What Is a Design Brief and How to Write It

Learn how to stay aligned and keep your design project on track.

In order for the designer to do the best job they can, first, it's crucial to understand exactly what the design task requires.

This is where the design brief comes in . When done correctly, it becomes a vital communication tool for your design project. Running a project without it usually means relying on phone calls, long email threads, notes, and messages, which inevitably results in chaos. Whether you are a design agency or a company commissioning the design, with a brief, you have a single guiding document for your entire design process.

Let's go into what design briefs are and how to write them.

What is a design brief?

How to write a design brief, what to include in a design brief, design brief template.

A design brief is a document that defines the core details of your upcoming design project , including its goals, scope, and strategy. It needs to define what you, as a designer, need to do, and within what constraints. In many ways, it works like a roadmap or a blueprint, informing design decisions and guiding the overall workflow of your project, from conception to completion.

Most importantly, a well-crafted brief should help you make sure that there is full agreement among the stakeholders on project deliverables, budget, and schedule.

Here's an example of a design brief created in Nuclino , a unified workspace where teams can bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. Create an account and start writing your own design briefs:

Design brief example in Nuclino

An example of a logo design brief in Nuclino

Visual collaboration is seamlessly built into Nuclino, allowing you to add an infinite collaborative canvas to any design brief. You can use it to build creative moodboards, brainstorm ideas using sticky notes, create diagrams, and more.

Since most design projects are collaborative and involve multiple stakeholders, carefully consider where you are going to write your design brief . Creating it in a Word document would mean having to deal with emails , bouncing around your team's inboxes, and outdated attachments. Using a document sharing tool that facilitates collaboration, such as Google Docs or Nuclino , could help you ensure everyone always has the latest version of the brief and make it easy to provide their input.

Regardless of the tool you use, the most important task is deciding what content to include. After all, a design brief is only valuable if it captures the correct, relevant, and up-to-date information.

It can take many forms and follow many different templates. Every design project is different, so there’s no fixed formula for the perfect brief. It can be a very formal, long, and detailed document, or it can be a simple and short one-pager. However, there are several essential elements that make a great brief.

Design brief template

Project overview

The project overview section of your brief should provide a clear and concise description of your design project. It should cover the what and why behind your project. For example: "We need a logo design for use online or in print", or "we need a logo animation in the MP4 format to be used in the introduction of our product tutorial videos" or "we are looking for a web design agency to undertake a custom project for our brand and website, delivering wireframes, mockups, interactive prototypes, and production-ready web design assets ."

You can formulate this section by asking yourself or your client the following questions:

What are we building?

What design problem are we trying to solve?

What assets are expected at the completion of the project?

Goals and objectives of the new design

One of the most important steps in planning a design project and writing your design brief is aligning on what you (or your client) want to achieve with the new design.

Make a distinction between goals and objectives . Goals describe the overall purpose of the project, while objectives are concrete measures of success in reaching a goal. The more specific and unambiguous these are in the project brief, the clearer the path will be for your work. Here are some questions that may help get clarity on project goals and objectives:

What would an ideal outcome look like for this project?

Are you redesigning an existing artifact? Why?

Is this the first time you are trying to tackle this design problem?

For example, if your project involves cutting-edge technologies like IoT product engineering , include specific performance metrics or benchmarks that the final design should meet, ensuring a clear standard for success.

Target market or audience

Understanding your audience is the first step in addressing their needs in the best possible way. Take your ideal customer, and build your persona around them. Outline their demographic traits and psychographic characteristics, as well as the problems you want to solve for them through your product.

Who is your ideal customer?

What are their demographics, habits, and goals?

When and how will they be using your product?

Budget and schedule

Understanding the budget and agreeing to a timeline are critical steps in the briefing process. Clarifying these constraints and expectations upfront is necessary for keeping the project on track and avoiding conflicts and scope creep down the road. Both, the schedule and the budget should be realistic and flexible enough to account for potential changes or unexpected obstacles.

Try asking these questions to gather the information you need:

What are the budget constraints on this project? How flexible are they?

What internal deadlines does this project need to align with?

What are the key milestones within the project?

Project deliverables

Aligning on project deliverables is one of the core purposes of the design brief. Even a small misunderstanding can create major problems if not addressed as soon as possible. Here are some questions that may help you clarify which deliverables you would need:

What do you or your client expect to receive at the end of the project?

What file formats should work be supplied in?

What sizes and resolutions are needed?

Other relevant information

Depending on the project, you may need to include additional details in your brief. For example:

Who are the main competitors?

Are there any "do nots"? Any features or creative directions you want to reject upfront?

Who will do the final approval? Who will have the power to approve or reject your work at the end of the project?

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to design briefs. The exact format needs to be defined by your own internal design workflow.

However, having a template that you can use as your starting point for each project you work on can certainly save you a lot of time and ensure you don' miss anything important. Here is a sample template you can use for inspiration when creating your own.

Design brief template

Design brief template in Nuclino

Once you have created your brief, don't forget to keep it up-to-date and make sure to make it easily accessible to all relevant stakeholders. It's important to remember that it's never fully finished until the project is complete – instead, it continuously evolves as part of the design process. You may need to revise it several times over the course of the project, for example, when you get new input from your clients or your team.

If you are using a tool like Nuclino , you can collaboratively edit your brief in real time and comment on specific sections. The document can be easily shared with external stakeholders using a shared link . Finished deliverables – files, images, Figma designs , and so on – can be embedded or uploaded directly into the brief, making it easy to manage your entire design project within a single document.

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How to Write a Design Brief in 8 Steps with Templates and Examples

Haillie Parker

June 18, 2024

No matter how many hours we spend staring into our dog’s eyes, none of us are mind readers. 🔮 🐶

Luckily, there are ways to combat our lack of telepathy in the workplace—especially when it comes to design concepts that we imagine so vividly in our heads, but have no idea how to recreate IRL.

What’s the solution? Writing detailed and practical design briefs, of course!

