Why Most Logo Briefs Fail
The most common logo brief sounds like this: "I want something modern and clean that represents my brand." That tells a designer almost nothing. Modern compared to what? Clean in what way? What does your brand actually stand for?
A great brief gives the designer (or AI) enough context to make creative decisions — without dictating the solution.
The 7 Elements of a Strong Logo Brief
- Brand name — Exactly as it should appear in the logo.
- Industry & category — What space are you in? Who are your competitors?
- Target audience — Who is this logo for? Age, values, aesthetic preferences.
- Brand personality — Three adjectives. (See our brand voice guide.)
- Color direction — Specific hex codes if you have them, or color families and emotions.
- Style references — 3–5 logos you admire and why. Be specific about what you like.
- What to avoid — Clichés in your industry, colors that feel wrong, styles that don't fit.
Example: A Strong Logo Brief
"Brand name: Clearpath. We're a project management tool for indie developers — calm, focused, anti-complexity. Target audience: solo developers and small teams who are frustrated with Jira and Asana. Personality: Direct, calm, slightly rebellious. Color direction: Deep navy and electric teal — professional but not corporate. Style: Minimal, geometric, single-color icon. References: Linear's logo (love the simplicity), Vercel's logo (love the geometric precision). Avoid: Checkmarks, gears, anything that looks like enterprise software."
Using AI to Generate Logo Prompts
BrandGoblin AI generates a logo prompt as part of every brand kit — a detailed description you can feed directly into Midjourney, DALL-E, or hand to a designer on Fiverr or 99designs. The prompt is built from your brief, so the more specific your input, the more specific (and useful) the output.