# WEBSITE DESIGN BRIEF

> **Disclaimer — not legal advice.** This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use

**Organization:** [CLIENT NAME]  |  **Date:** [DATE]  |  **Version:** [v1]
**Completed by:** [NAME], [TITLE], [EMAIL]
**Design approver (one person):** [NAME]  |  **Others to consult:** [NAMES AND ROLES]
**Designer / studio:** [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]

> Please answer in plain language. Short, specific answers are more useful than long ones. If you do not know an answer, write "not sure" and we will cover it on the review call.

## 1. Project basics

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Is this a new site or a redesign? | [ ] New  [ ] Redesign of [CURRENT URL] |
| Target launch date | [DATE] — is it fixed? [ ] Yes, because [REASON]  [ ] Flexible |
| Budget range for design and build | [CURRENCY] [LOW] to [CURRENCY] [HIGH] |
| Who will update the site after launch? | [NAME / TEAM / AGENCY] |

## 2. Goals and success

**The main job of this website is to:** [e.g. get qualified consultation requests from small business owners]

**Secondary goals:** [e.g. recruit staff, reduce support calls, sell online]

**In six months, we will consider the site a success if:** [MEASURABLE OUTCOME, e.g. "[N] contact form leads per month" or "customers stop calling to ask our opening hours"]

**What is wrong with the current site (if any)?** [SPECIFIC PROBLEMS]

## 3. Audience and top tasks

| Visitor type | What they need to do on the site | What would stop them |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [e.g. first-time buyer] | [e.g. compare packages and request a quote] | [e.g. not seeing prices] |
| [e.g. existing customer] | [e.g. find support docs or log in] | [BARRIER] |
| [e.g. job applicant] | [e.g. see open roles] | [BARRIER] |

**The one thing a visitor must be able to do within ten seconds of landing:** [ANSWER]

## 4. Draft page list

List the pages you expect. We will confirm the final list in the statement of work.

| Page | Purpose | Copy status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Home | [PURPOSE] | [ ] Ready  [ ] Needs editing  [ ] Not written |
| About | [PURPOSE] | [ ] Ready  [ ] Needs editing  [ ] Not written |
| [Services / Products] ([N] pages) | [PURPOSE] | [ ] Ready  [ ] Needs editing  [ ] Not written |
| Contact | [PURPOSE] | [ ] Ready  [ ] Needs editing  [ ] Not written |
| [PAGE] | [PURPOSE] | [ ] Ready  [ ] Needs editing  [ ] Not written |

## 5. Content and media

- **Who is writing new copy?** [ ] Us (client)  [ ] Designer / copywriter to quote  [ ] Mix: [DETAIL]
- **Photography:** [ ] We have professional photos  [ ] Stock is fine  [ ] We need a shoot
- **Video:** [ ] None  [ ] Existing videos at [LINK]  [ ] Needs producing
- **Existing blog or articles to keep:** [ ] None  [ ] About [N] posts
- **Date all content will be ready:** [DATE]

## 6. Features

| Feature | Needed? | Details |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contact / quote form | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | Send to: [EMAIL / CRM] |
| Booking or appointments | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | Current tool: [TOOL OR NONE] |
| Online shop | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | About [N] products |
| Blog / news | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | Posting frequency: [FREQUENCY] |
| Newsletter signup | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | Email platform: [TOOL] |
| Members area / login | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [DETAILS] |
| Multiple languages | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | Languages: [LIST]; right-to-left needed? [ ] Yes  [ ] No |
| Search | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | |
| Other | [DESCRIBE] | |

**Accessibility requirements:** [e.g. WCAG 2.2 AA required by our sector / no formal requirement]

## 7. References

**Sites you like (and why):**
1. [URL] — [WHAT YOU LIKE, e.g. "pricing is visible straight away"]
2. [URL] — [REASON]
3. [URL] — [REASON]

**Sites you dislike (and why):**
1. [URL] — [WHAT PUTS YOU OFF]
2. [URL] — [REASON]
3. [URL] — [REASON]

**Main competitors:** [NAMES / URLS]. **How you want to look different from them:** [ANSWER]

**Three words for how the site should feel:** [WORD], [WORD], [WORD]. **Three words it should never feel like:** [WORD], [WORD], [WORD]

## 8. Brand assets

- **Logo files:** [ ] Vector (SVG/AI/EPS)  [ ] Only PNG/JPG  [ ] No logo yet
- **Brand guidelines:** [ ] Yes, at [LINK]  [ ] No
- **Brand colors and fonts:** [LIST OR "see guidelines"]
- **Anything that must appear on every page:** [e.g. license number, phone number, legal disclaimer]

## 9. Technical facts

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Domain name and where it is registered | [DOMAIN], [REGISTRAR] |
| Current hosting provider | [PROVIDER / DON'T KNOW] |
| Who has login details for the domain and hosting? | [NAME] |
| Preferred platform / CMS (if any) | [PLATFORM / NO PREFERENCE] |
| Email on this domain? Hosted where? | [PROVIDER] |
| Tools the site must connect to | [CRM, BOOKING, PAYMENTS, ANALYTICS] |

## 10. Anything else

[CONSTRAINTS, INTERNAL DEADLINES, PAST BAD EXPERIENCES, SENSITIVE TOPICS]

**Brief approved by:** ____________________  **Name:** [APPROVER]  **Date:** [DATE]

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### How to use this template

1. Send the brief after the client agrees to proceed and before any wireframes.
2. Read it within a day and book a 30-minute call to cover every "not sure".
3. Copy the confirmed page list and features into your statement of work.
4. Open the approved brief at the start of every design review.

*Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.*