A brief doesn't need to be a formal document. It needs to be a clear set of answers to questions a designer will ask anyway. The more clearly you can answer them before the first conversation, the more useful that conversation will be - and the more accurately the designer can quote you.
Vague briefs produce vague quotes. Vague quotes produce surprises. This guide helps you avoid both.
The core questions to answer first
Before anything else, be clear on these:
What does the site need to do? Sell products online, take bookings, generate enquiries, showcase a portfolio, explain a service? Most sites do one primary thing. Be specific about what yours is.
Who is your customer? Not in abstract marketing terms - in concrete ones. Are they buying for themselves or as gifts? Are they on mobile or desktop primarily? Are they a consumer or a trade buyer? Are they buying impulsively or researching carefully before buying? These affect design decisions.
What are you selling? How many products? What variants (size, colour, material)? Are there any non-standard product structures - bundles, subscriptions, made-to-order? Is your stock live or does it change infrequently?
What do you have already? A logo? Brand guidelines? Existing photography? A previous website? Domain names? Any of these shapes what needs to be done.
What do you want it to look like? Not a full design brief - just three or four websites you like the look of, with a note on what specifically you like about them. "I like this one because the product images are large and the checkout is clean" is useful. "Something modern and clean" is not.
Practical information to have ready
A designer will also need, at some point during the project:
- Your product list - names, prices, variants, and a rough sense of how many SKUs you're managing
- Delivery information - how you ship, which couriers, whether you offer free delivery over a threshold, whether you ship internationally
- Returns policy - the key terms, so the shop can display them correctly
- Payment preferences - Stripe is the default recommendation for most UK businesses; PayPal if your customers specifically expect it
- Any third-party integrations - booking systems, mailing list providers, accounting software you want connected
You don't need all of this on day one, but having it available speeds things up considerably during the build.
Budget and timeline
These are the two things clients are often reluctant to state upfront. Don't be. A designer who knows your budget can tell you immediately whether what you want is achievable within it - and if not, what is. A designer given no budget information will quote for what they think you want, which may be far more or far less than you need.
Similarly, if you have a deadline - a product launch, a trade show, a seasonal peak - say so at the outset. A designer with a clear launch date can plan around it. One told two weeks before the deadline cannot.
Don't hide your budget
The most productive first conversations happen when both sides know what the budget is. Saying "I have around £1,500 to spend - what can you do?" is far more useful than "how much do you charge?" It lets the designer tell you specifically what you'd get, and whether the expectation and the budget are aligned.
What separates a good brief from a poor one
Good briefs are specific. Poor briefs are aspirational. The difference:
Poor: "I want a beautiful, modern online shop that's easy to use and really showcases my products."
Good: "I sell 40 handmade ceramic pieces. No variants - each is unique with its own photo and price. I want large images and a simple checkout. My customers are 35-60, mostly women, and they buy from mobile. I like how [specific site] handles its product pages."
The good brief tells the designer everything they need to start thinking about solutions. The poor brief tells them nothing specific.
Questions to ask the designer
A brief is a two-way document. While you're providing information, you should also be gathering it. Useful questions to ask:
- Can I see examples of shops you've built in a similar sector?
- Who will actually be doing the work - you, or someone in your team?
- What does the price include, and what would incur extra cost?
- Who will own the domain and hosting - me, or you?
- What happens if I need changes after launch?
- Can I speak to a previous client?
The answers to these questions tell you more about a designer than their portfolio does. A designer who can answer all of them clearly and without hesitation is one who has been doing this long enough to have worked through every scenario.
What happens after the brief
A good designer will take your brief and come back with a written proposal: a clear description of what will be built, what's included and what isn't, a fixed price or a clear day-rate with a scope, and a timeline. Review this carefully. Anything that's not in the proposal won't be in the scope.
If something is missing that you assumed would be included, raise it before signing. It's always easier to add something to a project before it starts than to negotiate it in the middle of a build.
First conversation is free
Lawrence at Futurestore will talk through your project, give you an honest assessment of what's involved, and provide a fixed quote with no obligation. The first conversation costs nothing and you'll come away knowing exactly what your shop would involve. Contact an online shop design expert - futurestore.co.uk or call 01209 706544.