Requests
6 min
How to write a request that gets designed right the first time
The best briefs we get are one paragraph long. Here's what goes in that paragraph, and what doesn't.
Written by
Rui Kaneda
Lead designer, Lisbon. Eleven years in brand and web, four of them on subscription.
Most first rounds go wrong before any design starts. The brief says what the thing is, but not who it’s for or what it has to do. A good request answers three questions in plain words: what is it, who will see it, and what should they do next.
Three questions, one paragraph
We ask for one paragraph, not a template. Attach what you have, even if it’s rough: a screenshot of the old version, a competitor you like, the numbers you want to show. We’d rather have a messy folder than a polished brief with nothing in it.
What doesn’t help is a list of adjectives. “Modern, clean, bold” describes almost everything. Tell us instead what you’d be embarrassed by, and we’ll steer clear of it.
Keep reading
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Requests
6 min
How to write a request that gets designed right the first time
The best briefs we get are one paragraph long. Here's what goes in that paragraph, and what doesn't.
Studio
5 min
Why our median turnaround is 38 hours, not 24
We could promise 24 hours. We'd rather tell you what actually happens.
Process
4 min
Comments on the file, one round at a time
The fastest revisions come from comments pinned to the design, sent together, once.