“We need a flyer and some social posts” sounds like a straightforward graphic design job. Until someone asks how many posts, which sizes, who is writing the copy and whether the flyer needs to be printed by Friday.

A useful graphic design brief answers those questions before the quote. It describes the audience, message, exact deliverables, available content, budget and approval process. For work spanning print and digital, the most important detail is the artwork list: what needs to be designed, adapted and delivered.

Use the template below to brief a designer for a campaign, brochure, presentation or other marketing materials. The worked example shows how one campaign becomes a clearly defined set of files.

Copy this graphic design brief template

Copy these prompts into an email or document. Keep the answers short, attach supporting files and write “please recommend” wherever you need advice. You can send a useful brief without having every production detail settled.

• Project and purpose: [What are we promoting or explaining? What should someone do after seeing the design?]

• Audience and setting: [Who needs this information? Where will they see it: a phone, a sales meeting, a shop counter or a display stand?]

• Message hierarchy: [The main message, essential supporting information and one primary call to action.]

• Artwork list: [Each item, dimensions or placement, number of pages or sides, number of messages, language versions and required exports.]

• Content and brand assets: [Approved copy, logo files, brand guidelines and images available. List anything the designer needs to create or source.]

• Visual direction: [A few references, what we like about each and anything to avoid. Identify existing brand rules that must stay.]

• Budget: [Design allowance in AUD, whether it includes GST, and separate allowances for printing, imagery or other production.]

• Milestones: [Content ready, first concepts, feedback, final approval and delivery dates. Explain any fixed deadline.]

• Approvals: [One person to collect feedback, final decision-maker and who checks factual, legal or technical content.]

• Handover and exclusions: [Final files, editable templates or source files needed, software used by our team, agreed usage and anything outside scope.]

• Questions for the quote: [What needs recommending or confirming? Ask the designer to state assumptions, revision rounds and optional costs.]

Business Victoria’s design brief guidance also treats the brief as a way to establish expectations between a business and its designer. The proposal should turn your answers into an agreed scope, including responsibilities and exclusions.

A worked example: one campaign, seven delivered files

Imagine a ceramics studio in Sydney running an open day. It wants existing customers to bring a friend and new visitors to discover its workshops. This is a fictional example created for this guide; the accompanying campaign visuals are illustrative, not Creato client work.

The first request might be “an invitation and social graphics”. A more useful brief explains the following:

• Purpose: Encourage people to RSVP for the open day through an existing booking page.

• Audience: Local adults interested in handmade ceramics and beginner workshops. Printed invitations will sit at the studio counter; digital artwork will support the studio’s own social posts.

• Main message: Visit the studio, meet the makers and see what happens in a workshop. Date, time, address and RSVP details must be easy to find.

• Content supplied: Approved event details, a working booking link, existing logo and colours, and three photographs cleared for this campaign. Copywriting and new photography are outside this example’s scope.

The artwork list makes the job measurable:

• One two-sided A5 invitation: 148 × 210 mm finished size. Deliver one two-page print PDF, prepared to the selected printer’s specifications. Printing is quoted separately.

• Three square social graphics: 1080 × 1080 px. One event announcement, one workshop preview and one reminder. Deliver three image files.

• Three vertical story graphics: 1080 × 1920 px. Adapt those same three messages for the selected story placement. Deliver three image files.

That is one campaign direction, three message variants and seven delivered files, with two sides inside the print PDF. The digital dimensions are chosen for this example; the actual placements and current platform specifications should be confirmed before production.

Illustrative scope map. Different layouts and message versions should be counted before a project is quoted.

The studio asks the designer to quote for two consolidated feedback rounds and to explain what additional changes would cost. Those are proposed terms for this example, to be agreed with the designer. One studio owner collects comments and approves all event details before production files are released.

The details that make a graphic design quote accurate

Separate a new concept from an adaptation

A concept is the overall visual direction. An adaptation applies that direction to another shape, channel or message. Three completely different campaign ideas involve different work from one agreed idea applied to three formats.

Even an adaptation needs judgement. A tall story has a different reading order from a square post. A printed invitation can carry useful information on its reverse. Treating every output as a simple resize can leave text cramped or essential details hidden.

Count the variations too. Three messages in two digital formats create six digital artworks. Add a second language and that may become twelve, with translation, layout and proofreading to plan. Ask how revisions to a shared message will be carried through every version.

