How to Brief an Illustration Project
TL;DR
In this guide
- Define the idea. Explain the reader, message and role of the artwork.
- Show useful references. Describe the qualities you like without asking to copy another artist.
- Agree the applications. Formats, review stages, permitted uses and handover affect the scope.
An illustration brief explains what the artwork should communicate, where it will appear and what needs to be delivered. Clear information gives the illustrator room to solve the visual problem without guessing the intended use.
At a glance
Three decisions before illustration begins
01
Message and reader
Identify what the image should explain, suggest or support, and who will encounter it.
02
Style and content
Define the subject matter and relevant visual qualities using realistic references and examples.
03
Applications and delivery
List the places the artwork will appear, adaptations, review stages and required files.
Choose the job of the illustration
Begin with the communication problem. Is the artwork explaining a process, establishing a campaign character, adding editorial context or showing a product concept? Those tasks need different levels of detail and different relationships with the surrounding text.
Describe the audience and what they already know. A decorative image can set a tone; an explanatory diagram must make the intended information understandable. If the image relies on technical facts or data, provide the approved source material and a reviewer who can check it.
Describe style without copying a reference
Collect a few relevant references and explain what is useful about each: simplified shapes, texture, line weight, colour, humour, composition or level of detail. Also explain what would be unsuitable for the audience or brand.
A reference is a conversation aid, not permission to reproduce another artist’s work. Share existing brand assets and note whether the commission needs to fit an established visual system or establish a new direction. The branding guide can help when that wider system is unresolved.
Plan the actual applications
List the places the illustration will be used: a website, presentation, printed brochure, packaging, social campaign or physical display. Give the intended sizes, crops and surrounding text areas. A detailed scene may need a simplified adaptation for a small screen or a narrow layout.
Discuss the appropriate artwork and export formats with the designer. Raster artwork uses pixels, while vector artwork describes shapes that can be scaled; a project can include both. Adobe’s raster and vector guidance explains the distinction. The final file choice should follow the real application.
A worked illustration brief
Fictional example: A business needs an illustration explaining a four-stage website process. The audience is clients preparing a first project. The image should show the stages clearly, leave space for short labels and fit both a website article and a sales presentation.
The brief supplies the approved stage names, describes a simple visual tone and asks for a wide composition plus a smaller stacked adaptation. The business approves the sequence at sketch stage before detailed artwork begins. This is an example brief, not a claim about a completed Simply Graphic project.
Use review stages to check the right questions
At an early sketch or concept stage, review the idea, composition and relationship with the message. Confirm that important subjects are present and the image has room for its actual text or layout. Save detailed colour or finishing comments for the appropriate stage.
Collect feedback through one approval contact. A change to the central concept late in the work can affect more than a small refinement, so distinguish the two when discussing revisions. Ask what review stages and revision work are included rather than assuming a fixed process.
Agree use and handover clearly
Record the intended media, applications, versions and any future adaptation needs. Clarify the permitted uses, source files and third-party assets as part of the agreement with the supplier. An exported illustration and a fully editable source file are different deliverables.
Keep an approved final version with its associated notes so later teams know what may be reused and which file suits each application. If a printer or manufacturer will use the artwork, obtain that supplier’s actual specifications before the final export.
Check understanding as well as appearance
For informative artwork, ask whether the reader can understand the intended meaning in its real context. Provide appropriate text alternatives for digital use, especially when the image explains a sequence or contains important information. W3C’s image guidance explains how the image’s purpose affects that description.
Browse illustration work for relevant styles and applications. When artwork forms part of a printed document or retail display, include those production needs in the design brief from the start.
Put it into practice
Prepare the illustration brief
- Purpose, audience and the message to communicate.
- Approved subject matter, wording or data.
- References with notes about style and unsuitable approaches.
- Brand assets and existing visual constraints.
- Application sizes, crops, variants and export requirements.
- Approval contact, review stages and permitted uses to agree.
Keep in mind
The sketch is a useful decision point
Confirm the idea and composition before detailed finishing. Clear feedback at the right stage is easier to act on than a late change to the whole concept.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for a style without explaining the communication task.
- Treating another artist’s work as a design to reproduce.
- Approving a large presentation without checking smaller applications.
- Assuming all editing files, adaptations or future uses are included.
Useful answers
Common questions
Can one illustration work in several formats?
Sometimes, but different crops and sizes may need adaptations. List the applications before the work begins so the composition and delivery scope can account for them.
Do we need final copy first?
Supply enough approved wording and subject matter to guide the artwork. If labels, facts or the underlying sequence change, tell the illustrator because those changes can affect composition.
What files should we receive?
Agree the outputs needed for the actual uses and whether editable source files are part of the scope. Print or manufacturing suppliers may have additional requirements that should be confirmed directly.
