Branding Questionnaire: 18 Questions to Build a Better Brief

A good branding questionnaire does two jobs at once: it gathers information, and it forces the client to make decisions. Start with a short version and add depth only where it matters.

The 18 questions

1. Describe your business in one sentence.
2. Who is the primary audience?
3. What do customers say before they buy?
4. What makes you different from the obvious alternative?
5. Who are three competitors you admire?
6. Who are three brands you admire outside your industry?
7. What three words should the brand feel like?
8. What three words should it never feel like?
9. What is the one message a visitor must remember?
10. What objections do people raise most often?
11. Which colours or styles must we avoid?
12. Do you have existing logo files and fonts?
13. Where will the brand appear first?
14. What tone of voice suits you (formal, warm, direct)?
15. What does success look like in six months?
16. Who approves creative work on your side?
17. What is the deadline, and what depends on it?
18. Is there anything else we should know?

A short starter

If a client is short on time, ask only questions 1, 2, 4, 7, 9 and 14. Those six usually unblock a first direction.