How To Write The Best Web Design Brief

22 February 2022

Writing a web design brief is an essential element of curating an excellent web presence. Design matters more and more when attracting and retaining visitors, and will serve as the blueprint to design your overall package.

This isn’t to say that a website cannot be tweaked and changed as the year's pass, but establishing the core functionality of your web presence now can save you many headaches down the line.

Not only this, but the project management, design, and content teams will all require access to it to work in synchronicity with one another. No matter if you work on the developer side or are booking a project as a client, this matters.

Let’s discuss what a brief of this nature may include, and how to get the best out of such a plan/document.

1. Your Brand
   
   It’s essential to establish your core values and operational descriptions as a brand. You need to know what products, services and value-added propositions you’re selling. Think of what you do, how you do it, and most importantly, why you do it.
   
   This allows you to curate a competent plan for the future, also known as your vision. Additionally, this information will permeate the pages of your website and serve as the basis for core functionality discussions, as well as how you write your copy.
    
2. Brand voice and tone.
   
   How your website is structured is often in relation to the brand voice you offer and the tone you hope to nail. A restaurant web page may upload a constantly updated food blog, comprehensive reservation forms for parties, and a gallery with video and images hosted from events. A law firm may use densely-written landing pages to help inspire confidence in their guests. This will determine your copy - for which hiring professional content writers as part of the process is helpful.
    
3. Audience
   
   Establishing who will be visiting the website most often is key. If you work in the tech field, for instance, then a sleek website with competent features, compatible with a range of browsers and plugins may be necessary. For a sleek uptown restaurant, mobile bookings, constantly shifting promotions, and unique event popups could be worthwhile. Think about how your audience is most likely to respond to your website.
    
4. Essential Details
   
   No matter what, it’s essential to make sure that the details are properly stipulated. How many landing pages might you need? Do you need any extra core functionalities, such as infographic hosting, right click copy protections, or account management portals - allowing clients to onboard of their own volition?
   
   Think of essential function, such as downloadable assets or branding, signup pages, or of course, a large product library with a functioning, secure checkout that accepts both card and PayPal information. Make sure to discuss this thoroughly with the internal and web design team to make sure you strike a singular focus, and no contradicting features dilute the functional strength of your web design.
    
5. Budget
   
   The more complex a website, the more expensive it will be to design. It’s important to get an accurate quote, but also to invest in quality. Remember, a custom website will serve as your platform for years to come.
   
   With this combination of priorities and the right mindset, your website should serve as a brilliant reflection and asset of your brand. With an appropriate web design Nottingham service, your new website web brief is sure to be a winner.