Project disasters happen when clients and designers speak different languages. Examples of website brief templates solve this communication gap by creating a structured foundation for every web project.
Without proper documentation, even experienced design agencies struggle with scope creep, endless revisions, and frustrated clients. A solid design brief acts as your project’s North Star, keeping everyone aligned from initial concept to final launch.
Professional designers know that time spent on project planning saves hours of confusion later. The right client questionnaire template captures crucial details about website goals, target audience, and functional requirements before any design work begins.
This guide presents proven website specification templates used by successful agencies and freelance designers. You’ll discover formats for different project types, from simple brochure sites to complex e-commerce platforms.
By the end, you’ll have actionable templates to streamline your design consultation process and deliver projects that exceed client expectations.
About Your Business
What is the right starting point for a website brief? When starting a discussion with the developer have the following information ready:
- What does your business do?
- What is the objective of the website?
- How will people find the website?
- What is the company’s unique selling point?
- What are the company’s values?
- Are there existing documents that show the company’s branding? This includes documents, stationery, signage.
- Style guide. Think of color schemes, typefaces, etcetera.
- A list of inspirational websites. Include a description of positive and negative elements.
- If there is a current website, why does it need to be replaced or updated?
Point of Contact
To facilitate communication with the developing agency, assign one person within the organization. He or she receives information and questions and has decision-making skills and authority. Then make sure that the developers have his or her contact details.
Too many contact persons and decision-makers will slow down the project considerably. Therefore the web development bureau will like to know the following:
- Key stakeholders
- Contact person
- Person responsible for content providing
- Person authorized to sign off each key stage
- Person that will continue to manage the site after it is finished
Target Audience & Users
Take time to identify and describe the target audience. Who is the ideal client? This detailed information is key to making a website that succeeds in reaching these people. Outline the audience’s demographics and psychographics.
The audience and users section of the website brief template includes:
- Customers’ motivations, inspirations, and turn-offs
- How does the target audience find the website?
- How familiar are they with the website or the brand?
- Will there be members-only products, services, or website sections?
- The focal point of the website. Why should visitors go there and what should they do?
- What should visitors remember after visiting?
Define the Project’s Goals
The previous sections in the website brief template help to understand the extent of the project and what it involves. With that established, it is now time to define the goals of the website and the problems that it needs to solve.
Defining these parameters will ensure an effective website design that is to the point. As a result, people that visit the website will find what they are looking for.
It is often a smart decision to ask for help when designing and building a website. This is definitely true for someone with little experience. There is more involved than downloading design software and putting some pictures and text together.
Anyone who has already started building one may come to the realization that what they have made is not acceptable. What are the elements that are missing or what is the design lacking?
Also, adding an online selling point to the website may boost sales,but creating an efficient and reliable webshop offers professional help.
Competitors
Make a description of the industry’s landscape and who the competition is and what they do.
- Include what notable marketing activities they have. Think about what makes their approach effective and what the weaknesses are.
- Write down what pressure the competition is exercising on the business.
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the competition’s websites? Are there any useful aspects to adapt?
Knowing what the industry’s landscape looks like is a great help for the designers and developers. It helps them to participate in early-stage project discussions.
Design Requirements and Specs
Knowing the requirements early on saves a lot of time revisions and rework. It prevents scope creep and hence keeps project costs under control.
Some items to consider here are:
- Site login credentials
- User registration management
Items such as these determine the kind of site that needs to be built.
An e-commerce site or webshop has different requirements. The brief should include product categories, payment methods, discount codes, shipping costs, and so on.
Pay particular attention to an attractive interface. Think of elements like photography and other illustrations. It depends on the business how much freedom the web designers will have.
Technical Features and Requirements
This section of the website brief template is of particular importance for large projects. Be thorough and detailed, as this will really pay off later on in the project.
- Is there a domain name already?
- If there is, is it still appropriate?
- List the hosting needs. Think here of daily backups and uptime.
- Is there a need for email hosting?
- What infrastructure is needed for payment gateways? For example Stripe, PayPal, Worldplay.
- Consider additional accessibility requirements, for example for the visually impaired.
Content Requirements
The next item of the website design brief template is the content requirements section. Who will provide the content? The company itself, or some external content providers? Draw out a brief sitemap in the web design brief:
- How many pages will it have in total?
- Be specific about the content. Content that is to the point is much more appreciated by the visitors. The sheer quantity is less important.
Get the help of others if there are no internal resources for writing the content. Also, if the time is limited, it might be best to engage professional content providers. Even if there is copy, it would be good to have someone with experience look at it. Another reason to get external help is when an old website has content but it needs updating or refreshing.
Timeframe
For most companies, the timeframe is the most important factor when considering which development agency to pick. So, setting a strict but reasonable deadline for delivering a website helps in the selection of the right team for the job.
Setting a timeframe helps to control costs as well. Usually, a web design project will take between six and twelve weeks, depending on the complexity.
