Website Design Brief Template: How to Brief Your Designer in 2026

A good design brief is the difference between a designer who delivers exactly what you need and one who delivers three rounds of revisions that miss the mark. The more clearly you communicate your vision, constraints, and goals upfront, the faster and cheaper the project will be.

This guide provides a complete design brief template you can use immediately, along with examples and tips for each section.

Why a Design Brief Matters

| With Brief | Without Brief | |-----------|--------------| | Designer understands your vision | Designer guesses at your preferences | | Aligned expectations from day one | Misaligned expectations, frustration | | Fewer revision rounds (1-2) | Many revision rounds (4-6+) | | On-budget, on-time | Scope creep, delays, extra cost | | Final product matches goals | Final product "looks nice" but doesn't convert |

The Complete Design Brief Template

Section 1: Company Overview

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Company name | | | Website URL (current, if any) | | | Industry | | | What do you do? (1-2 sentences) | | | What makes you different from competitors? | | | Company values | | | Company age / stage | |

Example:

ZTABS is a B2B digital agency specializing in web development, mobile apps, and AI solutions. We differentiate through technical depth — our team builds complex products, not template websites. We value transparency, technical excellence, and measurable results.

Section 2: Project Goals

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Why are you building/redesigning this website? | | | What are the top 3 business goals? | | | What should visitors DO on the site? (primary CTA) | | | How will you measure success? | | | What's the #1 thing you want visitors to remember? | |

Example goals:

1. Generate 50+ qualified leads per month through contact form submissions
2. Establish credibility as a premium technical agency
3. Rank on page one for "web development company" and related keywords

Section 3: Target Audience

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Who is your primary audience? | | | What are their job titles/roles? | | | What problems do they have? | | | What motivates them to seek your solution? | | | What concerns might prevent them from choosing you? | | | Age range and demographics (if relevant) | |

Example:

Primary: CTOs and VPs of Engineering at mid-market companies (200-2,000 employees) looking to outsource development. They're frustrated with unreliable agencies and need a technical partner they can trust. Main concern: Will this agency actually deliver quality work?

Section 4: Brand Guidelines

| Element | Details | |---------|--------| | Brand colors (hex codes) | | | Fonts (if established) | | | Logo files | | | Existing brand guide (link/attach) | | | Tone of voice | Professional / Casual / Playful / Authoritative | | Brand personality keywords (3-5) | |

Example:

Colors: #0F172A (primary dark), #3B82F6 (primary blue), #F8FAFC (background). Tone: Professional but approachable — we're experts who don't talk down to clients. Personality: Technical, trustworthy, modern, direct.

Section 5: Design Preferences

Websites you like (and why):

List 3-5 websites you admire — not necessarily competitors, but sites whose design resonates with you. For each, explain specifically what you like:

| Website | What I Like About It | |---------|---------------------| | stripe.com | Clean layout, great use of whitespace, technical but approachable | | linear.app | Modern, fast, dark mode, excellent typography | | vercel.com | Developer-focused, bold design, clear messaging |

Design style preferences:

| Preference | Your Choice | |-----------|------------| | Minimalist ←→ Content-rich | | | Light ←→ Dark | | | Conservative ←→ Bold | | | Illustration ←→ Photography | | | Flat design ←→ 3D/Depth | | | Lots of animation ←→ Static | |

Anything you DON'T want:

No stock photos of people in suits shaking hands. No generic corporate blue. No cluttered pages with too many CTAs.

Section 6: Sitemap and Pages

List all pages the website needs:

| Page | Purpose | Priority | |------|---------|----------| | Homepage | First impression, value proposition, CTAs | Critical | | Services (listing) | Overview of all services | Critical | | Service detail pages (×10) | In-depth service information | Critical | | About | Company story, team, values | High | | Work/Portfolio | Case studies and project showcases | High | | Blog | Content marketing hub | High | | Contact | Lead capture form | Critical | | Technologies | Tech stack pages | Medium | | Tools | Free interactive tools | Medium | | Pricing (optional) | Pricing information | Medium |

Section 7: Content

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Will you provide the copy, or do you need copywriting? | | | Do you have professional photography? | | | Do you have case studies written? | | | What content needs to be migrated from the current site? | | | Do you need a blog/CMS? | | | Any legal content needed (privacy, terms)? | |

Section 8: Functionality Requirements

| Feature | Needed? | Details | |---------|---------|--------| | Contact form | Yes/No | Fields needed, where submissions go | | Blog/CMS | Yes/No | Who will manage content? | | E-commerce | Yes/No | Number of products, payment needs | | User accounts | Yes/No | Login, registration, profiles | | Search | Yes/No | What should be searchable? | | Multi-language | Yes/No | Which languages? | | Integrations | Yes/No | CRM, email, analytics, etc. | | Live chat | Yes/No | Intercom, Drift, custom? |

Section 9: Technical Constraints

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Preferred technology/framework | | | Hosting preferences | | | CMS preferences (WordPress, headless, etc.) | | | Performance requirements | | | Accessibility requirements (WCAG level) | | | Browser support requirements | | | Mobile app needed alongside website? | |

Section 10: Project Logistics

| Question | Your Answer | |----------|------------| | Budget range | | | Target launch date | | | Who approves designs? (decision maker) | | | How many revision rounds expected? | | | Preferred communication method | | | Any hard deadlines (events, funding rounds)? | |

Tips for a Better Brief

1. Be specific — "Make it look modern" is vague. "Clean layout with plenty of whitespace, similar to stripe.com" is specific.
2. Show examples — visual references save thousands of words.
3. Prioritize — not every page and feature is equally important. Help your designer focus.
4. Include anti-examples — showing what you DON'T want is just as helpful as showing what you do.
5. Identify the decision maker — design by committee leads to mediocre outcomes.
6. Be honest about budget — this helps the designer scope appropriately.

Need Help with Your Website Design?

Our web design team takes the guesswork out of the process. We guide you through a thorough discovery process and deliver designs that look great AND convert.

Get a free design consultation.

Related Resources

• How Much Does Web Design Cost?
• Landing Page Design Best Practices
• Website Redesign Guide
• How Does Web Design Impact Customer Experience?