How to Write a Logo Design Brief That Gets You the Perfect Logo

Every week, we meet people who come to us with strong ideas for their brands. They know what they want to build, and they care about how their business should look. But many of them get stuck when it’s time to explain what kind of custom logo design they want. They might have a rough idea in their mind, but when they try to describe it, the details feel scattered.

That’s completely normal, because most clients are not designers, and they don’t need to be. What they do need is a simple, clear way to share what they want their logo to say about their brand.

That’s where a good logo design brief helps. It becomes the guide that helps our designers understand your story, your business goals, and how you want your customers to feel when they see your brand. In this guide, we’ve each part of a strong brief, based on the same process we use at 360 Illustration House every day to create logos from scratch.

Key Takeaways

• What a designer actually needs from you so the logo design process moves smoothly and doesn’t turn into endless revisions.
• How to explain your brand personality in simple words that help the designer understand your tone without any complicated branding terms.
• Why sharing a clear project purpose matter, especially if you’re starting fresh or updating an old logo.
• What details shape the final custom logo design, from color choices to the type of symbol you want, or don’t want?
• How to keep your brief short but complete, so we understand your idea fast and deliver results that match your vision.
• What many clients ignore in their briefs, and how including these missing points helps you get a much stronger final business logo design.

What to Include in the Logo Design Brief? Step-by-Step Breakdown

A strong brief doesn’t need to be long. It just needs the right details. Here’s how you can give us the information that helps us turn your idea into a clear direction.

1. Company Overview

Before we begin visioning your logo, we need to understand who you are and what your business does. Even a short description helps us understand your identity.

Here’s what to share in this section:

• Your business name and tagline.
• What your business offers.
• Who your customers are.
• Things that make your business different.
• Any other company info that the logo should reflect.

This section gives us the foundation. When we understand who you serve and how you want people to see your business, we can make a mood board that aligns with your tone and purpose.

2. Project Goals

The next thing we need is the reason behind the logo. Every project has a motive to achieve, and that guides the design direction.

Your goals can include:

• Starting a new business and needing your first logo.
• Updating an old logo that doesn’t fit the brand anymore.
• Creating a cleaner or more modern look.
• Adding a mascot or symbol that wasn’t part of your identity before.
• Preparing a logo design for a new product line or service.

When we understand the “why,” we can choose the right approach for concepts, sketches, and the final digital illustration.

3. Brand Personality

Your professional logo design speaks long before a customer reads your text or browses your products. It sets the mood. That’s why your brand personality is a key part of the brief.

Explain your brand using simple words. You don’t need marketing terms. You need everyday descriptions like:

• Friendly
• Strong
• Calm
• Playful
• Clean
• Sharp
• Warm
• Serious
• Bold

You can also tell us the feeling you want people to get when they look at your logo design. When we understand your tone, we can select the appropriate lines, shapes, and overall structure to illustrate your brand personality.

4. Preferred Logo Style

Different businesses need different logo styles, and this section helps us know what direction you prefer. This is one of the easiest parts when writing logo preferences.

Here are the styles you can choose from:

• Wordmark – brand name as the logo
• Lettermark – initials designed in a custom style
• Symbol or Icon – simple illustrations or abstract marks
• Mascot – a character representing the brand
• Emblem – badge-style design
• Minimal – clean, simple, and modern

This doesn’t lock you into one option. It just guides the first round of sketches so we don’t go in the wrong direction.

5. Color Preferences

Logo colors influence how people feel about your brand. We don’t need complex color theory, just simple guidance from you.

This is what helps us make the right choices for a professional logo design:

• Colors you already use.
• Colors you want in the new design.
• Colors you never want to see in it.
• Any shades that matter to your brand.
• If you prefer lighter or darker tones.

We also consider how the logo design will look on different backgrounds, so sharing your preferred vibe (bright, soft, cool, or warm) is also useful.

6. Typography Preferences

Fonts play a big role in how your brand sounds visually. Typography should feel natural to your brand identity.

