Design
Brief
A structured brief for in-house design teams. Five titles, answered in order: Overview, Objective, Audience, Deliverables, and Timeline & Risks.
How to use this template
- Work through the five titles in order. Complete each one before moving on.
- Answer the core questions in full sentences. Write what you know, and flag what is still unknown.
- The prompts to pressure-test under each title are optional. Use them to add detail where it helps.
- Fill in the space provided, or copy the questions into your own document.
Brief details
What are you hoping to achieve?
In a sentence or two. The five titles below unpack it.
What design work is being created, what it supports, and why it is needed now.
Prompts to pressure-test
- Is this a new application of existing design or an extension of something already in use?
- Is there any previous design work this needs to align with?
What the design must deliver, what it communicates, and what will be true once it is delivered.
Prompts to pressure-test
- How will success be recognised internally?
- Are there any brand or commercial priorities this design must support?
Who will use the design, where they meet it, and what you already know about them.
Prompts to pressure-test
- Are there multiple audiences, markets or environments involved?
- Are there any accessibility, cultural or regulatory considerations to account for?
What outputs are required, where they are used, and the structures they must fit.
Prompts to pressure-test
- Does this design need to adapt across formats, channels or markets?
- Are there any elements that are explicitly out of scope?
When it goes live, what it depends on, and what could stop it landing as intended.
Prompts to pressure-test
- What is the biggest risk to this design landing as intended?
- If timing tightens, where is there flexibility in scope or rollout?
This template shapes the brief. It cannot score it.
A structure gets the right questions asked. It does not tell you whether the answers hold up. iQ reads the completed brief, scores its clarity, and flags what is still missing or unclear. Weak briefs are caught here, not three weeks into delivery.