Logo design brief: what to include and how to write one

The short answer

A logo design brief is a short document that tells a designer who the business is for, what the logo must do, where it will appear and what to avoid. Include the name, audience, positioning, personality, uses, taste references, constraints, timing and who approves. One to two pages is enough. Describe the problem, not the finished picture.

What a logo design brief is for

A logo design brief is a short written description of the business and the job the logo has to do. It goes to the designer before any drawing starts. It gives the designer enough facts to make good choices, and it gives you a yardstick for judging the concepts that come back. Writing it also forces decisions inside your own business that would otherwise surface in the middle of the project.

The brief is also a protection for both sides. When a concept misses, you can point to the page and ask whether it answers what was written. When a request arrives that was never in the brief, the designer can see that the job has changed. Without a brief, opinions fill the gap, and the loudest opinion usually wins.

The parts of a logo design brief

Work down the table in order. Write plain sentences and, where you do not know, write not sure. That tells the designer where to ask.

If you have already written down how the business sounds, copy those traits into the personality line. The guide to defining your brand voice shows how to produce them. If a tagline will sit beside the name, settle its wording before the brief goes out, because it changes the layout. The guide to tagline vs slogan explains how to write one.

A filled-in example

The text below is invented. It shows the level of detail that works.

Fennel and Oak is a neighbourhood bakery with one shop, now starting to take orders online for collection. The name is written with a capital F and a capital O and the word and in full. Most customers live within walking distance and want bread they can rely on to be the same each week. Supermarkets sell bread too, so the shop wants to look like a place where people bake, not a place that stocks.

The logo will appear on the shop sign, paper bags, a sticker on boxes, the website header and a small round icon on social media and the ordering page. It must work as a one-colour stamp on kraft paper. We like hand-lettered marks that look made by a person, because they suggest craft. We dislike wheat-ear illustrations, because every bakery has one. Warm colours are welcome, but not red, which the nearest competitor uses. We would like to keep the round shape of the old sign. The owner approves the final design, and the logo is needed before the online ordering launch.

That is about one page. A designer reading it knows the subject, the audience, the real uses, the taste and the limits, and has been given room to find the answer.

Describe taste without dictating the design

Taste is the part of a brief that people find hardest. Two habits help. First, give reasons. I like this because it looks hand-made tells the designer more than a link on its own. Second, include dislikes. Logos you dislike are as useful as those you like, and both lists can draw on any industry, including ones far from yours.

Avoid describing the finished picture, such as a wheat ear in a green circle. You take away the designer's chance to find something better, and you may be asking for the most common solution in your field. State the problem instead: we need to look as if we bake on site, and to stand apart from the supermarket bread aisle.

Do not name a font unless you already hold a licence for it. Describe the feeling you want, such as rounded, sharp or formal, and let the designer propose options. The guide to choosing fonts for your brand explains licences and why they matter for a logo.

List every place the logo will appear

The list of uses decides which versions of the logo you need and how much detail it can carry. A logo on a signboard and a logo stamped on a paper bag face different limits. Write down the smallest place and the biggest one. Include one-colour uses such as stamps, embroidery and engraving, and uses on dark backgrounds or photographs.

If the logo will go on packaging, tell the designer which materials and printing methods you expect. The guide to packaging design basics for small brands explains the limits that packaging adds. If the logo must fit small squares, such as an app icon or a profile picture, say so, and ask for a compact version. The guide to responsive logos and logo variations explains which versions exist and when each is used.

Where to find the answers

Most answers are already in your business. Reread the emails in which customers said why they chose you. Ask two or three customers, in one conversation, what they would tell a friend about you. Ask your staff what customers say. Save screenshots of competitors' logos in one folder and look at which of them are alike, since that shows what to avoid blending into.

Then write the brief in one sitting, and leave it for a day. Reread it as the designer would, knowing nothing about the business except the page.

How detailed should a logo brief be?

One to two pages is usually enough. It should be long enough that a stranger could do the job and short enough that someone will read to the end. Put background material, such as customer research, old logo files and photographs, in attachments, with a line saying what each one is.

A one-person business may need half a page. A business with several audiences, sub-brands or a name change needs more. As a rule, be detailed about facts, which are the name, the uses and the constraints, and light on solutions, which are shapes, symbols and colours.

Common problems in logo briefs

• Describing a picture instead of a problem.
• Asking for opposites without saying which wins, such as modern but traditional, or playful but serious.
• Naming the audience as everyone.
• Leaving out the list of uses, then needing a version that was never designed.
• Letting several people approve the work. One decision maker keeps the feedback consistent.
• Forgetting to say what must be kept from an old logo, so a recognisable shape is lost.
• Briefing before the business name is settled.
• Not saying which files are needed, or when.

Ask the designer to reply with a short read-back: their understanding of the brief in a few lines, and the questions they still have. Correct it at that point, not after concepts arrive.

Before you send it

Give the brief to someone outside the business and ask what they think the logo is for. If their answer is wrong, the brief is unclear. Check that it names one approver, includes every use, and says what files and rounds you expect. The branding service page describes the logo and identity work Liftup Technologies offers, and sending a brief like this ahead of a first call gives the conversation something specific to work from.

Related guides

• Branding and logo design
• Brand voice how to define yours
• How to choose fonts for your brand
• Tagline vs slogan and how to write one
• Packaging Design for Small Brands: A Practical Guide
• Value proposition how to write one

Questions and answers

What is a logo design brief?

It is a short written document that tells a designer what the business does, who it serves, where the logo will appear and what to avoid or keep. It is written before design starts and used afterwards to judge whether the concepts answer the problem.

What should a logo brief include?

Include the exact business name, what you sell and to whom, how you differ from alternatives, a few personality words, every place the logo will appear, examples of designs you like and dislike with reasons, constraints such as colours and scripts, and the deadline, rounds and approver.

How detailed should a logo brief be?

One to two pages is usually enough. Be detailed about facts such as the name, uses and constraints, and light on solutions such as shapes and colours. Attach background material separately so the main brief stays easy to read.

Should I include my budget in a logo brief?

Yes, if you have one. A designer can only propose a sensible amount of exploration if they know your limit, and a range or a ceiling both work. If you are unsure what to set aside, ask for the options to be explained in terms of what each includes.

What if I do not know what I want?

Write the problem and leave the answer open. Say what the business does, who it is for and what you dislike. A designer can work from that. Collecting a handful of designs you react to, in any industry, also gives useful direction.

Do I need a brief for a logo refresh?

Yes, with one extra part: what to keep and why. Say which elements customers recognise, such as a colour or a shape, and which problems the refresh must fix, such as a mark that fails at small sizes or a file set that is incomplete.