When to use it
When you need to commission design work (a logo, a landing page, a banner, a post) — from a freelancer, an agency or an AI generator — and you want a hit rather than ten rounds of "not quite". The role is an art director putting together a brief. Output: a structured spec plus the questions you should answer before you start.
The prompt (copy and paste)
You are an art director. Help me put together a clear design brief so the contractor nails it on the first try.
WHAT I NEED: <logo / landing page / banner / post / deck>. PRODUCT/BRAND: "<PASTE>". FOR WHOM: <audience>. KEY MESSAGE: "<what has to land at first glance>".
WHAT I LIKE/DISLIKE: <references, styles, colors — if any>. CONSTRAINTS: <brand colors, formats, where it will be used>.
First, ask me up to 5 clarifying questions — the ones without which the brief will have holes.
Then assemble the brief in sections: 1) The task and its context (where/how it's used). 2) Audience and the impression to create. 3) Key message and hierarchy (what matters most). 4) Tone and style (+ 2-3 kinds of references: "like this / not like this"). 5) Technical requirements (formats, sizes, colors, fonts, what has to fit). 6) What is NOT wanted (anti-references). 7) Acceptance criteria — how we'll know it's good.
Make the brief concrete: instead of "modern and stylish" — measurable benchmarks.
Filled-in example
Need: a logo. Brand: a coffee shop called "Black Cat". For whom: young locals who like cozy, indie aesthetics. Message: "a cozy urban coffee shop with character". Likes: minimalism, a handmade feel; dislikes: glossy stock-photo cups. Constraints: has to work in black and white, and read both on a storefront sign and as a 32px icon.
What the AI should come back with: 5 questions (does the cat need to appear literally? which medium is primary — the sign or social media? is there a tagline? is the palette fixed? what's the minimum size?); then a brief across all 7 sections with specifics — "the mark reads in B/W and at 32px", "tone: handmade minimalism, references like X, anti-references: realistic coffee photography", acceptance criteria "recognizable on the sign from 10 meters and as a favicon".
Variations
- A prompt for an AI generator. "Turn this brief into a Midjourney prompt with style parameters."
- Reviewing the work. "Here's what came back — score it against my brief: what hits, what misses."
- A range of styles. "Propose 3 different stylistic directions for this brief so I can pick before we start."
Pro tips
- The most valuable parts of a brief are the "what is NOT wanted" section and the acceptance criteria — exactly the two everyone forgets, which is why revisions never end. Demand both explicitly.
- "Modern/stylish/beautiful" are empty words; everyone pictures something different. Translate them into measurables: the medium, the minimum size, the feeling, "like this / not like this" references.
- A brief saves money and nerves on both sides: the sharper the spec, the fewer the iterations. References (as images) explain style better than any words — attach them.