Top 10 Free Design Brief Templates

A design brief is a way of setting the right expectations from the beginning of a project, avoiding chaos and delays, and streamlining project management, collaboration, and coordination. Using a design brief template can simplify these processes, providing a clear direction and accountability, and making collaboration more efficient.

Before you start creating your own design brief, check out the Best Design Brief Templates from Notion to make the process easier and more enjoyable.

What Should Design Brief Templates Include?

Choosing the right Design Brief Template in Notion can streamline your project's initiation phase significantly. Here are key components to look for in a template:

  1. Project Overview: This section should succinctly summarize the project's goals, scope, and background, providing a clear snapshot at a glance.

  2. Objectives and Goals: A detailed list of what the project aims to achieve helps in aligning the team and measuring project success effectively.

  3. Target Audience: Understanding who the end-users are is essential for tailoring design decisions to meet user needs and preferences.

  4. Timeline and Milestones: This component should outline key project deadlines and milestones to keep everyone on track and ensure timely delivery.

Selecting a template that comprehensively covers these aspects will facilitate a smoother design process and help ensure that all project requirements are met.

What Should Design Brief Templates Avoid?

When selecting a design brief template in Notion, it's essential to be aware of certain elements that can hinder the creative process rather than help it. Here are three key components to steer clear of:

  1. Overly Complex Structures: Templates with too many sections or complicated layouts can confuse and slow down the project's initial stages.

  2. Undefined Objectives: Avoid templates that do not clearly define the project goals and objectives, as this can lead to misaligned expectations and outcomes.

  3. Excessive Mandatory Fields: Templates that require too much unnecessary information can be tedious and discourage use, focusing on essential fields enhances efficiency.

Choosing the right template involves looking for simplicity, clarity, and relevance to your specific project needs, ensuring a smoother workflow and clearer communication.

1Creative Brief

A simple document to help you organize all requirements and information needed to enable smooth collaboration with agencies and freelancers.

A template preview for Creative Brief

2Idea Generator

From brainstorming sessions to mind mapping exercises, this template provides a structured framework to fuel your creativity and take your ideas to the next level.

A template preview for Idea Generator

3Product Design RFC

Introducing the "Product Design RFC" template — a comprehensive and collaborative template designed to streamline your product design process from ideation to execution. This template captures essential information, fosters communication, and provides a structured approach to drive your design project forward.

A template preview for Product Design RFC

4Design Brief

A simple document to help you organize all requirements and information needed for effective execution of design projects.

A template preview for Design Brief

5Design & System Requirements Template

This template document aims to summarise the findings in this current stage of the research and to provide guidelines for the design (designers) and for the system (developers) based on this research.

A template preview for Design & System Requirements Template

6Designers Project Management

A Notion project management template for designers.

This template provides a focused space to manage your daily design projects and tasks.

What's included:

✔ Project management system

✔ Task management system

✔ Project planning

✔ Task tracking

✔ Task prioritization

✔ Task deadline tracking

✔ Project progress tracking

✔ Task progress tracking

✔ Customizable workflows

A template preview for Designers Project Management

7Brand Design Brief

Ugh, tired of design drafts that miss the mark?

You know, the ones that look kinda pretty, but don't really connect with your audience or boost your sales?

Been there, done that. That's why I created this super-simple Brand Design Brief Template.

Think of it as your magic wand for crafting a brand that:
Turns heads with stunning visuals that capture your unique vibe.
Speaks to your ideal customers like they're old friends.
Crushes the competition by standing out from the crowd.
Drives real business results, not just likes and shares.

No more design drama, Just a clear roadmap that helps you and your designer:
Understand your target audience inside-out. Who are they? What makes them tick?
Unleash your creative vision. Playful? Sleek? You name it! ✨
Spot your competitive edge. What are they doing right (and wrong)?
Fuel your designer's imagination. Share visual inspo to spark their creativity.
Align design with your business goals. Let's make it happen!

A template preview for Brand Design Brief

8UX/UI Design Project Brief

Looking for a skilled UX/UI designer? Check out this comprehensive UX/UI Design Project Brief Notion template! The Overview section provides background information about your expertise, while the "Why me" section highlights your unique value proposition. The Services section outlines the design offerings to cater to all client needs. Budget and timeline management are made easy with dedicated tables. Finally, the Terms and Conditions section ensures a productive collaboration. Start your UX/UI design project with confidence using this professional Notion template. Contact the client today to kickstart your project!

A template preview for UX/UI Design Project Brief

9Ideation Board & Library For Graphic Designer

What’s inside this template?

✅ Brainstorms Ideas & Concepts: Crucial for generating ideas & concept. It allows the designers note down their initial thoughts

✅ Sketches: A space for rough sketches and initial design concepts. This helps the designer visualize ideas before refining them.

✅ Mood Board Library: A library of mood boards, you can create and save to establish the visual direction by compiling images, colors, and textures that evoke the desired mood or style.

✅ Color Palettes Library: A library of color, you can create and save color palettes that align with the project's theme or client's preferences.

✅ Typography Library: A library of typography, you can create and save font choices and pairings, ensuring consistency in typography across the project.

✅ Images Library: A library of images, you can create and save graphics, and visual assets for reference and inspiration.

✅ Includes Tutorial Videos!

A template preview for Ideation Board & Library For Graphic Designer

10Design spec

Use this rich design spec to research, plan, and develop new product features or any other type of project.

This template includes sections for research and inspiration links (inserted as web bookmarks), documenting why and how you're building the feature, requirements, and how you'll measure success. It also showcases how you can use embeds from Figma, Framer, Invision, or Github to display mocks and prototypes.

A template preview for Design spec

Closing Thoughts

Utilizing these templates streamlines your design process, ensuring consistency and clarity across projects. They save time and foster creativity, allowing you to focus more on design execution.

Start implementing these tools today to enhance your workflow and improve collaboration with your team. Embrace the efficiency and watch your productivity soar.

What is a Scope of Work?

The scope of work in a design brief outlines the specific tasks, deliverables, and timelines the designer is expected to complete.

What is a Target Audience?

The target audience refers to the specific group of people the design is intended to appeal to, influencing the design's style and content.

What is a Milestone Schedule?

A milestone schedule in a design brief details significant stages or checkpoints in the project where certain parts of the design are reviewed or delivered.

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