Like placing an order at a restaurant, design briefs tell the designer what you want out of a request. It’s how they understand what the project is, what the task requires, and where to start.

The key to a highly effective design brief is to be both clear and concise—which is challenging when you’re dealing with complex tasks or multiple non-negotiable project requirements . But we’re here to help with tips and examples to take your design briefs to the next level. 💜

Whether your design team is looking to standardize your briefs and requests, or you’re part of a design agency commissioning a company project, this article has you covered. Read along for a fresh take on writing efficient design briefs including the essential elements, how-to breakdowns, a customizable template, and more!

What is a Design Brief?

Design brief vs creative brief, step 1: choose your design brief project management software, step 2: the design brief project description, step 3: the design brief objective and smart goals, step 4: the design brief’s target audience, step 5: your budget and timeline, step 6: the expected project deliverables.

  • Step 7: Anything else you deem important! 

Step 8: Share it with the team

Design brief examples, design brief template.

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A design brief is a written project management document that lays the design thinking for a design project with the outlined goals, project scope, and approach for the request. Similar to your project roadmap , the design brief is a designer’s guiding light when it comes to the where , what , when , and why of a specific request.

A well written design brief typically passes through many hands before it lands on the designer’s to-do list. With approvals from all project managers and stakeholders , the brief should be thorough but to the point, identifying the approved timeline, end product, and budget (if applicable).

Creative Brief Example Made In ClickUp Docs

On a deeper level, briefs are also a way for the designer to connect and align with the person making the request. In this sense, try to use your project brief as a collaborative tool for eliminating the general confusion that comes with additional back-and-forth phone calls, messages, and emails.

But while it’s important to include core details and context to your requests, your design brief should still be, well, brief . You want it to be long enough to describe the project and communicate your request without overwhelming the designer with a multi-page pamphlet that runs margin-to-margin. 🥵

How do these ideas come together in a design brief? We’ll show you!

The main difference between a design brief and a creative brief is the target audience. A design brief is directed towards designers, while a creative brief focuses on marketing teams or other individuals involved in the creative process.

A design brief includes more technical details like timelines, budget constraints, and specific requirements for the project. On the other hand, a creative brief may focus more on brand messaging, tone of voice, and target audience for the project.

Both types of briefs serve a purpose in the design process and should work together to provide a complete understanding of the project’s goals and objectives.

How to Write a Design Brief in 8 Steps

In an exciting turn of events, there’s no set-in-stone format you must stick to when writing an effective design brief. 🤩

Your team will find the type of brief that serves your design project management style best in terms of length, detail, and work style. Small requests or smaller-scale projects may not require as hefty of a brief, but there are still key elements that all briefs share.

Product Brief Example Made in ClickUp Docs

Relying on a template, a survey-style request, or a standardized document structure are all great ways to collect the necessary information to build a design brief. The key is to keep it consistent! Here is our step-by-step guide for writing effective design briefs with real-life examples. ✏️

Follow these eight steps from top to bottom—or skip to the next section for a free customizable template to make the design process even easier! 🤓

Design projects are collaborative by nature and your ideal design project management software will have the features to support that! Powerful design tools will alleviate some of the stress and streamline daily processes involved in your design workflow with the ability to organize, edit, share, and manage projects of any size.

And since design briefs are commonly formatted in a document, your chosen project management tool will likely include a built-in document editor or integrations to bring all of the right information together across apps.

Think of your design brief as a reliable source of truth—a document that you can refer back to at any time for the most accurate information and progress updates. The best example of this? ClickUp Docs . 📃

ClickUp Docs are your destination for all things text-based in your Workspace. In true ClickUp fashion, Docs offer a ton of features like AI, nested pages, Slash Commands , styling options, embedding, and advanced settings to customize the look and functionality of your Doc.

ClickUp AI is a powerhouse tool for design briefs. You can use AI to generate ideas quickly, allowing you to brainstorm and refine concepts with little effort. With a few simple clicks, ClickUp AI can generate hundreds of ideas in no time at all. From there, you can filter out irrelevant content, find the best fit for your design brief, or narrow down the selection to create a cohesive brief.

You’ll also love how far your can take your design briefs with real-time editing, @mentions in comments , and secure sharing and permissions via a simple link. Plus, Docs can be connected to your workflows so any updates that happen in your document are automatically reflected in related tasks and other areas of your workspace.

Context is everything and this section of your design brief should give exactly that!

Give a brief but descriptive project overview section of what your project is and what it will be used for. This doesn’t have to dig too deep, but a sentence or two that clearly states your request and what you’ll be using it for is a great starting point for the designer.

This section may also include a bit about the company or client commissioning the design. What the company does, its primary services, values, and brand identity are common details to find in this section.

Our social media marketing agency is redesigning our website to feature a new home page, blog section, and portfolio. We are a small team of eight members who work with 50 businesses in our area, and all of our work is currently clustered together on our outdated webpage. We have matured as a brand since we created our initial website and grown as a company, and we want our new website to reflect that.

Describe the problem this project will address and the big-picture idea that you’re hoping to achieve with it. Be direct with the purpose you want the project to serve and use this section to align the design team with the client’s overall vision and objective through SMART goals .

P.S., SMART stands for Specific , Measurable , Attainable , Relevant , and Time-bound .

Goals in ClickUp

Want to learn more about SMART goals and why they’re so important? Check out our goals resources to write and implement goals across departments!

We want our redesigned website to reflect our brand identity better, drive more traffic to our services, and increase email newsletter sign-ups by 25% by the end of our next fiscal quarter.

The next section of your brief covers the who of it all. Not so much related to who you are as a company requesting a design, but who the project is targeted to.

This is where the client commissioning the project will describe their ideal customer, audience, user personas , and use cases . This design is like your first impression—a way to show customers that you have a solution to a specific problem they are facing and that your project meets their needs.

It is crucial for the designer to understand their client’s target audience through this request to meaningfully connect with those customers’ needs.