Show what is final and what still needs work

“Copy supplied” can mean anything from approved text to a folder of notes. Tell the designer which it is. Identify who will edit the wording, select photographs, verify claims and approve the final content.

For a brochure, include a rough content outline and expected page count. For a presentation, give the slide count and explain whether diagrams need to be created or merely tidied. For recurring social content, distinguish reusable templates from finished posts ready to upload.

Send the best available logo files and your current brand style guide. List any fonts or photographs that may need licensing. If the brand rules are incomplete, ask whether resolving those gaps belongs in the quote.

Give print and digital their own specifications

For print, provide the finished size, number of sides or pages, fold or binding, stock and finishing requirements if known. Send the printer’s artwork specification or ask the designer to help obtain it before artwork is finalised.

Bleed extends artwork beyond the trimmed edge so a slight variation in cutting does not leave an unwanted white border. Adobe’s print-bleed guidance explains the setup and recommends using the PDF preset specified by the print provider. Confirm the required bleed, marks and colour settings with that provider rather than assuming one export suits every printer.

For digital, identify the placement, dimensions, file type and any file-size limits. Say whether the graphic needs space for platform controls, captions or a link sticker. Include the delivery of image descriptions or accompanying text if you need help making the content accessible.

Ask for legible type and contrast checks. For web content, WCAG 2.2’s minimum text-contrast criterion generally specifies at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, including images of text, subject to its defined exceptions. Contrast is one part of accessibility; it does not by itself establish that an asset or page is accessible.

Describe the references, not just the mood

A reference becomes useful when you name the quality you want: generous margins, clear pricing, warm photography or a headline readable from several metres away. Explain what should feel familiar to your customers and what needs to change.

Two or three well-explained references are usually a better starting point than a large folder of conflicting styles. References help communicate a direction; they are not permission to copy another business’s artwork.

Work backwards from the date the material is needed

For printed pieces, distinguish the artwork deadline from the date the finished stock must arrive. Allow for proofing, production and delivery using timings confirmed by the supplier.

For digital campaigns, include time to preview the files in their actual placements. Check cropped edges, text size, links and whether each version has the correct offer or date. A design approved on a large desktop screen may still need adjustment when viewed on a phone.

What should you receive at handover?

Specify the files your team will actually use. A print-ready PDF, a social image, an editable template and the designer’s source document serve different purposes.

• Ready-to-use exports: Agreed formats, sizes, naming and versions, with print and digital files clearly separated.

• Editable materials: Which templates or source files are included, what your staff can change and which software they need.

• Supporting assets: Any linked images or other materials included in the handover, with relevant licensing requirements explained.

• Usage and future changes: Confirm the agreed rights, any restrictions and how additional formats or later updates will be handled.

If your team will update an event date every month, explain that before the design is built. A template needs editable areas and sensible limits so routine changes do not undo the layout.

Compare proposals using the same artwork list

Send the same brief to each designer you are considering. Compare the number of concepts, adaptations, pages and versions, as well as content preparation, revision rounds and handover files.

Check whether the price includes GST, printing, stock imagery, font licences and production coordination. Ask for optional work to be separated. You can then decide whether to reduce the number of outputs, supply more finished content or stage the work.

Keep a short record of open questions. If a discussion changes the deliverables, update the scope before work begins. The best brief remains useful when the first designs arrive: everyone can judge whether the message, audience and practical requirements have been addressed.

Graphic design brief FAQs

How long does a graphic design brief need to be?

A simple job may fit in one email. A campaign usually benefits from a short overview plus an artwork list and attachments. Include the details that change the work; a lengthy company history is rarely as useful as knowing there are six versions to deliver.

What if I do not know the right sizes or file formats?

Explain where the artwork will appear and who will use it. Share the printer or platform requirements you have, and ask the designer to recommend the rest. Mark those recommendations as items to confirm in the proposal.

Should I include my budget?

Include a range if you can. State whether it covers design alone or the whole production job, and clarify GST. If you are unsure what is realistic, prioritise the essential deliverables and ask for separately priced options.

Turn your brief into a practical design plan

Creato’s graphic design services in Sydney cover print, digital and marketing materials. When you are ready, send us your brief, existing assets and required delivery date. Include the unanswered questions too, so we can clarify the work and prepare a quote around what your business needs.