The quality of a web design project is determined largely before any design work begins. A clear, specific brief gives a designer the information needed to make purposeful decisions — decisions that serve your commercial goals rather than aesthetic preferences. A vague brief — “something modern, professional, easy to navigate” — produces a project driven by guesswork that requires multiple revision cycles to arrive at something that actually works.
Writing a good brief is not a technical skill. It’s a clarity exercise. Here’s what a brief that produces great results includes.
Your Goals — Specifically
Start with the commercial outcomes you want the website to produce. Not “I want a professional website” — that’s a description of the output, not the goal. Goals sound like: “I want to rank in the top three Google results for bathroom renovations in Mornington,” or “I want to generate five additional enquiries per month from local search,” or “I want to reduce the time I spend answering basic questions by making the website answer them.”
Specific goals change every design decision that follows. A designer who knows you want to reduce phone time from basic questions will prioritise a comprehensive FAQ. A designer who knows you want to rank for specific service terms will plan the page architecture around individual service pages. Vague goals produce vague results.
Your Target Audience
Describe your ideal client in specific terms: demographics, geography, the situation they’re in when they search for you, what they’re anxious about, what they value, what objections they have. The more specifically you can describe the person the website is trying to convert, the more precisely a designer can make decisions that serve that conversion.
A website for a luxury building company targeting affluent homeowners in Mount Eliza and Sorrento should feel different from a website targeting first-home buyers in Frankston and Baxter. The brief is where that distinction is made explicit.
Your Competitors — Honestly
List three to five competitors — businesses you genuinely compete with for the same clients. Visit their websites and note: what do they do well? What do they do badly? Where is there a gap in quality or positioning that your website could exploit? This analysis isn’t about copying — it’s about understanding the competitive landscape and building a website that meaningfully differentiates.
A web designer on the Mornington Peninsula who understands your local market can contribute to this analysis — but starting with your own honest assessment of the competitive field is more useful than none at all.
Websites You Like — and Why
Share three to five websites — not necessarily competitors — whose design, tone, or structure you respond to positively. Crucially, explain what specifically you like about each one: is it the colour palette, the photography style, the simplicity of navigation, the way services are described? “I like this website” tells a designer almost nothing. “I like how this website uses white space and large photography to create a premium feel” tells them exactly what to aim for.
Your Services, Your Story, Your Differentiators
Describe every service you offer, your service area, your years in business, your team composition, and — most importantly — what genuinely differentiates you from competitors. Not marketing claims (“we provide quality service”) but real, specific advantages: the qualifications only you hold, the process only you follow, the specific local knowledge you’ve accumulated, the client outcomes that competitors can’t match.
This content forms the raw material of your website copy. A designer without it is working from a blank slate; a designer with it can build a website that authentically and specifically communicates your competitive position.
If you’re ready to start a project and want to understand exactly what information we’ll need from you, visit our work with us page or get in touch to start the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a web design brief be?
As long as it needs to be to cover goals, audience, competition, visual references, and service detail — typically two to four pages of notes. More important than length is specificity. A focused two-page brief with clear goals and genuine competitive context is more useful than a ten-page document full of vague aspiration.
Does the designer write the brief, or do I?
In a well-run project, the designer facilitates the brief development through questions and a structured intake process — drawing the relevant information out of you in a way that’s efficient and complete. You provide the knowledge; they structure it. If a designer asks for no information before starting, that’s a red flag.
What if I don’t know what I want?
Start with what you know: your goals (even rough ones), your audience, and your competitors. Visual preferences can be developed through the discovery process rather than upfront. The most important elements of a brief are the commercial goals and the audience description — the visual direction can emerge from those with a skilled designer’s guidance.
Should I include a budget in the brief?
Yes — a realistic budget range prevents a designer from proposing scope you can’t afford, and allows them to recommend the right package rather than wasting both parties’ time. A designer who refuses to engage without a budget discussion isn’t protecting themselves — they’re serving you by ensuring the proposal fits your reality.
