Describe the business before describing a shape
A useful logo brief explains what the business does, who it serves and where the identity will be used. It does not need to dictate every design detail. The goal is to give the designer enough context to make choices and give you a consistent basis for reviewing them.
Start with the exact business name, any approved tagline and a plain description of the offer. Include the spelling and capitalisation that must appear. If the business name is changing, resolve that first. Designing around an unsettled name can create avoidable work across the logo, website and social profiles.
Then describe the audience in practical terms. A local repair company may need to look dependable and be readable on a moving vehicle. A specialist consultant may need to feel credible in presentations and proposals. These use cases provide more direction than asking for a logo that looks premium.
List the places the logo must work
Put the most demanding use cases near the top of the brief. Think about a small social profile image, a narrow website header, an invoice, a printed sign or clothing. A detailed mark that looks attractive in a large preview may lose its identity at a small size.
- Website header: note whether space is wide or compact.
- Social profiles: ask to see the mark inside a circular crop.
- Print: identify the intended item and ask the printer about its requirements.
- Single-colour use: include situations where colour printing is unavailable.
- Dark backgrounds: request an appropriate contrasting version if needed.
Do not ask for every possible variation without a use case. Agree the necessary versions and deliverables as part of the project scope. This keeps the work focused and makes the final handover easier to check.
Explain what you like about references
Collect a few references and add a sentence beside each one. You might like the open spacing, simple lettering or restrained colour. You might dislike an overly decorative symbol or a typeface that is hard to read. Those comments help the designer separate your preference from the specific artwork.
References are discussion material, not instructions to copy another business. Describe the quality you want rather than requesting the same mark with your name underneath. Also share the colours or existing brand elements that must remain, and explain whether they are fixed requirements or preferences.
Choose an approver and use specific feedback
Decide who gives final approval before the first concepts arrive. If several people need input, collect their comments into one response. Conflicting instructions sent separately can cause a designer to undo one person's changes while responding to another.
Review a concept against the brief: readability, audience fit, small-size use and required applications. Replace feedback such as “make it pop” with an observation and a goal. For example: “The business name becomes hard to read at our website header size; please improve its legibility.” The designer can act on that without guessing which feature to change.
Distinguish corrections from a new direction. Correcting a misspelled name is different from changing the audience or switching from a wordmark to a detailed emblem after a direction has been approved. Agree how those scope changes will be handled.
Agree the handover before the work begins
Ask which editable or vector files and which exported images are included. An SVG or suitable print vector can serve different needs from a transparent PNG. A JPEG is useful in some contexts but does not support a transparent background. Match the file set to the actual uses rather than judging the handover by the number of files.
Clarify ownership, font licensing, colour specifications and any restrictions in the agreement. Keep the approved artwork in one clearly named folder so old concepts are not accidentally used later. When the identity is applied to posts, use the same approved logo version and colour references across the social media designs.
A compact brief you can fill in
- Exact business name and tagline: ___.
- What we do and who we serve: ___.
- The three qualities we want to communicate: ___.
- Main places the logo will appear: ___.
- Elements we must keep or avoid: ___.
- References, with reasons: ___.
- Required file formats and versions: ___.
- Budget, deadline and final approver: ___.
Before sending the brief, check that the requirements do not contradict each other. “Very detailed” and “recognisable at a tiny size” may need a discussion about separate versions. A short, settled brief gives the project a clearer start. Our logo design service page explains the project process if you are preparing to commission work.