The creation of a brief is the starting point and the first step in cooperation with the design studio. Not only a well-prepared brief does help to eliminate missed ideas and speed up work on a project, but it also often makes a difference. We suggest what elements should it contain to meet these goals.

1. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

It is extremely important to supplement information about your company in the brief due to the fact that it sets the background for what you want to achieve by preparing the design. It is not about contact details or the number of employees - by completing this part, focus on the company's mission, history and philosophy, include information that should be reflected in the emerging product.

2. DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT WELL

Industrial design is an endless space of possibilities for designers. For this reason, the more precisely you present the concept of the product being created, the better the later visualization will meet your expectations.

When completing this section, it is worth considering:

• imagination - write how you see your future design, where did you get inspiration, whether it should refer to the company's value or the product line that you already have in your offer
• functional description - look at this section in detail, because it is extremely important from the designer's point of view and will determine the shape of the entire design
  Example: if you order, for example, the performance of an electronic device model, it will be important to know whether you already have electronics and you know how the design should look "from the inside". It is necessary to determine, for example, the size of the body or to consider the most important elements of the device (e.g. an opened housing to remove the battery from the device or to include space for USB ports in it).
• method of use - write what your product will be used for. The use method may decide, for example, what it will be made of
• limitations - be sure to tell the designer about the regulations, standards and any other formal limitations according to which the product should be made to be allowed for use

3. DEFINE YOUR TARGET GROUP

An important element of the brief is to define the target group for your product. You should include information whether the product is intended for people in a certain age range, whether it is dedicated to users of a specific gender, with specific personality traits, social status, etc. A perfect solution is to create a so-called persona.

Example of a persona: a man in the 24-40 age group from a big city, interested in new products on the technological market and having a mobile phone from the highest price range.

4. SET A BUDGET

Using the budget already at the brief stage is very important due to the fact that it defines certain directions before starting the design process. The cost of the device for the end customer will be decisive in terms of the application of the material strategy or the selection of production technology.

5. DEFINE THE COMPETITION

If you want to introduce a new product to your offer, you have certainly checked the market situation. Information about your direct competition will be helpful, especially when designing, for example, a specialized device from the industrial sector, which is offered by 2 companies in the world. Before you go to the design stage, first take a close look at it.

6. PRESENT THE SCOPE OF COOPERATION

Cooperation with a design studio can be multi-stage, ranging from 3D modelling and project visualization, to engineering work (making visual and functional prototypes), preparing technical documentation, delivering electronics or supervising implementation. It is worth remembering that each of these stages involves a separate cost.

7. DEFINE A TIMEFRAME

If the project involves a specific implementation date, inform about it at the very beginning of the cooperation. This will allow us to efficiently plan work in the next stages, and to perform some activities in parallel to meet the deadline.

The presented list is a good starting point for writing a brief. However, when constructing your own one, follow the rule the more information, the better. This approach will allow you to save time from the very beginning. You will get a visualization that meets your expectations, and you have the opportunity to introduce the product to the market faster.

See what effects the preparation of a good brief provides.