A poor brief costs time, money, and trust. We look at the most common briefing mistakes and how clients can avoid them.
- No clear objective.
- Vague or changing audience.
- Feedback that contradicts the brief.
- Trying to brief everything at once.
- Skipping the strategy phase.
- Drowning in inspiration, light on direction.
- How to brief better.
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No clear objective.
This is the most common issue, and the one that causes the most damage.
If your brief doesn’t have a clear objective, your agency is guessing. That means more rounds of amends, more internal debate, and less useful work.
“We need something fresh” isn’t an objective. Nor is “We just need it to look better.” A good brief defines the job to be done, not just the work to be delivered.
“A vague brief is the fastest route to wasted time.”
Vague or changing audience.
Design isn’t decoration. It’s communication. And you can’t communicate clearly if you don’t know who you’re talking to.
Too many briefs try to cover everyone. Or worse, the audience changes halfway through the process. That leaves the agency trying to hit a moving target, often resulting in diluted or confused work.
Clear, stable audience insight isn’t a ‘nice to have’. It’s the backbone of the brief.
“Design isn’t magic – it’s only as strong as the brief behind it.”
Feedback that contradicts the brief.
This one happens a lot. A client signs off on a brief that says “Bold, fresh, disruptive”, then gives feedback asking for something “safe, classic, proven”.
When your feedback doesn’t line up with your brief, the project loses momentum. Trust starts to fade. And the agency starts to doubt whether the brief means anything at all.
Good feedback holds the line. It challenges the work against the objective, not personal preference.
“Good agencies aren’t mind readers. They need clarity, not guesswork.”
Trying to brief everything at once.
A common mistake is trying to do too much in one go. A new logo, tone of voice, brand positioning, website design, and social templates, all in one phase.
That usually means nothing gets the attention it needs. Or worse, you waste budget trying to solve the wrong problem first.
Start with what matters. Fix the foundations. Then build. A good agency will help you work out the right sequence.
“Briefs should guide decisions, not spark debates.”
Skipping the strategy phase.
The quickest way to derail a project is to skip the thinking and jump straight to the doing.
If your brief lacks a clear position, an agreed message, user insights, and a shared understanding of what makes your brand different, your creative team is working in the dark.
Strategy doesn’t slow the project down. It stops you wasting time later.
Drowning in inspiration, light on direction.
Moodboards have their place. But a wall of Pinterest screenshots is not a brief.
Inspiration without explanation just creates confusion. The agency doesn’t know what to take from it, the tone, the type, the colour, the layout?
If you’re showing reference work, say why it’s relevant. And don’t confuse taste with direction.
How to brief better.
A good brief is clear, focused and collaborative. It should include:
- The business goal – what success looks like
- The audience – who they are and what they need
- The problem – what’s not working and why
- The opportunity – what this project could unlock
- The constraints – time, budget, scope, and sign-off process
- The support – who’s on hand to answer, unblock or champion the work
And once it’s written, stick to it. A brief isn’t a wishlist. It’s a decision-making tool.
Brief better, and the work gets better. The project moves faster. And your agency becomes a partner, not just a supplier.