Our target market audiences are female entrepreneurs in the San Diego area in the 25-34 and 35-44 age ranges. These clients want to grow their business by investing in paid ads on social media platforms and want resources to improve and increase their online presence.

Now we’re starting to move into the details and logistics sections of your design brief. ⏰💸

Make sure the timeline provided is realistic and feasible for what the brief is asking. If there are any budgetary or resource constraints, this is the time to lay them down.

Designers need to know when the project is due for its first round of edits, when they can expect feedback from the client, and any key milestones , task dependencies , or deadlines tied to the request. This will help establish clear communication between the designer and the client so all of their expectations are met, and avoid potential bottlenecks while the project is in progress.

Pro tip: Also note if there is any flexibility with the expected budget and timeline.

Our ideal timeline from start to finish is six months. We are announcing our new website at an event in March but want to quietly launch the website a month prior. This extra month will give us some wiggle room if there are any setbacks. We would like to approve the mockups and wireframes, and go through two rounds of edits before we launch.

This section is all about the file details and formatting in which you want to receive the project. If necessary or applicable, specify the size, file type, naming process, and project deliverables you’re expecting. AKA, what is your preferred type of video, image, or software to work with and how should they share it with you?

We will approve initial ideas and designs from our digital whiteboard software and review all wireframes in Figma.

Step 7: Anything else you deem important!

To make sure that all of the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, add any other relevant information to the end. This may include key contacts to reach out to if the designer has any urgent questions, approval design process details, key dates, client mockups, and more!

This is a great time to specify anything that you do not want to see from this project and inspo images to give the designer a clear idea of what to work off of.

Check our virtual whiteboard for recent work we’ve done with our clients, rough sketches of what we’re imagining for our new website, some research, media, and more!

Our suggestion? ClickUp Whiteboards ! 🎨

Mockup drawings and brainstorming on ClickUp Whiteboards

ClickUp Whiteboards are highly visual, collaborative, and productive! What’s more, they’re also the only whiteboard software on the market that can convert any object on your board into a customizable task and connect it to your workflows.

With tools for drawing, uploading media, embedding, styling, and real-time editing, ClickUp Whiteboards are built to capture your ideas the moment they happen so you can act on them instantly. Seriously, Whiteboards are every designer’s dream. ✨

Plus, your Whiteboard stays updated at all times, wiping out the need for multiple tabs, constant refreshing, and confusion caused by lengthy text-based descriptions.

RE: Step 1—design briefs are collaborative!

You need the ability to quickly share, edit, and update your design briefs via custom permissions and convenient sharing options like a simple link. This will get the entire team quickly get on the same page (literally) and stay on target. 🎯

Design Brief Example 1: Rebranding a Local Coffee Shop

Background:.

A local coffee shop, seeks to rebrand itself to attract a broader customer base while maintaining its loyal clientele. The café wants to emphasize its commitment to sustainability, community involvement, and high-quality, locally-sourced products.

Objective and SMART Goals:

Our goal is to refresh the cafés brand identity to reflect its values of sustainability and community involvement. We aim to increase foot traffic by 30% and boost our social media engagement by 50% within six months after the rebrand launch.

Target Audience:

Our primary audience includes eco-conscious individuals aged 20-35 living in the urban area near the café. These customers value sustainability, community, and quality in their coffee and café experience.

Budget and Timeline:

We have allocated $10,000 for the rebranding project, hoping to complete it over the next four months. The timeline includes initial concept development, design iterations, and final implementation across all platforms.

Expected Deliverables:

  • A new logo reflecting the café’s commitment to sustainability and community
  • Updated packaging designs for our to-go products, focusing on eco-friendly materials
  • Revamped menu design highlighting our locally-sourced ingredients
  • Digital graphics for social media campaigns promoting the rebrand

Key Contacts and Constraints:

Please refer to our Virtual Whiteboard for inspiration, brand assets, and contact details for the project manager. We do not want the rebrand to stray too far from our original color scheme to ensure brand recognition among our current clientele.

Design Brief Example 2: Mobile App Design for Task Management

A startup focusing on productivity tools, seeks an innovative and user-friendly mobile app design. The app aims to help professionals manage their tasks and projects efficiently, with unique features enabling collaboration and prioritization.

The objective is to design a mobile app that stands out in the crowded productivity market by focusing on ease of use, collaboration, and customization. We aim to acquire 10,000 active users within the first three months post-launch.

Our target users are professionals aged 25-45 who juggle multiple tasks and projects. They are looking for a comprehensive but straightforward solution to improve their daily productivity and work collaboration.

Our budget for the app design project is $15,000, with a timeline of five months from concept to final design handoff. This includes user interface and experience design phases, with feedback cycles after each major milestone.

  • Complete UI/UX designs for the mobile app, including all screens and interactive elements
  • A style guide specifying typography, color schemes, and UI components
  • Prototype demonstrating key functionalities and user flow
  • Assets package ready for development

For more details on the app’s features and functionalities, visit our Digital Whiteboard section. We are open to innovative ideas but must ensure the app remains intuitive for new users.

Like in a bad game of telephone, inconsistent design project briefs gloss over key ideas and eventually lose the main point of the project entirely. But customizable templates are a surefire way to guarantee every detail is clearly stated.

Think of pre-built templates as a springboard for standardizing the way you write your design briefs. They’re created to simplify and streamline the design brief process so everyone involved can focus on what matters most—the project itself.

The Design Brief Template by ClickUp is your one-stop solution for writing thorough and valuable creative briefs . This template applies a designated List to your Workspace with separate views for managing tasks, timelines, and your overall direction.

The Design Brief Template by ClickUp is your solution for writing thorough design briefs

In your design brief List view , you’ll find pre-made customizable tasks for everything from client sessions to gathering assets , and seven custom statuses for total transparency. But the coolest feature of this template is definitely the creative brief Whiteboard with colored sections, sticky notes, and diagrams to solidify your project vision, brand, resources, notes, and more.

The Design Brief Template in Whiteboards by ClickUp

This template also comes with a thorough how-to ClickUp Doc to walk you through every feature to ensure you’re using it to the fullest extent.

