Presentation design: how to write a brief

So you need some design help bringing your presentations and/or documentation into the 21^st century and in line with your brand? Two things any creative agency worth their salt will want from you are a detailed creative brief and, if you have one, your brand style guide. Brand guidelines are important for ensuring consistency across all materials when it comes to the overall image you want to represent. We’ll go into that in more detail another time – for now, let’s talk about creative briefs.

A good creative brief is the cornerstone of any successful design project. At Documents With Precision, we rely on them. For those not in the know, a creative brief is basically a document that outlines a design project’s background, scope, and objectives. This document then becomes the designer’s reference point for the duration of the project.

We know that every client and project is unique, and years of experience have taught us the right questions to ask. So, in order to develop a thorough and reliable creative brief, here are a few things we typically ask our clients about before starting a project:

Background

A bit of background information on both your business and your project can help us really get to know you and understand your needs. Knowing what business challenges you’re currently facing also allows us to tailor our solution more specifically.

Scope

This is where those brand guidelines we mentioned earlier come into play. If you have them, are they applicable for this presentation or would you prefer us to push the boundaries a little more? If not, no problem – we’re a resourceful team! We would typically use your logo and website as brand examples, and take it from there. We’ll also be asking if your content is ready. Do you have images, or will our team source those? Do you want to use animations or have any special requests for the document or presentation?

Target Audience

A big part of effective design is catering to your audience. Knowing your target demographic allows us to create a solution that speaks to that particular audience

Objectives

Sometimes it’s just a case of bringing outdated materials into the 21^st century, especially if you’ve recently rebranded. Often though, your project might have a specific goal or purpose, and we want to help you achieve that.

Deadline

Perhaps an obvious one, but important nonetheless. Sometimes you just need your project finished by a certain date, but it can often be more complex. If your project has multiple parts you may want to set milestones, for example. At Documents With Precision, we take pride in our flexibility and work with our clients to make sure their project is ready before it’s needed.

As with any effort, you get out what you put in – so a detailed plan of action is important. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. Next week we’ll delve into brand guidelines and what they’re all about!