Transcript
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Welcome to the Marketing Millennials, the no BS Marketing podcast. I'm Daniel Murray and join me for unfiltered conversations with the brains behind Marketing's coolest companies. The one request I tell our guests stories or it didn't happen. Get ready to turn the top.
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Welcome back to another episode of the Market Millennials. Today I'm diving into a topic that a lot of marketers I talk to face, but we really perfect. And that's writing a killer design brief. And I want to start by saying this. Your designers, they are not mind readers. If you want designs that don't just look good but actually convert, you need a solid playbook for your briefs. Because if you don't, the reality is sloppy briefs lead to wasted time, wasted energy, and also creates tension between designers and marketers. And we don't want that. So I want to give you my step by step on how to create a great design brief that I've used. Let's get into it. So step one is start with the big picture. The why every project needs a North Star. So kick off your brief by explaining what's the project about? What's the one big goal? And don't make the big goal. Make it pop. That isn't a goal. And then who's the audience? Be specific. Age, vibe, pain points, Dreams. I'll give you a quick example. This is for a TikTok ad targeting Gen Z gamers. Think blue raspberry energy drink, hyped up visuals, memes, and fast cuts. We want it to be and feel relatable, funny and not like a corporate ad. Oh, and we need a static us versus them comparison graphic to run alongside it. Think movie theater, slushy vibes. That is an example. Set the tone early so no one's guessing what you want. Step two, define success and make this really, really clear. What does a win look like? Don't just hope for good results. Define them. Do you have roas goals? Share examples of ads that hit that similar target. Is it cost per click, be upfront, or any measurable KPIs? Write them down. I'll give you an example. We need a 15% higher ROAS than our last campaign. Here's examples of what crushed it and some assets that tank so we don't make the same mistakes twice. Your designers will thank you for this level of clarity. Step number three, nail the visual direction. The phrase make it pop should be illegal in marketing. Be specific instead. Mood and tone. Is it fun? Edgy? Minimal colors, fonts and styles? What to include and want to avoid do you have references, links, mood boards, Pinterest, Inspo, whatever you got and I'll give you a quick example. Go neon pinks and bold typography like Spotify's rap campaign. Here's a mood board with my notes. Let's review it together before you start. Step number four Call out the must haves versus the nice to haves. This is where you save time on unnecessary back and forth. And this could save you so much time, so be clear about it. For example, logos. Where do they go? How to use them? Taglines or legal copy. What must be included? Brand guidelines, what cannot be touched. Here's an example. Must have logo in the top right corner, purple only. Nice to have a subtle animation around the CTA button. Like this example right here. Let's go into step number five. Timing. Be realistic and not delusional. Deadlines need to be clear and achievable. Break them down like this draft one needs to be on January 28th, internal review needs to be on February 6th and final files need to be on February 20th. If timing is tight, provide animations first and static ads can follow. So that's just an example of like timing. What you should give specifics on timing. Step number 6 Specify the target platform Designs need to fit the platform. What works on TikTok or Instagram might flop on LinkedIn and here's example. This is for TikTok and Instagram Reels keep it native to short form video have fast cuts, bold text and minimal polish. We need versions at 6 seconds and 10 seconds and under 1 minute. This is an example what you could put step 6 step number 7 deliverables, aka the asset checklists spell out the exact deliverables. For example the file formats. Is it a JPEG? Is it a PNG? And what are the sizes of it? Is it 1080 by 1920 for TikTok or 1200 by 628 for Facebook? For example, here's what I would say Label files with this this naming convention. Formats need to be in PNG and PSD sizes. TikTok and Facebook specs and they are linked right here. Step number 8 Clarify the brand voice. Your brand isn't just colors and copy. It's a personality. Designers need to get that vibe. And here's an example of what you could say. Our brand is bold, cheeky and playful. Think vibrant colors and layouts that feel fresh but not try hard. Here's a copy of Do's and Don'ts list for reference. And then step nine open the feedback loop set expectations for collaboration. For example, we'll give feedback within 24 hours. We'll use Commons in FIGMA or your platform of choice. Encourage iteration. First drafts don't need to be perfect and here's an example of something I would say is we'll review drafts in FigVA and leave clear actionable comments within 24 hours. Keep the first draft rough and we'll iterate together so they don't need to perfect it up front. We will iterate together and leave our notes and we'll have another round of edits. Step number 10 and this is the last step is end on a high note. Wrap it up with Hype Designers are your creative MVPs. Let them know this project matters and here's an example. This campaign is our chance to show off our new brand direction. Your work will be front and center in Q1. Let's make it unforgettable. Everybody needs a little pick me up and some height. So here's the TLDR of the brief 1. Big picture the why goal audience 2. Success measurable KPIs 3. Visual direction specific tones and references 4. Must haves versus optional no guessing 5. Timing clear deadlines no chaos 6. Platform specific fit the vibe of that platform 7. Deliverables format sizes, labels 8. Brand voice, personality and visuals 9. Feedback loop fast, clear and actionable and 10 hype it up. Give him some inspiration. So that is my ten step design brief. So share this with your team. Save it for your next design brief so you can have designs that are on time that fit your vibe, that fit the platform that actually convert. So thank you for listening. Feel free to always DM me on LinkedIn or respond to our newsletter or any anything. I would love to chat and until next time, talk to you later.