Pro tip : The Help Doc in the Design Brief Template shows off a ton of styling and formatting features to use as inspiration when writing your design brief Docs in ClickUp. Set banners at the top of your Doc and throughout the page for a clear outline of information, embed videos, add a table of contents, and more. Or, layer another one of ClickUp’s pre-built templates on top of your Doc to keep the process moving along.

Manage Your Upcoming Design Project

There you have it! Not only are you set up for success with the eight essential steps for writing design briefs, but you’ve got a flexible, free , and customizable template to lighten the load.

The take-home idea though is not just how to write a functional brief, but how to make the most of it. And that’s where ClickUp can help you take your processes to new heights. ✅

ClickUp Docs, Chat, and List view in ClickUp

ClickUp is the ultimate productivity platform for teams to bring all of their work together into one collaborative space, no matter your use case or work style. Its feature list is loaded with hundreds of time-saving tools to make work management easier and more convenient than ever—with 15 ways to visualize your projects, over 1,000 integrations , in-app chat, and more!

Access everything you need to write effective design briefs including ClickUp Docs, Whiteboards, 100MB of storage, unlimited tasks, and more at absolutely no cost when you sign up for ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan .

And when you’re ready to boost your productivity even further, unlock even more advanced features for as little as $7 .

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Below is an example of a design problem and brief. Remember, the presentation is important especially if you are taking the Graphic Products course. Above all the problem and brief must be easy to read and follow, clearly saying what the problem is and how you intend to solve it.

 
 
 

The Neighbourhood Watch scheme has also been introduced recently and this has helped people feel more secure. However, even though neighbours will keep an eye on your property if you decide to go out and leave the house empty, they cannot watch twenty four hours a day.

Often even the police ignore house alarms when they are activated because of the high number of false alarms.

The device will be mobile so that it can be moved from room to room, easy to set up and control and also cheap to make. It must not be powered by mains voltage and in this way it will be completely safe to be left ‘on’ for a long time and will not be affected by power cuts. It will be activated by anyone approaching the hose from the front or back.

It must deter even profession crooks from taking an interest in our house and even convince people in the street that the house is occupied.

 

 

The brief and problem shown below has been produced for a project based on an educational toy.

The brief and problem is mainly text (writing) that is printed in a clear style so that it can be read and understood easily.
The problem is a paragraph or more in length. It describes the problem you are aiming to solve. Do not say how you intend to solve the problem, only what the problem is. If you have been given a examination question as your design project, add more detail. The example opposite is based on the following examination question:
“Design and make an educational device for young children. It must improve hand and eye coordination”.
The problem written opposite is a more detailed and imaginative way of writing the examination question. A pedestrian crossing simulator has been selected by the pupil as the educational device.
The first sentence should state the problem, adding more detail with the following sentences.
If the examination question does not name the product that has to be designed and made (such as an educational device) - you can mention an area that you are interested in. This could include, jigsaws, puzzles or something that could be adapted as an educational device.


Always start the design brief with “I am going to design and make .....”. This is followed by a general description of the type of device you feel will answer the design problem.
Do not be too specific. The brief should be a general description that allows you flexibility regarding the type of product you intend to make. For example, if your are designing an automatic animal feeder it may be a good idea not to say the type of animal it is for, at least not at this stage in the project.
Do not be specific about materials. It may be wise to avoid stating the exact materials it will be manufactured from (eg. pine, steel, perspex etc...). Instead describe the materials to be used as strong, tough, flexible, natural, manmade, recycled, water-proof or similar general descriptions.
Mention points such as; safety, general size, what it will do (it’s functions), general properties of the materials needed, who it is for (eg children), basic cost of manufacture or a lower and upper cost limits, circuit requirements and other points you feel are important.

 

 
 
 


Is there a product that you could improve for a hobby or interest?
Is there an item that you use every day that could be improved? Is there an item that could be adapted for disabled people or young children or the elderly? or another group of people?
Ask your friends and relatives. They may have a few suggestions about design problems you can solve that will help them.
Do not be over ambitious. Do not select a design problem that is too complex.
Ask the teacher for advice and look at completed projects for inspiration.
Complete your homework on time. Do not fall behind as you may find it impossible to catch up.

 

 

 
A sample design problem is seen below. Read this problem carefully.
 

 
In order to fully analyse the design problem to be solved list the key words / phrases..
 

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

 
Take the most important key words / phrases and explain what each one means.
 

A company usually employs people. They may work in a factory or shop. A company is a business but also an organisation of people who work together in order to be successful. A company pays wages and has other cost but always aims to make a profit.

 

Most companies aim to make sales of their products. If they do not sell their products they will not make enough money to pay wages and to invest in new equipment and machinery. A company that is not making money is said to be ‘in the red’. A company that makes money is said to be’ in the black’. All companies need customers as these are the people who buy the final product.

 
 
 

Most companies have to compete against other companies making the same product. Usually the customer decides which product is the best by deciding to buy it, or not. To be successful a company must have efficient, up to date equipment/machinery. It must have well trained staff and manufacture a quality product. Customers must be satisfied that the product they are buying is value for money.

As a child grows up his / her coordination skills develop. He/she becomes better at using their hands and fingers and ensuring that their hands and fingers do what they want them to do. Very young children have poor hand/eye coordination - they have difficulty picking items up. Encouraging children to develop good hand/eye coordination skills is important.

All companies have markets for their products. A market is usually composed of customers of a particular age range or particular types of people. For example, some products may be designed for young children whilst other products may be designed for old age pensioners. Sometimes a company may target certain people to encourage them to buy their product. This is usually done through advertising. A company may sell its products at home and abroad.

Young children learn in many ways. Usually a child will learn quickly if what they are doing is fun or exciting. Many games and toys involve the use of numbers, letters or words. Sometimes shape and movement is integrated into a learning toy/device. Sound, even if is caused by mechanisms rather than electronics encourages a child to learn.

