Most design projects do not go wrong at the design stage. They go wrong at the brief stage, before a single pixel is drawn.
I have designed hundreds of flyers, social graphics, and brand pieces for clients across Ghana and beyond. The projects that went smoothly all had one thing in common: a clear brief. The ones that dragged on for weeks of back-and-forth almost always started with a message like "Just design something nice for my event."
That is not a brief. That is a guess.
Here is the exact template I send every new client, and why each part matters.
1. What is this for?
State the deliverable in one line.
Good: "A single Instagram flyer for a church youth camp, 1080 by 1350."
Bad: "Something for my event."
A designer cannot decide on size, format, or layout until they know what they are making. "A flyer" is not enough. Is it print (A5, A4, DL)? Digital (Instagram post, story, Facebook banner)? Both?
If you do not know the platform, say so. I will ask.
2. Who is it for?
Describe the audience in two or three words.
Examples:
- University students, ages 18 to 24
- Small business owners in Accra
- Church congregation, all ages
- Young professionals, 25 to 35
Why this matters: a flyer for teenagers looks nothing like a flyer for bank executives. Fonts, colours, tone, imagery. All of it shifts based on who you are trying to reach.
3. What do you want them to do?
One action. One.
Examples:
- Register for the event
- Call this number to book
- Follow the page
- Attend on Saturday at 6pm
- Visit the website
If you want people to "learn more, register, share, and follow us," you have just written five briefs. Pick the primary action. Secondary info goes smaller at the bottom.
4. What is the deadline?
Say the actual date you need the file, not the event date.
Bad: "The event is on the 20th."
Good: "I need the final file by the 15th so I can print."
Designers work backwards from your real deadline. If you need it printed by the 15th, I need to deliver by the 13th, which means I need your content and any revisions by the 11th. Say the date you need the file, and I will tell you if it is realistic.
5. What must appear on the flyer?
List every piece of text and every image you want included.
Example:
- Event name: Youth Camp 2026
- Tagline: "Rise Up"
- Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
- Time: 6:00 PM
- Venue: Grace Chapel, East Legon
- Guest speaker: Rev. Kofi Mensah
- Registration: 024 XXX XXXX
- Logo: attached
If you want people to read it, it has to be on the brief. Do not send extra text after the design is done. That is how layouts get ruined.
6. Do you have brand assets?
Attach or link:
- Logo (ideally PNG with transparent background, or SVG)
- Brand colours (hex codes if you have them)
- Fonts you use
- Any previous designs you liked
If you do not have brand assets, that is fine. Say so, and we will work with what you have. What I do not want is to spend an hour matching your brand, then find out you have an official colour guide.
7. What is the vibe?
Give me three adjectives.
Examples:
- Bold, energetic, youthful
- Clean, professional, minimal
- Warm, welcoming, family-friendly
- Dark, dramatic, premium
If you have reference images (screenshots from Pinterest, Instagram, or flyers you have seen), attach them. A picture saves a thousand words about "vibe."
8. Anything I should avoid?
This is the one people forget, and it is often the most useful.
Examples:
- No red. It is a funeral, not a celebration.
- Do not use the old logo.
- The client hates the colour orange.
- Avoid a churchy look. We are targeting non-members.
Telling me what not to do is just as useful as telling me what to do.
9. What is your budget and billing preference?
Be honest. A designer would rather know your budget up front than design something you cannot afford.
You do not need an exact figure. A range is fine:
- Under ₵500
- ₵500 to ₵1,500
- ₵1,500 to ₵5,000
- ₵5,000+
And say how you would prefer to be billed: per flyer, monthly, per campaign, or invoice after delivery. There is no wrong answer. It just helps me quote accurately.
The one-page brief template
Copy this, fill it in, and send it. You will get better work, faster, with fewer revisions:
text
1. Deliverable: _________________________________ 2. Audience: ___________________________________ 3. Primary action: _____________________________ 4. Deadline (file needed by): __________________ 5. Must-include content: _______________________ 6. Brand assets (links/attachments): ___________ 7. Vibe (3 adjectives + references): ___________ 8. Avoid: _____________________________________ 9. Budget range + billing preference: _________
Why this works
A good brief does three things:
- It saves time. One clear message beats ten clarifying ones.
- It saves money. Fewer revisions means fewer billable hours.
- It gets you a better design. A designer who understands the goal makes better decisions than one guessing.
You do not need to be a designer to write a great brief. You just need to be specific.
If you are ready to start a project, use the request form on my site. It walks you through every one of these fields. Fill it in once, and we skip the back-and-forth.
