A good brief is the cheapest thing you can give us. It cuts revision rounds, avoids rework, and usually shortens the project. A vague brief costs you time later.
Lead with the outcome, not the feature
Tell us what the website or system needs to achieve. "We want enquiries from manufacturers in Selangor who need bulk orders" is more useful than "we want a contact form". The first lets us design the page around that goal. The second describes one element out of context.
Be concrete about your audience
Who visits the site, on what device, and what do they want to do in the first ten seconds. If most of your traffic is mobile, that changes layout decisions early rather than late.
Use references, and explain them
Send three to five links to sites you like. Next to each, write one line on what you like: the typography, the way the products are laid out, the tone of the writing. Also send one or two you dislike, with reasons. Negative references are as informative as positive ones.
Say what is fixed
- Brand colours that cannot change.
- Legal or compliance text that must appear.
- An existing system we have to integrate with.
- A launch date tied to an event or campaign.
Say what is flexible
Where you are open to our recommendation, tell us. Designers work faster when they know which constraints are real.
Avoid these
- "Make it look professional" without saying what professional means in your industry.
- Sending twenty reference sites. Five with reasons beats twenty without.
- Briefing by phone only. Put the key points in writing so both sides can refer back.
Format
A one page document is enough. Bullet points are fine. Upload it to your project in the portal at crm.zylax.com.my so it stays attached to the job rather than buried in an inbox.
Not sure how to describe what you want? Reply to your email thread and we will ask the questions for you, or write to [email protected].