A simple brochure kind of website without any complicated features will take around six weeks to finish. The development of a complex e-commerce web solution takes around twelve weeks or more.
The internet is dynamic and there are constant changes. It is good to anticipate some and to eliminate or limit the effect of others. If Google were to change completely their algorithm, that should not mean that the whole project has to go back to zero.
Measuring Your Success
From the beginning, think about how to measure the success of the new website. Sales numbers or visitor numbers are good targets. A bureau with experience will be able to give tips and advice on this matter.
Considering the lifecycle of a website, it is good to set targets for the first two years after the launch.
In the beginning, it may not be possible to implement every desired element. For example, at the moment it still works fine to take and process orders by phone but if sales rise this will have to be handled through the website.
Planning for these future changes is important also for the developing agency. Then they know what to expect in the future.
Project Budget
Some do not like to discuss money, especially not at an early stage in the project when many things are still uncertain. However, being honest when it comes to budget will result in more accurate quotes and will give a clearer picture of what is possible.
A good way of getting good and reliable quotes even before the project starts is by giving a budget range rather than a fixed amount.
Indicating the project’s budget is a very important part of the design brief template. The amount of money available for it influences many details of the final product. For example, it determines what kinds of tools are available for the website.
Here are factors that need consideration in establishing a budget:
- Digital marketing
- Hosting
- Web design & development
- Post-production support and maintenance
Hosting and Maintenance
Many design and development agencies can take care of the hosting details, either in-house or external. Still, a business owner may decide to look for one or stick to the one that is currently hosting the old website.
Hosting needs and preferences also need to be expressed in the website design brief. This may include the preference for the country where the web servers are located. At any rate, the choice must be adequate to give a secure and fast website.
FAQs on website brief templates
What should be included in a basic website design brief?
A comprehensive design brief must cover project scope, target audience, website goals, timeline, budget, and technical requirements. Include branding guidelines, content strategy, and functionality needs. Client questionnaire templates help capture these details systematically for better project planning outcomes.
How long should a website brief template be?
Effective website specification templates range from 2-8 pages depending on project complexity. Simple sites need basic requirements, while complex e-commerce platforms require detailed functionality specs. Design agencies typically use longer formats than freelance designers for comprehensive documentation.
What’s the difference between a creative brief and website brief?
Creative briefs focus on visual concepts and messaging strategy. Website briefs encompass technical specifications, user experience requirements, and development details. Both documents complement each other in the design workflow for complete project understanding.
When should I use a website brief template?
Use project brief templates before starting any web project. Professional designers create briefs during initial client consultation phases to establish clear expectations. This prevents scope creep and ensures successful project management throughout the development process.
How do I customize brief templates for different clients?
Adapt design brief formats based on client industry and project type. Service based websites need different questions than e-commerce sites. Design consultants modify templates for B2B web design versus B2C web design requirements accordingly.
What tools can I use to create website briefs?
Popular platforms include Google Docs, Notion, and Microsoft Word for document creation. Design agencies often use Figma or specialized project management tools like Asana for collaborative brief development and client approval workflows.
How detailed should technical specifications be in the brief?
Technical specs depend on project complexity and team expertise. Include hosting requirements, CMS preferences, and integration needs. Web developers need more detailed specifications than basic website design for beginners projects require for successful implementation.
Should pricing be included in the website brief?
Budget parameters belong in project brief templates but detailed pricing stays separate. Include budget ranges to guide feature decisions. Design consultants use this information for appropriate solution recommendations during the client briefing process.
How do I ensure clients complete the brief thoroughly?
Structure client intake forms with clear, specific questions. Use multiple choice options where possible. Design agencies often schedule brief review meetings to clarify responses and ensure complete client requirement analysis before project kickoff.
Can I use the same brief template for all projects?
Base templates work across projects but require customization. Different industries need specific questions. Graphic designers working on portfolio websites use different briefs than those creating corporate websites or specialized yoga website templates projects.
Conclusion
Well-structured examples of website brief templates transform chaotic projects into streamlined successes. UX designers and graphic designers who invest time in proper project documentation consistently deliver superior results while avoiding costly revisions.
The templates explored here provide frameworks for different scenarios. Whether you’re building resume websites, jewelry website templates, or complex converting websites, having the right project requirements template makes the difference between confusion and clarity.
Smart project managers understand that brief quality directly impacts final outcomes. Templates guide client communication, establish visual hierarchy priorities, and define website features before development begins.
Start implementing these design brief frameworks immediately. Your next project will benefit from reduced miscommunication, faster approvals, and happier clients. Creative brief development isn’t overhead – it’s your competitive advantage in delivering exceptional web experiences that exceed expectations.
If you enjoyed reading this article on website brief templates, you should check out this one with illustrator portfolio websites.
We also wrote about a few related subjects like the best graphic design portfolio examples, video portfolio websites, one-page website examples, cool website header examples, the most innovative and creative websites, and how much do web designers make.
