Six examples

Well-developed and well-written design briefs contain a great deal of proprietary information so they are seldom, if ever, made public. But here Peter Phillips discusses some well-known design projects whose success was based on a comprehensive design brief and explains on video why briefing is just as important for small businesses undertaking design projects

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Find out how one SME made briefing work for them
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Project: Automotive re-design
Client: General Motors
Designer: In-house team
Year: 2003 (launch)

General Motors realised its premium automobile brand, Cadillac, needed a major re-design to improve sales and increase market share. It was determined that the engineering of the luxury motor car was still considered state of the art, but the overall design of the vehicle was not exactly what the target audience wanted. A comprehensive design brief was created to guide marketing, engineering, and design through this major project.

This major re-design has been credited for restoring the Cadillac brand to its former position as an icon of luxury for American cars. It can be argued that the design brief was the most important factor in the overall success of this project.

Project: Corporate identity
Client: Akzo-Nobel
Designer: Wolff Olins Ltd
Year: 1988 (launch)

In the late 1980s Wolff Olins Ltd, in partnership with Akzo-Nobel, developed a new global identity for the company. Although this project was completed nearly 20 years ago, it is notable because Wally Olins documented the process thoroughly in his book, Corporate Identity - Making business strategy visible through design.

The brief explained Akzo Nobel’s business objectives in clear terms. The symbol developed by Wolff Olins was based around a human symbol of achievement, which aided in the re-positioning of the company in the global marketplace. Wally Olins has said: “The identity system made Akzo Nobel’s business strategy and structure visible for all the world to see.”

Project: Rebranding
Client: British Airways
Designer: Newell and Sorrell
Year: Rebrand launched 1997

Newell and Sorrell worked in partnership with British Airways to update the airline's brand image worldwide. A comprehensive design brief was created in partnership between the consultancy and the airline company. Some elements of this brief were shared with the public at the time.

BA sought to change their image from a strictly British carrier to that of a global carrier. There were a number of facets to this new positioning, but strictly design components of aircraft livery, staff uniforms, and other artifacts of the airline, were considered a critical part of the project and laid out in the brief.

Project: PT Cruiser
Client: Chrysler Corporation
Designer: In-house team
Year: 2000

Chrysler Corporation, partnering with its own in-house design group, effectively used a comprehensive design brief to develop its highly successful PT Cruiser automobile.

The goal was to introduce a new vehicle to largely American audiences, that would feature unique design, rather than new engineering. The design of the automobile was radical for American car manufacturers, but not so radical that the public did not react enthusiastically. When first introduced by Chrysler, the vehicle received major notice from the press, and stimulated a buying spree that lasted more than a year. The important result for design, is that this vehicle demonstrated that good, innovative design can dramatically effect the prosperity of a company.

Project: Corporate identity
Client: Bell Laboratories - now Lucent Technologies
Designer: Landor Associates
Year: 1998

Even though the timescale was incredibly short, Landor Associates took the time to develop a written brief for their creation of a name and logo for the former Bell Laboratories - now Lucent Technologies. The process has been well documented in a case study written by Peter L Phillips and Stephen A Greyser.