 
When you have fully analysed a problem you will be ready to write a meaningful Design Brief.
 
 

Write a problem and brief for a project of your choice. Try identifying a design problem that you have experienced yourself.

 
 
 
 

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The Optimal Path Podcast

How to write a powerful design brief in 9 easy steps

Design & Product

Jun 23, 2020 • 13 minutes read

How to write a powerful design brief in 9 easy steps

A design brief is a project management document outlining the specifics of a project. Here's how to create a great design brief.

Jesse Short

Jesse Short

Have you ever heard the tale of the sinking library? The basics are this: an architect built a beautiful library, but after a few years, the building started sinking. Upon reviewing their work, the architect realized the issue: they forgot to account for the weight of the books.

Whether you're building a library or a website, most projects have a lot of moving parts. With a lot to keep track of, you might miss something critical. So how can you avoid those mistakes? How can you make sure you don't forget the "books"? For a design project to be successful, the design brief is essential.

In this article, we look at what a design brief is, why you should use one for your design projects, and share a nine-step plan to create an effective brief that helps you keep everything on track and achieve your goals.

What's a design brief, and why do you need one?

A design brief is a project management document outlining the specifics of a design project. There's no standard of what to include, but some common points are the design project overview and scope, timelines, target audience information, and budget.

There are plenty of reasons to use a design brief, but there are two that we think are most important: efficiency and direction. Whether you’re a professional delivering a new design to your client or a business looking to hire a design agency, a well-written design brief is imperative to doing great work. Showing your client an overview plan of the project means you can confirm everything before the work starts. This saves time and money for both of you.

A design brief serves as the source of truth for your project and guides the design team's overall direction. Having a well-defined brief helps designers focus on the right tasks and deliver great work.

Who should write a design brief?

If a company decides to partner with a design agency on a new design project, they need to write a design brief. Design briefs are the starting point of any design project and should provide an overview of the company, the problem to be solved, and the expectations.

Although the client creates the design brief, design agencies or freelancers usually participate in its creation. For example, clients might have a general idea of the project and know what problem they’re trying to solve, but they may not be familiar with the design process . In this case, designers work closely with the clients to help finalize the design brief and set the right goals and expectations.

What should be included in a design brief?

For a design brief to be effective, it needs to be clear and concise while including all the relevant information to give a good overview of the project. A brief can vary depending on your specific project, but in general, it should include:

  • An overview of the business : This section gives designers an understanding of the client—their company, industry, market, and design needs
  • Project overview and scope : In this section, you can see what work the design team will do for their client
  • Information about the target audience : Relevant information might include age, gender, habits, preferences, needs, and more
  • Competitor information : Noting down what competitors are doing will give you insights into your customer’s expectations and help you identify what makes you unique
  • The goals of the project : This section focuses on the problem to be solved and the desired outcomes
  • A project timeline or schedule : Having a schedule will help you set the right expectations and keep the project on track
  • The project budget : This section should include the estimated budget for each task in the project

Now that we’ve seen how an effective design brief should look, here's how to create one in nine easy steps.

How to write a design brief

how to write a design brief

1. Start with an overview of the business

When preparing your design brief, start things off by laying out key information about the business. In the overview, you can include basic details, like the size and stage of the company, the industry they’re in, etc.

From there, you might talk about the brand’s identity and values, key differentiators, and unique selling points. If there is a “point-person” at the company, include their contact information in this section or the contact details for someone else part of the project. The overview is a key section for everyone involved in the project as it provides the required info at a glance.

2. Cover the scope

Now that the brief includes an overview of the business, you should lay out exactly what work is needed, also known as the project scope. Maybe the project is about creating a new logo for the company, doing graphic design work for a landing page, or web design for an existing product.

Both parties should agree on the scope of the project, and describe that scope in the design brief.

Be sure to be as specific as possible in this section. For example, if the project involves creating illustrations or photographs for a campaign, describe this in the design brief. If it only requires web content but not print, be sure to include those types of details so everyone is on the same page and there’s no uncertainty or wasted effort.

3. Define the audience

Frank Chimero , a designer and writer in NYC, once mentioned: "People ignore design that ignores people." Who you're designing for is just as important as what you're designing. To define the target audience, start with basic demographic information like age and gender.

From there, consider including relevant details about the audience, such as the types of stores they shops at or movies they like. You may also want to describe their familiarity with similar tools or products, or where they are most likely to interact with your content.

In some cases, someone in the company might already have drafted personas for their target audience. If not, consider building a persona for the target audience using existing customer information. To build a persona, follow these seven questions:

  • Who is the customer(s) of your product or service?
  • How do they use your product?
  • What are they currently using (if it's a new product)?
  • What are some key pain points your product or service solves?
  • How does your solution benefit them?
  • What causes them to make a purchase?
  • What are they looking for in a product like yours?

Understanding the audience helps guide your decision-making and create useful products for the right audience.

4. Understand the competition

In almost every scenario of building products, you will be competing against another company. It's a fact of business. So it's good to have a basic understanding of the competitive landscape. When you understand what makes you different, you can create new, unique work and stand out from the competition.

That knowledge can help design teams decide on the angle of the design project and deliver something that truly resembles the company’s brand identity. In this phase, mood boards are an excellent way for designers to collect inspiration, organize ideas, and present them to the client.

Additionally, when working on digital design projects, knowing how similar products approach design may help designers understand how users complete tasks and their mental models when using comparable designed products. Conducting usability testing with competitive products is a great way to do some preliminary research and gather useful background information.

5. Set specific goals

Good design solves problems. When a company hires a design agency for a project, they’re doing it to solve an existing problem. Maybe they want to get more leads or provide a new product offering to their customers. No matter the case, there’s a specific reason for hiring professional designers, and that needs to be described in the design brief.

Determining the goals and objectives of your design project helps with direction and focus. For example, if the company needs website design services for a landing page that encourages sign-ups, the focus could be on optimizing and testing button placement and color to get a higher click-through-rate.

