Why a Good Brief Matters
Before outsourcing your next presentation to a Presentation Design Specialist, investing the time to put together a clear and concise brief, can make the difference between getting exactly what you want from the end product, or having to go back and forth with edits and potential time delays.
Every presentation is unique and has a specific message to communicate to its own target audience. It is definitely not a one size fits all. To deliver a presentation that is on point, every designer needs to have certain information provided to them by their client, so that they fully understand the scope of the project they are embarking on. The more information you can provide to your designer, the clearer the objective will be.
The following are the top six pieces of information, I recommend you include in your future briefs, to ensure a smooth and timely executed project.
Purpose. It’s important for a designer to understand and be clear on the purpose (or goal) of your presentation, and what you are ultimately trying to communicate. For example, are you presenting sales results at an annual conference or are you presenting a pitch to a client that you are hoping to win over?
Target audience. Knowing the target audience is very important when putting together a presentation. The demographic of the audience can dictate the style, look and feel of a presentation. For example, if you are presenting to an audience of millennials about the latest trend in something, you would not expect the presentation to have a corporate look and feel.
Brand guidelines. If you do not have brand guidelines, being clear on what fonts, colours and logos you require or prefer is important. We will often take design cues from your website, flyers, brochures and other collateral if brand guidelines are not available. This will ensure consistency in look and feel across various channels showcasing a strong brand ID.
Images. Your audience will remember and digest visual information a lot better and faster than they do text. As the saying goes; a picture is worth a thousand words. If you require images for your presentation (and will not be providing them yourself) be clear on what type you would like your presentation designer to source for you. For example, would you prefer icons, a drawing or illustration, or a photograph (and if so what type of photo, with or without people, lighting and mood, black and white vs colour, etc)?
Similarly, if you require images of people, be clear on what age bracket and what activity you would like the person or people engaging in, such as shopping, eating etc. The more information you provide, the likelier you will get what you want the first time around.
In relation to graphs and charts, if you require any and have a preference (e.g. line graph, bar graph or pie chart), then also be sure to convey this. Of course, there are instances where you will be happy for us to take the lead based on our experience, if that’s what you’re after please, let us know.
Examples. Provide examples of other presentations that you like the look and feel of, as it will give your designer a better idea of what you would like (or expect) regarding the style, colour scheme and look and feel. It will also give us an indication of your likes and dislikes.
Deadlines. Providing a clear deadline within your brief will ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same time frame and date. It will also allow all involved to plan their time better and work more effectively. Allowing time for revisions within that timeline is very important, it will allow you to review the work and provide us with feedback, and we will then be better able to tweak the presentation to meet all of your specifications.
All of the above contribute greatly towards receiving a polished and sharp presentation. However, I do acknowledge that there will be times when you are just not sure or clear on the best way to proceed with either style, colours, and look or feel. That’s okay too. In cases like these, let your presentation designer know you are open to their suggestions. A great way of deciding how to proceed with the theme of a presentation is to obtain a handful of sample slides back from your designer, this will help you greatly in deciding and locking in a theme moving forward.
Ultimately, the goal of your brief is to ensure that your Presentation Design Specialist is clear of your expectations and that they are spending their time and effort on things that will get you the results that you are looking for.
After all, in business there is nothing more satisfying than a smoothly run project, that is completed within a time frame without stress and to the satisfaction of both parties.
Are you ready to brief us? Contact the
PowerPoint presentation design experts at Slidesho today!
