the designer understand the journey.

Must-Haves and Non-Negotiables

Are there any constraints?

Colours that must be included (or avoided)
Typography restrictions
Industry regulations
Founder preferences that aren't up for debate

Better to know these upfront than to discover them after three rounds of revisions.

Practical Requirements

Deliverables Checklist

Be specific about what you need:

Core Identity

Primary logo
Logo variations (horizontal, stacked, icon only)
Colour palette (primary and secondary)
Typography system
Brand guidelines document

Applications (if needed)

Business cards
Letterhead
Email signatures
Social media assets
Website style guide
Packaging
Signage

Technical Specifications

File formats needed (AI, EPS, PNG, SVG)
Colour specifications (CMYK for print, RGB for digital, Pantone for specific applications)
Size requirements for specific applications
Any accessibility requirements

Timeline and Budget

Project start date
Key milestones
Final deadline
Budget range

Designers need this information to scope appropriately. A rebrand in three months with a £50,000 budget is a different project than one in three weeks with £5,000.

The Approval Process

Decision Makers

Who needs to approve the final work?

Primary contact
Final decision maker (if different)
Other stakeholders who need input
Any board or investor approval required

Feedback Process

How will you provide feedback?

Who consolidates feedback from multiple stakeholders?
How many revision rounds are expected?
What constitutes "final approval"?

Clarity here prevents scope creep and frustration on both sides.

Quick-Reference Checklist

Use this to make sure you haven't missed anything:

Get Your Brief Done in 5 Minutes

That's a lot to cover. And while thoroughness is important, we know not everyone has hours to spend writing a brief from scratch.

That's why we built a free branding brief creator. Answer a few guided questions about your project, and our AI generates a professional brief that covers all the essentials. You can send it directly to designers or use it as a starting point for further refinement.

Final Thought

The time you invest in your branding brief directly impacts the quality of work you'll receive. A thorough brief doesn't just prevent misunderstandings — it enables the designer to do their best work, because they truly understand what you're trying to build.

Your brand is too important to leave to chance. Give your designer the context they need to get it right.