How to write a brand identity brief

01Explain who the brand is for

A brand identity brief helps a designer understand the business behind the logo. Start with who will buy the clothes, when they will wear them and why they might choose them. The brief gives the designer something concrete to work with.

Describe the alternatives your customer already considers. What do those brands do well, and what will you offer differently? Examples are useful; asking for another brand’s logo with a new name leaves the important decision unresolved.

02Describe how the brand should feel

Words such as “premium” or “confident” can mean different things to different people. Explain the impression you want with examples. For @Ease, “calm and easy to read, with room for the clothes to stand out” gives a clearer direction than “a modern lifestyle brand”.

Include relevant images and explain what each one contributes: a colour, a feeling, a layout or a way of photographing clothes. Also mention impressions that would be wrong for the idea, such as highly competitive sports imagery for a collection centred on relaxed daily wear.

03List where the design needs to work

Focus on the applications needed for launch. A clothing brand might need a woven label, a tag, packaging, a website and social posts. Include real words and dimensions where you have them so the design can be tested at the size people will see.

Small labels and detailed product information test different things from a large campaign image. Our article on using a visual identity on clothes shows why these checks belong before approval.

04Separate settled decisions from ideas to explore

Say which decisions are already agreed, such as the name, first products or launch channel. Mark preferences as preferences: a favourite colour or typeface can be explored without making it a requirement.

If the name or customer is still undecided, include that in the conversation. The scope can make room for the thinking needed before the visual design starts.

05Agree how the work will be reviewed and handed over

Review the design against the brief. Is it recognisable? Can people read it on the actual applications? Does it suit the clothes and customer? These questions make feedback more useful than choosing a version only because it is someone’s favourite.

Agree who approves the work and what files, instructions and usage rights are included. A logo file and a guide for using the whole identity are different deliverables. Read what a brand guide helps with after handover when deciding what your team will need.

The brief can be short. It needs to give the designer a clear starting point, useful constraints and permission to suggest a better answer.