Design brief template for logo and branding.

One page, ten parts, one hour to fill in. It gives any designer what they need to start well.

A design brief for a logo or brand says who you are, who you sell to, what problem the brand must solve, what you need, where it will be used, and how you will judge the result.

Copy the template below and fill it in. Short answers are fine. A clear one-page brief saves more time than any meeting.

By Vedran Obradović · Updated 4 November 2026

Copy this logo and branding brief.

Fill every part. Write "not sure" where you are not sure. That is useful too.

Logo and branding design brief

1. About us
Company: [name]. What we do in one sentence: [sentence].
Stage and size: [startup / growing / established], [team size]. Markets: [countries].

2. Who we sell to
Main buyer: [role, type of company]. What they care about: [3 things].

3. Why now
[launch / funding / new market / old brand looks small / merger]

4. The problem the brand must solve
[e.g. we look like a small startup next to big competitors]

5. Competitors
[3-5 names and links]. We want to look different from them in this way: [how].

6. Personality
We are: [3 words]. We are not: [3 words].

7. What we need
[logo / logo + identity / full rebrand / guidelines / templates / website]

8. Where it will be used
[website, app, LinkedIn, slides, signs, hardware, print, events]

9. What we already have and must keep
[name, colour, old logo, nothing]. Files attached: [list].

10. How we decide
Who approves: [names, roles]. Deadline: [date]. We will judge the result by: [e.g. clear at small size, different from competitors, easy for the team to use].

Not sure what to write in part 1? See brand positioning for SaaS.

Why each part of the brief matters.

Parts 1-3

Context

The designer learns your business before they draw. Without it, you get a pretty logo for someone else.

Parts 4-6

Direction

The problem, the competitors and the personality decide the look. This is where most briefs are too thin.

Parts 7-10

Limits

What you need, where it lives and who decides. It stops surprises at the end.

Part 6 is the start of your brand voice. Buying on Upwork? Read logo design on Upwork first.

A good brief ends in brand files your team uses every day, like these document templates.

Free tool

Start the brief with one clear sentence.

Paste the sentence that says what you do. You see how clear it is and what to fix. Put the result in part 1 of your brief.

Open the full tool: Position Check

Brand OS Portal

Get 3 templates in your brand. Free.

Leave your email. I design them by hand and send them to you within 48 hours. It costs you nothing.

A filled-in example.

For a made-up company. Notice how short the answers are.

Example brief for a made-up company (Gatewall, not real)

1. Gatewall makes security software for mid-size companies. 40 people, Germany and the UK.
2. IT managers at companies with 100-1000 staff. They care about: simple setup, clear reports, trust.
3. We raised funding and enter the UK next year.
4. Our brand looks like a small startup. Buyers compare us with big, serious brands.
5. [Three competitor names]. They all use dark blue and shields. We want to look calm and clear, not scary.
6. We are: calm, precise, human. We are not: loud, techy, scary.
7. Logo, identity, guidelines, LinkedIn and slide templates.
8. Website, app, LinkedIn, sales decks, event booths.
9. Keep the name. Nothing else.
10. CEO and head of marketing approve. Launch in 8 weeks. Judge by: clear at 16 px, nothing like competitors, the team can make a post alone.

Brief mistakes that cost time.

"Modern, clean, simple": every brief says it, it tells the designer nothing
No competitors listed
Ten people approving, no one deciding
A logo you love from another brand as the goal
Leaving out where the logo will be used
No way to judge the result, so feedback becomes taste

Hiring on Upwork? Paste parts 1-8 into your post. See the Upwork job post templates. For the logo itself, read how to make a logo for your business.

Is your brief ready to send?

Tick what is true. Your ticks stay on this device.

0 of 8 done

With a brief like this, a logo takes me about 7-14 days and full branding about 14-21 days. See how I work and brand identity.

Deepsea Networks

Brand OS Core Portal. The CEO writes and designs an on-brand LinkedIn post in about 3 minutes.

Talentix

Guidelines with real rules: clear space, variations, monochrome, what not to do, colour pairing and type.

Pattern Lab

Try one Brand OS Portal tool

What a good brief can grow into.

This is a real tool from a real Brand OS Portal, on the MTG brand. Patterns grow from the logo, so they belong to one brand only.

Brand OS Portal

Try more Brand OS Portal tools.

Logo Studio, Motion Posts, Pattern Lab, Social Studio and LinkedIn banners. Real tools on a real brand. No email needed.

Try more Brand OS Portal tools

Straight answers.

What should a logo design brief include?

Who you are, who you sell to, why now, the problem to solve, competitors, personality, what you need, where it is used, what to keep and who decides.

How long should a design brief be?

One or two pages. Short, clear answers beat long ones. Write "not sure" where you are not sure.

What is the difference between a logo brief and a branding brief?

A logo brief is about one mark. A branding brief also covers colours, type, voice, templates and rules. The template on this page works for both: pick what you need in part 7.

Who should write the design brief?

The person who owns the brand, often the founder or head of marketing. Ask the people who approve to read it before it goes to the designer.

Should I show logos I like in the brief?

You can, but say what you like about them: the calm, the weight, the colour. Never ask for a copy of another brand.

Can I use this brief template for free?

Yes. Copy it, change it and share it.