If You Have to Brief Your Designer, You’ve Hired the Wrong One

Here’s a truth most companies refuse to admit: if your designer needs a full, hand-holding brief to do their job, you’ve already hired the wrong partner.

Think about it. You don’t hire a top lawyer and then tell them exactly how to argue a case. You don’t hire a surgeon and walk them through every incision. You hire someone with skill, experience, and instinct to solve the problem themselves. Design isn’t different—it’s a craft that requires interpretation, not just execution.

Yet, day after day, I see businesses spending hours writing meticulous briefs: goals, brand colors, target audience, tone, KPIs… only to be frustrated when the designer delivers something “close but not quite.” That’s not the designer’s fault. It’s the hiring decision.

A great designer doesn’t wait to be told what to do—they ask the right questions, learn your business, understand your audience, and anticipate your challenges. They bring commercial thinking to the table, not just a willingness to follow instructions.

If you’re hiring a designer and trying to control every pixel, you’re treating design like a production task. But design isn’t decoration; it’s performance. The best outcomes come from trusting expertise, not micromanaging it.

So here’s the takeaway: next time you feel the need to write a 10-page brief, stop. Ask yourself instead:“Am I hiring design expertise — or just outsourcing execution?”