After two decades of design work, the pattern is clear: the strongest projects start with the strongest briefs. Not the longest, the clearest.
A good brief answers four questions before design begins: what business outcome are we designing toward, who is this for, what is the single thing this must communicate, and what would make this project a failure.
Notice what isn't on that list: taste, references, or 'make it modern.' Those come later. The brief is about alignment, not aesthetics.
If you're briefing a designer this week, try writing those four answers first. Even if the brief is one page, you'll get better work back.