These goals are usually articulated by the designers with the help of the business and have usually already been investigated with user research and data. If research is part of the project, then the project’s goals should reflect that. For instance, if your design project is building a better user flow for a mobile app, then one of the goals would be to research the existing flow and investigate common issues.

Do your best to be as specific as possible when defining the project goals and objectives. The success of the project will be assessed based on whether the goals have been met or not, so the more specific you can be, the better.

6. Take inventory of what you already have

In most cases, brands will have some assets that designers will use in the project–unless they’re doing a complete rebrand. Maybe they already have a logo design they want to use or a specific page layout implemented in a previous design.

At the very least, they will probably have a typeface, brand colors, and general brand guidelines. They may also have a design system in place designers can use to inform their work.

These items have a direct impact on the design project, so make sure you take inventory of all relevant information and include it in the creative brief.

Existing creative assets can help improve efficiency by making sure you don’t redesign something you don’t need to. Be as specific as you can on how you’re going to use current assets in your work. For example, if you’re reusing brand colors, write down the hex code for those colors you’ll use in the new project.

7. Set the schedule

Setting proper expectations is crucial when taking on any new project. Depending on who you’re working with, they may not be as familiar with the design process. By laying out a detailed timeline and giving deadlines for all deliverables, you will manage expectations from the beginning and deliver your project successfully.

Having specific dates also serves as a way to keep you on track. Consider asking for feedback from all stakeholders involved in the project prior to finalizing the timelines, so everyone is comfortable with your proposal.

List out the timeframes for each part of the project. For example, if you’re working on a new design, you might give a timeline for when the initial prototype will be done, schedules for user testing , and another date for the final product launch.

8. Determine the budget

The budget is an essential aspect of any project. Both parties must agree on the budget from the start, as the budget dictates the work that will be done. In the brief, it’s important to give a breakdown of the budget for each service provided.

It might also be wise to add in some contingency cushion as additional money for unforeseen issues. You can list it that way in the budget, and explain that it's there if needed. If you don't use that by the end of the project, you can subtract it from the total.

9. Sum it all up

Finally, make sure you end the design brief with an executive summary. It may seem a bit redundant, but it's good to have an outline that includes all essential information mentioned throughout the brief. Offering a cliff-notes version at the end allows the client to review and sign-off on the project easily.

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Maze collects qualitative and quantitative user feedback to inform design decisions and create better user experiences.

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Start using a design brief for your projects

When you've finished working on the design brief and got stakeholders' approval, it's time to start working on the design project. When you create a design brief, you compile all the essential information the design team will need during the project. Any work done during the project, such as creating a design proposal , is made easy by the design brief.

Creating a design brief is no small task, but it's worth it when done right. Not only does it help avoid roadblocks and sets proper expectations, but it can also serve as a source of truth for you to keep everything on track and moving forward—which is what you're aiming for.

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how to write a design brief grade 8 technology

Design Brief

Design Problem vs. Design Brief

The Problem (Strand i) and Design Brief (Strand iv) are very closely related. Before you can can start a design project you must find a ‘problem’ to solve. The ‘design brief’ follows the ‘problem’ and states clearly how you intend to solve the design problem.

Using a spider diagram helps you consider the project needs.

Pop-Up Card Rich Picture

Writing a Design Brief  

A design brief is usually a paragraph in which you (the designer) explain what you intend to design. For this project, it will include key information such as:

A description of the chosen client / explanation of the client needs.

A simple description of the overall design (the basic size and dimensions, should also included).

Writing a Design Brief, allows the designer to explain to a clients, what you intend to design.

Your design decisions should regard esse ntial and desirable features of your book :

Theme of the story

Aesthetics (color scheme, illustrations, style, text)

Pop-up mechanisms (describe types of researched mechanisms)

Restrictions (number of pages, number of mechanisms, size of your book, cover)

Below is an example of a simple Design Brief, that sets out the main features of a design for a pop-up book. One way of starting a design brief is to write subtitles, and underneath each one, a sentence.

EXAMPLE DESIGN BRIEF OUTLINE

The target audience of the pop-up book.

My pop-up book will be aimed at young children.

How many double pages you would like to include.

It will have two double pages with pop-up card designs

The theme of the book e.g. Jungle, Beach, Space, Food etc

A Desert Island

What the story is going to be based around.

It will be about a sailor bring shipwrecked and how he finds treasure and eventually escapes the island.

Then rewrite the design brief, removing the subtitles. You may have to reword some of the sentences.

THE DESIGN BRIEF AS A PARAGRAPH

It will have two double pages with pop-up card designs.

The story will be based on the desert island theme. It will be about a sailor bring shipwrecked and how he finds treasure and eventually escapes the island.

Strand iv: Design Brief

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GRADE 8 TECHNOLOGY

GRADE 8 TECHNOLOGY

Download free printable Grade 8 Technology Worksheets, Tests, Assignments, Investigations and Projects.

