A design brief is something that is vital to any design project, as it will provide the designer(s) with all the information needed to create a great visual design solution.

There is no single, off-the-shelf format for a design brief but there are a number of key points the agency MUST understand. The project team should create the brief focusing on the results and the business objectives of the design project. All stakeholders should unanimously agree on the content prior to starting the design process. This ensures an effective design solution as well as keeps the expected changes to a minimum.

What are the specifications?

What is the finished size of the completed design?

How is it going to be printed or used?

What other information should the designer know in regards to finished specifications?

Company profile

• What your business does

• What is you USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

• How you fit into your industry sector

Project overview and background

• What are you trying to communicate and why?

• What is the ‘call to action’ or business objective

• Who are your competitors and how do you differ from them?

• Does it need to match existing material, conform to Brand guidelines or is it a new direction for your company?

Benchmark

It is just as important to provide us with what you DON’T want to see along with what you DO want to see in the designs. Provide us with some examples of what you consider to be effective or relevant design even if it is from your main competitors. This will set a benchmark for your project.

This will give the designer an idea of what to steer clear of and will avoid disappointment on your behalf.

Target audience

Provide demographic figures about your audience (in order of importance) that may be useful to the designer. These may include: age, gender, income, tastes, views, attitudes, employment, lifestyle.

Business objectives and strategy

• Generate sales?

• Encourage enquiries?

• Gain newsletter subscribers?

• Obtain information from your audience?

• Encourage them to tell a friend?

What is the time scale / deadline?

Provide a ball-park figure, a budget expectation will give the designer a good idea of the type of solution they will realistically be able to provide. Providing a budget prevents designers wasting valuable time and resources when trying to maximise your budget.

Give the designer a detailed schedule of the project and agree on a realistic deadline for the completion of the work. You should take into account the various stages of the design project such as brief, concept approvals, development, production and delivery.

What copy (text) and pictures are needed?

Tip: The copy and pictures used in a design are as crucial as the design itself and you should clearly state who is going to be providing the copy and pictures if needed. You may need to look into getting a professional copywriter / photographer – ask your designer for some recommendations.

• What copy needs to be included in the design? Who is providing the copy?

• What pictures / photographs / diagrams etc need to be used?

• Who is providing these?

Graphic design can be a boon for your website or curse if done wrongly. Visual pleasure is the strongest asset and quality of any website which makes them a visitor attracting medium. No matter how good your online content and information is useful for the end user, if it is not presented well and have unattractive graphic design, visitors would not devote enough time to see your website and would exit it quickly. Graphic designing is an art it is the designer’s job of combining art with technology for better functionality. A website has only few seconds to impress the site visitor, an image conveys thoughts and can be a substitute for thousands of words too. Therefore graphics on the home page has to be eye-catching and sensible enough to keep the potential customers hooked to your website for long. For better website speed try to stick to graphics of lower resolution, you can have high-resolution graphics if it’s necessary for the website. In case your graphic image is too big, it can be broken down to small modules so that loading is faster. The graphic that is being used should be related to the website and its content and should not look out of place. Not all computers of the target customers are equipped with faster downloading speed and better connectivity, so keep the graphic design simple that can be assessed by simple connection as well. Before designing the final graphic, consider the dimension of the graphic images, and then these images are assigned sizes by specified width and height during the process of tagging. This procedure makes sure that exact position of the graphic image placement is known to the browser. It helps in instantaneous displaying of text along with graphics that is being loaded. So that the site visitors can read the text and see the graphic image simultaneously. Assigning all images description is essential which can be done by alt-tag function for each image separately. This option is extremely useful in times when a visitor is not able to view the graphic image for some reason, here they can at least have a short description about the graphic design. Good content and graphic design go hand-in-hand for website success, putting up images where content is required would not serve the purpose. Well-designed graphic design can form long lasting positive impression on the visitors motivating them to come to your website again and again. The home page is the most important page of your website, so make it attractive and information source giving a gist about what your website is all about.

Copyright © 2008

 

Web graphic design has been declared as the easiest and innovative method for online communication, exploring different arenas of typography for designs. It uses visual arts, imaginative and cognitive skills, etc. for creating that appeal to people. In important events like product endorsement, effective graphic designs play a major role in determining the public image for the brand.

 

Many companies offer graphic design services in San Diego that gives immense opportunity for obtaining great designs that are visually appealing and aesthetic. It gives meaning and image to elements that cannot be converted into words.

 

The importance of graphic design services in terms of marketing is a well known fact. Successful graphics can affect the profit level of your business. The graphic designers firstly study your business requirements and Internet marketing plan. In accordance to it they design the graphic design portfolio that can grow your profits. In order to get best graphics for your website, hiring a professional graphic design company serves the purpose.

 

The graphic designing needs of businesses differ according to their types and budget. The sky is the limit for imaginative skills used in graphics. Here, stunning designs can be created by intelligent use of colors, images, sounds, etc. It gives a professional look to your website if done by an experienced and talented graphic designer. They are mentors of graphic designs that can give an identity and professional face to your organization.

 

Graphic designs have to be in line with the web design and site content that suits the needs of the clients. Online competition of companies of all businesses is getting fierce by every passing day. Therefore the emphasis lies in creating innovative and effective graphic design elements.

 

Graphic designing can also be used for logo designing. Logos give a symbolic identity to a company, separating them from the crowd. Professional web graphic design can be used on websites, flyers, letterheads, business cards, etc.

 

Always select graphic designing companies that have an experienced staff of professional designers, offer value added services, and are reliable. It’s just the matter of selecting the right graphic design firm that can fulfill your graphic designing needs.

 

Sometimes graphics serves as an attraction factor for visitors, motivating them to read the site content as well. Hire a graphic design company and leave the entire project responsibility to them so that you can pay heed to other core business issues.

 

Copyright @2008