Logo design brief: how to fill it in so the first concept lands

A brief takes 15 minutes, and it decides whether one concept is enough or you'll be redoing work. We walk through each question and show how to answer so the designer truly gets you.

A brief is the questionnaire every logo starts with. Many people rush it: “modern, stylish and memorable”. Anything fits that description, so the designer has to guess. The result: extra revisions, new variants and a feeling you weren't heard. A good brief does the opposite – the first concepts hit the mark, and revisions go into polishing rather than searching for a direction.

We've read hundreds of briefs and know which answers help and which get in the way. Here's how to fill in a logo design brief so it saves you time and money.

Below are the six key questions of a logo brief, with why each matters and how to answer it so the designer understands you the first time.

Question 1Name and industry

Write the name exactly as it should appear in the logo: upper or lower case, Latin or Cyrillic, with or without a tagline. Briefly describe what the business does. Remember: changing the name after approval counts as a new logo variant, so check the domain, social handles and trademarks first.

Question 2Audience

Don't write “everyone”. Describe a typical customer: age, gender, income, habits, what matters to them. “Mums with kids under 7 looking for safe toys” gives the designer far more than “families”. Your audience shapes colours, typography and the character of the mark.

Question 3Competitors

Name 2–3 competitors and say how you differ. This keeps the designer from echoing someone else's image and helps find what sets you apart. If every competitor uses blue, a blue logo will get lost.

Question 4What you like

Add 2–3 logos you like and always explain why: “I like the simplicity”, “I like black with gold”, “I like that it looks like a seal”. Without an explanation, a designer may read a reference completely differently from you.

Question 5What's off-limits

Anti-examples save as many revisions as references. List colours, shapes and styles you don't want: “no pink”, “nothing that looks like a bank”, “no hieroglyphs”. If something bothers you, say it up front.

Question 6Where the logo will live

Signage, packaging, website, social media, apparel, vehicles – touchpoints shape the mark. A logo for a coffee cup and one for a tech company's website solve different problems. These are exactly the touchpoints we'll show your concepts on.

ExampleWhat a strong brief looks like

• Name: “Grain”, no tagline. A coffee shop that roasts its own beans.
• Audience: young professionals aged 25–35 grabbing coffee on the way to work.
• Competitors: two chain coffee shops nearby, both in brown tones.
• Likes: simple black-and-white marks with one bright accent.
• Off-limits: literal beans and cups, vintage, gold.
• Touchpoints: cup, sign, coffee bags, Instagram.

With a brief like this, the designer instantly sees the direction: a modern minimalist mark that pops on a cup, in a colour the competitors don't use. The very first concept will be close to the final result.

MistakesWhat not to write in a brief

More common pitfalls in logo design mistakes.

After the briefWhat happens next

We read your brief, clarify details and suggest a package – one to four concepts. After a 50% deposit the designer starts, and within 2–8 working days you receive concepts with visualisations on your touchpoints. The full process is in how to order a logo, and prices in how much a logo costs.

The best brief isn't the longest one. It's the most honest one.

TipsHow to fill in a brief quickly and well

1. Fill it in with your partnersIf you don't decide alone, agree on the answers before sending.
2. Add photosYour interior, existing sign and packaging all help.
3. It's fine to write “not sure”Honesty beats guessing. Uncertainty is a reason to order several concepts.
4. Double-check the nameOne typo in the name and you'll be ordering a new variant.

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