--- title: "How to write a brand identity brief" description: "Tell your designer who the brand is for, how you want it to feel and where the design will be used." url: "https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/writing-a-brand-identity-brief" --- # How to write a brand identity brief 2 min read Brand identity Updated 12 Sept 2026 Tell your designer who the brand is for, how you want it to feel and where the design will be used. An illustrative identity brief: define the customer situation, the priority and the real applications before choosing the visual treatment. ## 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. ### An illustrative brief for @Ease @Ease, read as “At Ease”, is an athleisure concept for everyday movement and relaxed downtime. The clothes should feel comfortable and put together. The identity should work on a small garment label, an online product page and a parcel card. ## 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](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/a-visual-system-that-survives-a-garment) 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](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/09/what-a-brand-guide-is-for-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. Your next step Put this into practice for your collection. [Talk about your idea](https://surajmalstudio.com/enquire) ## Read next ### [A visual system that survives contact with a garment](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/a-visual-system-that-survives-a-garment) Labels, tags, cartons and shopfronts reveal whether the identity is a system or only a screen presentation. ### [What a brand guide is for after handover](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/09/what-a-brand-guide-is-for-after-handover) A brand guide earns its place only if someone who has never spoken to the studio can apply it to a new thing and get it right. ### [Naming a clothing brand](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/naming-a-clothing-brand) Speech, search, ownership and garment application decide whether a clothing brand name works. ### [Against the mood board](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/07/against-the-mood-board) A reference wall records what you are attracted to. That is not a direction. Read next [A visual system that survives contact with a garment 4 min read · Brand identity](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/a-visual-system-that-survives-a-garment) [What a brand guide is for after handover 13 min read · Brand identity](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/09/what-a-brand-guide-is-for-after-handover) [Naming a clothing brand 4 min read · Brand identity](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/naming-a-clothing-brand) [Against the mood board 4 min read · Brand identity](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/07/against-the-mood-board) --- [View this page on the website](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/06/writing-a-brand-identity-brief)