How to write a design brief in half a page
Five questions that tell a studio more than a twenty-page document (sample note).
Brands, websites and campaigns for companies that make things.
Ashgrove Studio (sample) is nine designers, writers and developers in Springfield. We work with roasters, libraries, festivals and workshops, from the first name to the launch.
STB-2600 Ashgrove Studio Studio poster, A1 Proof 4 Signed off
Selected work
Every job leaves the studio as a proof the client signs. Here are four from this year, with the job number and the round they were signed off in.
STB-2611 Tidewater Coffee Identity and packaging Proof 3 Signed off
A new name for the house blend, a mark, and bags that tell you the roast at arm’s length.
STB-2588 Harbour Library Website Proof 2 Signed off
A website that puts opening hours, events and the catalogue one tap from the home page.
STB-2574 Southside Print Fair Campaign Proof 3 Signed off
Twelve posters, one for each printer at the fair, pasted around town four weeks before.
STB-2552 Spoke Street Cycles Identity and signage Proof 2 Signed off
A sign you can read from the bike lane, and price cards for the workshop wall.
Clients and jobs (sample).
What we make
Three kinds of job, often together. Each one has a fixed price agreed before we start and two rounds of changes included.
Brand identity
Name, mark, colours, type and the rules that hold them together.
- Naming and a short brand story
- Logo, colours and type
- Guidelines and starter templates
Websites
Sites that answer the questions your customers phone you about, built on WordPress so you can edit them.
- Content plan and page structure
- Design for phone and desktop
- Build, training and three months of care
Campaigns
Posters, social posts, signage and print for a launch, a season or an event.
- Campaign idea and key line
- Posters, social and ads in every size
- Print buying and delivery
Example prices.
How a project runs
A typical identity job takes ten weeks. You see three proofs on the way, and nothing goes to print or goes live until you sign the last one.
Step
12345678910
Brief and first call
We read, ask, and agree the job in writing.
Proof 1: routes
Two or three directions, shown on real things.
Proof 2: one route, refined
Your changes, then the details.
Proof 3 and sign-off
Final checks; you sign the proof.
Artwork and launch
Files, printing, going live, handover.
Timings for a typical brand identity project (sample). Websites add four weeks of build.
“They asked better questions about our coffee than our own team did. The bags sold out of the first roast in a week.”
Sample client
Owner, Tidewater Coffee
A studio of nine, above an old print works
We are designers, writers and two developers. Every job has one lead who stays with it from the first call to the launch, so you never brief the same thing twice.
Founded
2014
People
9
Studio
3 Foundry Yard, Springfield
Studio hours
Mon to Fri, 9:00 to 17:30
Studio facts (sample).
Ways to work with us
Fixed-price project
One job, one price, agreed in writing before we start
From $6,000
Monthly retainer
Four days of studio time a month, booked in advance
$3,200 a month
Workshop day
A day with your team to sort out a name, a brief or a plan
$1,400
Website care
Updates, backups and an hour of small changes
$180 a month
Example prices.
Always included
- Two rounds of changes at every proof
- All source files and fonts licensed in your name
- A written estimate before any extra work
Studio notes
Why we still check every job on paper
Screens flatter colour and hide small type. A printed proof does not (sample note).
Choosing paper for a small print run
Coated or uncoated, weight and finish: a short guide for menus, cards and posters (sample note).
Start with a short brief
Half a page is enough. We reply within two working days with questions or a time for a call (sample).
What helps us most
- What you make or do, and for whom
- What is not working today
- A date you are working towards
- A rough budget, even a range