Description
Before any paid design work begins, both you and your client need to agree in writing on what you are making, who it is for, when it is due, and how much it costs. In the industry this document goes by several names: project brief, letter of agreement, proposal, or statement of work. Whatever you call it, the goal is the same, make sure both people are talking about the same project.
This assignment asks you to write a plain-language project brief for a hypothetical freelance client. No legalese required. Write it the way you would want to read it if you were the client.
Learning Objectives
By completing this assignment you will be able to:
- Describe a creative project clearly enough that a client can sign off on it
- Define the scope, timeline, payment terms, and revision policy for a freelance job
- Understand why scope creep happens and how a written brief prevents it
- Use AI as a drafting tool and then refine the output in your own voice
Background: What Goes in a Freelance Brief?
Think of a project brief as the answer to six questions:
- What are we making? Describe the deliverables specifically, not “a logo” but “a primary logo, one alternate lockup, and a one-color version, delivered as AI, PDF, and PNG.”
- Who is it for? Who is the client’s audience? What tone or feel are they going for?
- What is the timeline? Start date, key milestones (first draft, revision round, final delivery), and end date.
- How much does it cost? Total fee, payment schedule (e.g. 50% upfront, 50% on delivery), and what triggers additional charges.
- How many revisions are included? This is the most common source of conflict. Two rounds of revisions is standard. After that, changes are billed at your hourly rate.
- What happens if the project gets cancelled? You keep any fees paid for work already done.
Resources
- The State of Our Contracts, AIGA, Real designers talking about what works and what doesn’t. Key quote: “People think contracts are for resolving disputes. Their real purpose is preventing them.”
- AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services, The industry standard. Too long for a small project, but excellent as a reference for what terms matter and why.
- Freelance Contracts: Do’s and Don’ts, Smashing Magazine, Practical and plain-English.
Steps
- Invent a client scenario. Make it realistic and specific to your field, a small restaurant that needs a rebrand, a musician who wants album art, a startup that needs a pitch deck, a nonprofit that needs an explainer animation. The more specific, the better the brief.
- Use AI to generate a first draft. Give Claude or ChatGPT your scenario and ask it to write a plain-language project brief covering: deliverables, target audience, timeline with milestones, payment schedule, revision policy, and what happens if the project is cancelled. You do not need to include personal identifying information, use your name and a fake client name.
- Read it critically. Does it actually describe YOUR project? Is anything vague enough that the client could interpret it differently than you? Rewrite any section that doesn’t sound like you or doesn’t match your scenario.
- Add a scope note. Write one paragraph that explicitly states what is NOT included. For example: “This brief covers the brand identity only. Website design, copywriting, and social media assets are not included and would require a separate agreement.”
- Format it. A project brief should look professional, clean layout, your name at the top, client name, date, and a signature line for both parties at the bottom. You can use Google Docs, Word, or InDesign.
- Submit your brief as a PDF along with a one-paragraph reflection: What was the hardest part to write? What did the AI get wrong that you had to fix?
Example AI Prompt
“I’m a freelance graphic designer and I need to write a plain-language project brief for a new client. Here’s the scenario: [describe your hypothetical client and project]. Please write a project brief that covers: what I’m delivering and what file formats, who the audience is, a timeline with start date, first draft, revision round, and final delivery, payment terms (total fee with a 50% deposit), how many revisions are included and what happens after that, and what happens if either of us cancels. Write it in plain English, no legal jargon.”
Example
A strong project brief is short, specific, and readable. It should not require a lawyer to understand. Here is what the payment section might look like:
Payment
Total fee: $800
$400 is due before work begins. The remaining $400 is due when final files are delivered. If I send an invoice and haven’t heard back in 14 days, I’ll follow up. After 30 days, a 10% late fee applies.
If you decide to cancel the project after work has begun, the deposit is non-refundable. You’ll receive all work completed up to that point.
Notice: no Latin, no “hereinafter,” no “party of the first part.” Just clear information both people can agree to.
How to Submit
Upload your project brief as a PDF and write your one-paragraph reflection in the Canvas text box.