You can tell us the following:

• If you prefer serif, sans serif, script, or bold fonts.
• If you want smooth, sharp, wide, or narrow letters.
• If readability is more important than style.
• If your brand tone is more formal or casual.

Sharing even one or two examples helps us choose a font direction that fits your brand.

7. Imagery / Icons

If your logo design needs an icon, symbol, or illustration, we need clarity on what you want and what you don’t want.

Here’s what to think about:

• Specific objects, symbols, or shapes.
• If you want a custom-drawn icon.
• If the symbol should be obvious or abstract.
• Any cultural or community-based elements.
• Anything you absolutely want us to avoid.

Since all our illustrations are custom-made, you can be as specific or simple as you like. Every icon is hand-drawn to match your brand's story.

8. Competitor Analysis

We never copy competitors. But knowing what others in your industry use helps us avoid repeating common patterns. Competitor notes are often included in solid design briefs.

To understand your direction, we need the answers to the following questions:

• What you like in competitor logos.
• Common elements in your industry.
• What you want to stay away from.
• What makes you different.

This step helps us create a custom logo design that stands out and feels original while still fitting the environment your business sits in.

9. File Format Requirements

File formats matter because different platforms need different versions of the business logo design.

Here’s what you should think about:

• Whether you need print files (AI, EPS, PDF).
• Whether you need digital files (PNG, JPG, SVG).
• If you want transparent backgrounds.
• If you need different color variations.
• Any size requirements for packaging, websites, or social media.

At 360 Illustration House, we provide formats that match your selected package, so specifying where the logo design will be used helps us prepare the right final files.

10. Budget & Deadlines

Knowing your timeline and budget doesn’t change the quality of the work. It helps us plan the project smoothly.

Sharing this information helps us set realistic expectations for a professional logo design:

• Your preferred delivery date
• If you need the logo urgently
• How many revisions do you expect
• Your overall budget range
• If you want multiple concepts or a single direction

This gives us the clarity we need to manage the project without rushing important steps, such as sketching, refining, and final detailing.

Benefits of a Well-Written Logo Design Brief

A strong brief provides the project with a clear structure. It removes confusion and helps us deliver your logo exactly how you imagine it.

1. Saves Time for Both Client and Designer

A clear brief keeps the logo design process smooth. When we know what you want from the start, we don’t waste time exploring directions you don’t like.

• Fewer revisions
• Faster approvals
• Clear feedback loops

This helps both sides move forward without delays. Professional Logo design companies streamline their workflows in this manner.

2. Reduces Guesswork and Misinterpretation

When details are missing, designers must make assumptions, and these assumptions can sometimes lead to unintended results. A strong brand brief removes that risk by giving us the right information upfront, such as tone, style, and purpose.

3. Leads to a More Accurate, Original Final Logo

When the brief is strong, the logo concepts align better with your brand identity.

• Build original illustrations
• Choose the right direction early
• Keep the look consistent from sketch to final file

These steps mirror the approach of trusted Logo design companies that prioritize originality.

4. Ensures the Logo Works Everywhere You Need It

The more we understand where you plan to use your logo design, the better we can prepare it for you. A complete brief ensures your logo works in every format.

• Social media sizing
• Website usage
• Print clarity
• Packaging layouts
• Multi-color and single-color modes

5. Builds a Consistent Brand Foundation

Your logo design becomes the visual anchor for all your future branding. A complete brief helps us build something that matches your long-term business logo design goals:

• Your tone
• Your style
• Your color preferences
• Your long-term goals

Conclusion

A logo isn’t just an image. It’s the first thing people connect with when they come across your business. When your brief is clear, the design process becomes simple and smooth. You help us understand your ideas the way you see them, and we turn those ideas into shapes, lines, colors, and a final logo design that fits your brand.

A strong brief also reduces revisions, keeps the project on track, and helps you feel confident in the direction right from the start.

If you’re planning to get a logo for your brand, this guide provides everything you need. Follow the steps, consider what matters most to your business, and express it in your own words. And when you’re ready to turn that brief into a professional logo, connect with our custom logo design services to get started.