General brief sheet




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The following questionnaire is designed to help understand your current brand and the context surrounding it. (Read more about branding here.) Hopefully this questionnaire will also help you in capturing your vision for your project. Because each member of your team may have a different vision, we recommend completing this as a group. That way we won't miss any important opinions. Once you’re happy that the brief clearly describes your project, email it back and we’ll work out the right solution for you.
The more information you can give, the better we'll be able to respond.


Your Contact Details

Your name*

Your email address*

*Required fields

Your Project

Please give a clear description of your project. e.g. an annual report, a corporate brochure, a website, etc.

Who are the main contacts for this project? Who has final approval? Please list names, email addresses and phone numbers.

When do you expect the project to start and when does it need to be completed? Are there specific reasons for these dates? e.g. tradeshow, product launch, end of year budget.

Project Objectives

What are your main reasons for commissioning the project? e.g improve sales, increase customer satisfaction, reduce time spent searching for information etc.

How will you know if the project is a success? e.g. 20% increase in sales, 70% of surveyed users expressing satisfaction, 30% reduction in time spent searching for info.

Project or Brand Tone

What adjectives describe your brand/project? Note how it should be perceived by choosing from the adjectives below. Mark where your it should sit on the scale between each opposing idea. Some sets intentionally overlap each other in meaning or are similar.

Conservative Neither Progressive
Cold Neither Warm
Traditional Neither Innovative
Fun Neither Serious
Masculine Neither Feminine
Casual Neither Formal
Energetic Neither Laid Back
Trendy Neither Classic
Spontaneous Neither Orderly
Loud Neither Quiet
Solitary Neither Popular
Unique Neither Familiar
Young Neither Old
Fresh Neither Established

What tone do you want your brand to carry? The tone of a brand is it's character and voice. How should your communications sound? Energetic and youthful? Established and dependable? Somewhere in-between? Feel free to use words you selected above.

Your Company Background & Culture

How did the brand or company start? Has it evolved from the initial vision? Understanding how a brand started can be an important aspect to its story. Where did it come from? Who was behind it? Has it changed or evolved?

Where is the brand going? Is there a 5 year vision for the company and its products? The future vision of a company is vital to understanding a brand. Where a company is going is the basis of how it should position itself now. Note: Avoid general statements such as the "global leader", instead define specifics ways in which it will lead and how.

How would you describe your company culture? How would you describe the personality of the company? What is the leadership like? How does the culture effect how you relate to customers?

Your Customers and Market

What market are your products in? Describe the industry and the market your products or services are in. What makes this group unique?

What are the values of your customers? What are the most important issues to them as a whole? What do they value above all else in a purchasing decision?

What specifics are they looking for when they look for your type of product? What are the values they look for in products such as yours? What are the "top of mind questions" when you are first contacted? What concerns do they have before purchasing?

What is the decision making process customers use (rational or not) when they purchase your brand? List the key decision points in sequential order. Is it price then quality? Do they choose product integration over price?

What ways do you market? How do you reach out to new customers? How you market to customers helps us to understand the context in which potential customers will first meet your brand.

Brand Positioning

What does your brand stand for in the customers' mind? How do customers perceive you? Who are you to them? Are you the industry leader or are you the up and coming innovator? How do they relate to you as opposed to your competition?

Why should they care about you? How do your products impact them or their business? What is the bottom line value or resulting effect? Think in terms of real bottom-line value. Example: A BMW offers customers a feeling of driving a high performance machine, not just getting them from point A to B.

What are your key differentiators? How does the above differ from your competitors? Given your both selling a similar product, what makes yours worth the customers money and not theirs?

How do you envision emphasizing those differentiators? Note the ways in which you emphasize them. Does your marketing materials revolve around your differentiators? What slogans have you used to highlight them? What key points do you market on?

What Is your primary brand tagline? What single statement embodies all of the above? Visa claims "It's everywhere you want to be", Nike says "Just Do it", and Coke reminds us "It's the real thing." What promise does your brand claim?

Your Competition

Who are your competitors? Identify the companies that believe the opposite of what you do. What do they stand for? How are they trying to differentiate themselves from you?

Why do they get it wrong and you get it right? What are the problems with their products? How does your brand promise solve those problems?

Additional Comments

We’ve tried to keep this worksheet as general as possible, but every project is unique. Please feel free to add any extra information you think will be helpful.