A transformer

Access to electric power

Analysis of the fuctionality of a product

Ancient levers

Ancient mechanisms

Ancient wheel mechanisms

Bias – advertising

Bias – HIV AIDS

Bias – physically impaired

Bias – visually impaired

Case study – Solar panel

Case study and research

Case study – Machines

Changing axis and direction

Choose the best model – draw 2D and 3D sketches

Circuit board

Circuit symbols

Circuit symbols 2

Cocaine – The legal alternative

Combining materials with fibres

Comparing lighting

Comparison by drawing two types of bridges

Design – isometric drawings 1

Design – isometric drawings 2

Design – isometric drawings 3

Design – isometric drawings 4

Design a package for a gift

Design and make a toy

Design of laminated article

Design of structure

Develop a project portfolio

Draw and label four design features of a bridge

Draw and label rough sketches of a bridge

Draw isometric drawings

Draw isometric figures

Drawing – copying

Drawings – copy 1

Drawings – copy 2

Electrical components

Electrical power

Electrical vocabulary

Electromagnetic game

Electromagnetism

Electromagnets

Energy sources

Evaluating plastic containers

Evaluating the bridge design

Evaluation of self

Evaluation of structures

Evaluation of ways of packaging

Food – consumption

Food – overweight

Food – traditional and indigenous food

Food packaging

Food products

Frame structures and reinforcing techniques 1

Frame structures and reinforcing techniques 2

Functions of a machine

Gear identification

Gears and pulleys

Gears of a car

Gears test 2

Gears test 3

Identification of forces

Impact of electricity

Indigenous plants

Investigate processing of composite materials

Investigate what the bridge will be used for

Investigating combination of paper

Investigating the logic gates

Investigation of a problem and finding a solution

Knowledge of frame structures, reinforcement and relationships 1

Knowledge of frame structures, reinforcement and relationships 3

Knowledge of structures, design and strengthening techniques

Knowledge of structures, reinforcement and relationships

Light design

Linked levers

Looking at a torch

Making the model of the bridge

Material support

Materials strengthening and support

Mechanical advantage (MA) provided by pulleys

Medicinal plants and the market

Orthographic projection

Practical investigation

Problem identification and design specification

Problem identification and finding a solution

Processing of clay

Properties for packaging

Pulley ratio of simple pulleys

Pulleys – Investigation

Pulleys provide a speed advantage

Pulleys transfer movement in different directions

Reinforcing concrete

Reinforcing of materials

Reinforcing technique

Research – food lunches

Research different materials for packaging

Research on bias

Research on different existing structures

Research on the different houses

Research on the existing structures

Research on the types of materials

Research the processing of indigenous plants

Safety in a factory

Self-evaluation following completion of a module on structures

Shape of materials

Strengthening of manufactured boards

Strengthening of materials

Strengthening packaging through lamination and folding

Strengthening through folding

Structures and stability

Switches in parallel

Test – Levers

Transformer calculations

Truth table

Understanding cranks

Understanding cranks 1

Understanding gears – lawnmower

Working with food

Working with polyester

Write a design brief for a model of a bridge

   
   
Assessment Bank Items

Technology Grade 8 Book 1 Grade 8 Research on the existing structures Grade 8 Write a design brief for a model of a bridge Grade 8 Problem identification and design specification Grade 8 Investigate what the bridge will be used for Grade 8 Comparison by drawing two types of bridges Grade 8 Draw and label four design features of a bridge Grade 8 Draw and label rough sketches of a bridge Grade 8 Choose the best model: draw 2D and 3D sketches Grade 8 Making the model of the bridge Grade 8 Evaluating the bridge design Grade 8 Develop a project portfolio Grade 8 Design  1 Grade 8 Design: isometric drawings 1   Grade 8 Design: isometric drawings 2 Grade 8 Design: isometric drawings 3 Grade 8 Design: isometric drawings 4 Grade 8 Design 2 Grade 8 Design 3 Grade 8 Drawings Grade 8 Draw isometric figures Grade 8 Draw  1 Grade 8 Draw 2 Grade 8 Drawing: copying Grade 8 Drawings: copy  1 Grade 8 Drawings: copy  2 Grade 8 Draw isometric drawings Grade 8 Orthograph projections Grade 8 Shape of materials Grade 8 Strengthening of materials Grade 8 Materials strengthening and support Grade 8 Material support Grade 8 Frame structures and reinforcing techniques  1 Grade 8 Frame structures and reinforcing techniques  2 Grade 8 Problem identification and finding a solution Grade 8 Knowledge of structures, design and strengthening techniques Grade 8 Knowledge of frame structures, r einforcement and relationships  1 Grade 8 Knowledge of frame structures, reinforcement and relationships 2 Grade 8 Knowledge of frame structures, reinforcement and r elationships 3 Grade 8 Knowledge of structures, reinforcement and relationships Grade 8 Design of stucture Grade 8 Research on the types of materials Grade 8 Research on different existing structures Grade 8 Investigation of a problem and finding a solution Grade 8 Research on the different houses Grade 8 Structures and stability Grade 8 Reinforcing technique Grade 8 Analysis of the fuctionality of a product Grade 8 Evaluation of self Grade 8 Identification of forces Grade 8 Strengthening through folding  Grade 8 Reinforcing of materials Grade 8 Reinforcing concrete Grade 8 Processing of clay Grade 8 Case study and research Grade 8 Evaluation of structures Grade 8 Research Grade 8 Processing Grade 8 Costing Grade 8 Combining materials with fibres Grade 8 Working with polyester Grade 8 Investigating combination of paper Grade 8 Design of laminated article Grade 8 Strengthening of manufactured boards Grade 8 Packaging Grade 8 Properties for packaging Grade 8 Research different materials for packaging Grade 8 Food packaging Grade 8 Evaluation of ways of packaging Grade 8 Evaluating plastic containers Grade 8 Strengthening packaging through lamination and folding Grade 8 Investigate processing of composite materials Grade 8 Design a package for a gift Grade 8 Self-evaluation following completion of a module on structures Grade 8 Food: traditional and indigenous food Grade 8 Working with food Grade 8 Research the processing of indigenous plants Grade 8 Medicinal plants and the market Technology Grade 8 Book 2 Grade 8 Indigenous plants  Grade 8 Food: overweight Grade 8 Cocain Grade 8 Research: food lunches Grade 8 Food: consumption Grade 8 Food products Grade 8 Bias: HIV/AIDS Grade 8 Bias: visually impared Grade 8 Bias: physically impared Grade 8 Research on bias Grade 8 Bias: advertising Grade 8 Energy sources Grade 8 Light design Grade 8 Electrical power Grade 8 Torch Grade 8 Electrical component Grade 8 Draw: circuits Grade 8 Circuit board Grade 8 Switches  1 Grade 8 Switches 2 Grade 8 Gates 1  Grade 8 Safety: factory Grade 8 Investigate: gates Grade 8 Gates Grade 8 Electromagnetism Grade 8 Electromagnets Grade 8 Electromagnetic Grade 8 Draw: transformer Grade 8 Calculations: transformer Grade 8 Vocabulary: electrical Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Comparing lighting Grade 8 Case study: solar system Grade 8 Circuit symbols Grade 8 Electricity and Impact Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Evaluation, changing axis and direction Grade 8 Evaluation: machines Grade 8 Levers Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Design and make Grade 8 Cranks Grade 8 Cranks: understanding Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Gears: egg beater Grade 8 Gears Grade 8 Gears: identification Grade 8 Gears: lawnmower Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Evaluation: gears test 2 Grade 8 Evaluation: gear test  1 Grade 8 Evaluation: gears of a car Grade 8 Evaluation: gears and pulleys Grade 8 Screws: wheel mechanism Grade 8 Wheel mechanism Grade 8 Levers Grade 8 Pulleys Grade 8 Pulleys: movement Grade 8 Pulleys: ratio Grade 8 Pulley: mechanical advantage Grade 8 Pulley: speed Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Pulleys and belt drives Grade 8 Pulley calculation Grade 8 Evaluation Grade 8 Evaluation: belt driven pulleys Grade 8 Evaluation: belt driven systems Grade 8 Systems diagram Grade 8 Pulley: belt drives Grade 8 Pulleys: belt systems Grade 8 Pulleys and belts Grade 8 Comparing pulleys Grade 8 Investigations Grade 8 Pulleys and belts Grade 8 Hydraulics Grade 8 Pneumatics Grade 8 Evaluation: hydraulics and pneumatics Grade 8 Case study Grade 8 Evaluation  

