How to use the design brief generator
A good brief is the cheapest way to save time on a project. Most redesigns, fee disputes and budget shocks trace back to something nobody asked at the start: how many people really live in the house, whether the budget includes furniture, whether the client works from home, or who signs off decisions. This generator gives you a structured client questionnaire in seconds, organised in the order you'd normally run a briefing meeting.
- Choose the project type. A new house, an extension or renovation, an interior project or a commercial or workplace job each get their own questions about spaces and use.
- Pick the length. The short version keeps the two or three most important questions in each section, which suits an email before the first meeting. The full version is for a briefing workshop.
- Tick the sections you need. Leave out sustainability for a quick fit-out or the site section for an interior, for example.
- Add names for the client and project if you like, then copy the text or download it as a .txt file and paste it into your own letterhead, email or form tool.
What goes into a design brief
Brief = goals + budget + timeline + site + spaces + use + style + performance + approvals + decision-making
The sections follow the order of a typical RIBA Stage 1 or AIA Pre-Design conversation. Start with why the client wants to build and what success looks like, then pin down money and time, because those two shape everything else. Next come the site and any existing building, followed by the list of spaces and how people will use them. Style, materials and sustainability come later, once the practical needs are clear. Finish with approvals and how the client wants to work with you.
| Section | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Goals and priorities | Lets you rank trade-offs when the budget gets tight |
| Budget and timeline | Tests whether the brief is realistic before you design |
| Site and existing building | Flags surveys, constraints and hidden costs early |
| Spaces and use | Becomes your schedule of accommodation |
| Style and materials | Avoids presenting a concept the client doesn't like |
| Sustainability and accessibility | Sets performance targets you can design to |
| Approvals and communication | Clarifies who decides, and how fast |
Worked examples
A rear kitchen extension
Choose "Extension or renovation", the full length and all sections except commercial use. The questionnaire asks which rooms are being changed, what isn't working now, whether the family will live in the house during the works, and whether there's a party wall or a conservation area. That's enough to start measured survey and feasibility work.
A pre-meeting email for a new house
Choose "New house" and the short length. You get about 20 questions covering goals, budget range, the plot, the number of bedrooms, the household and style references, short enough that clients will actually fill it in before you meet.
An office fit-out
Choose "Commercial or workplace" and untick the site section if the building is already chosen. The questions cover headcount now and in five years, desk ratios, meeting room needs, brand, IT and the lease end date.
Who this generator helps
- Architects running Stage 1 or Pre-Design briefings and writing fee proposals.
- Interior designers onboarding residential and hospitality clients.
- Small practices and sole practitioners who don't yet have a briefing template.
- Design-and-build contractors qualifying leads before a site visit.
- Homeowners getting their thoughts in order before they talk to an architect.
- Students practising client briefs for studio projects.
Practical tips
- Ask for the budget as a range and say what it covers. Check it against area with the construction cost calculator.
- Turn the answers into a programme with the project timeline estimator, and into rooms and areas with the square footage calculator.
- Ask clients to bring images they like and dislike. "Dislike" images are often more useful.
- Collect style answers into a material board with the material palette builder.
- Write the agreed brief back to the client and get it signed off before concept design.
Once you have the brief, describe the room in a sentence and see it straight away with Text to Room, a fast way to check you've understood the client's style.