  
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Mini-pat: a mine needs a lifting system

This mini-PAT will run over four weeks. For this mini-PAT, you should form teams. Each team will pretend to be a mechanical engineering company. Each company will submit a tender for the design and construction of a "mine-lifting system", commonly called "mine shaft headgear".

The lifting system is used to take miners underground and back up again. It is also used to lift the mined ore to the surface. After you have designed your lifting system, you will have to make a model of it. The model will have a mine winch, shaft headgear and a lift cage.

An opportunity to tender for a mining contract

Platinum, a very valuable metal, has been found on land belonging to a tribe in a rural area. Samples show that the platinum is only 500 m below the surface.

An international and South African joint venture company, called Platinum Stars, has decided to invest money in this project. They want to sink a shaft to the 500 m point to take a few samples. Then they will decide on the best mining method.

Your engineering company wants to submit a tender for the construction of the shaft headgear. The headgearmust be able to transport miners and equipment 500 munderground. It must also be able to lift platinum orethat weighs 10 tons back up to the surface.

A tender is an offer by someone to do work at a certain price. When a company "puts out a tender", it invites people to apply to do a job for them.

Headgears and mine winches

An overview of a mine shaft

Study Figure 3 on the following page. This picture shows a mine's lifting system. The whole lifting system is called the headgear . There are four main parts to a mine's headgear:

Part 1: The winch or hoist is in a winding house. This part of the system is used to wind or unwind the steel cable.

The hoist is attached to a motor and a control system.

The mine cage and the skips are lowered into the mine when a steel cable unwinds from the winch.

The mine cage and skips are raised when the steel cable winds up again.

Part 2: The sheave wheel is a pulley wheel that sits above the mine shaft. The hoist cable passes over the sheave wheel and then down the shaft of the mine.

The sheave wheel reduces the sliding friction of the mine cable.

Part 3: The head frame is the structure that supports the sheave wheel. It must be strong enough to keep the sheave wheel in place when it lifts the heavy mine cage.

The left "legs" of the head frame slope towards the hoist. This is due to the tension in the cable pulling the whole frame in that direction. The sloping legs prevent the head frame from toppling or falling over.

Part 4: The cage and skips. The cage is used to transport miners and equipment up and down the mine. Attached alongside or underneath the cage are skips.

Skips are used to bring the ore and the waste rock out of the mine.

Investigate: mine shaft headgear and head frame (30 minutes)

Individual work

Use the picture in Figure 3 and your own information to answer the questions below:

1. What does the headgear of a mine do?

2. What happens in the winding house of a mine?

3. Explain what a sheave wheel is and what it does.

4. What does a head frame do?

5. Why do the legs on a head frame always slope towards the winch?

6. What do you call the two parts of the lift that goes down a mine?

7. What do these two parts of the lift do?

Look at the photograph in Figures 1 and 2. The photographs show the head frame and sheave wheel on the tower above a mine shaft.

Study the structure of the head frame and then answer the questions below. You will have to use your knowledge of frame structures to answer the questions.

8. Do you think I-beams are a good thing to use for head frame supports? Why?

9. Where do you see triangulation used on this structure? Explain how triangulation helps to make the head frame structure stronger.

10. What has been used to stop the head frame from being pulled over by the winch?

11. Look at the sheave wheel. Has it been placed in the middle of the upright column? Why do you think it is important to place the sheave wheel in exactly the right place on the head frame?

12. Make a 2D sketch of a head frame and sheave wheel in the space on thenext page.

Investigate: mine winches (30 minutes)

Look at the pictures in Figure 4. The pictures show two different types of mining hoists. The first one has one sheave wheel, while the second has two sheave wheels. Use these pictures to help you answer the questions below:

1. What are the differences between the two mine winches shown here? (½)

2. What do you think a counterweight does for a mine winding system?

Hint : imagine winding the winch by hand. (1)

3. If the mine winch drum diameter is 6 m, calculate how far the cage will drop for each single rotation of the drum. (½)

4. If the mine winch drum diameter is 6 m, calculate how far the counterweight will lift for each single rotation of the drum. (½)

5. Calculate how many turns of cable you will need on the drum for your cage and skip to move up and down by 500 m. (½)

6. Which of the two systems in Figure 4 do you think will need the largest motor? Explain your answer. (1)

7. Which system will be safer? Explain your answer. (1)

Design: design brief, specifications and constraints for a mine shaft headgear (60 minutes)

Sketch a whole headgear solution that might impress Platinum Stars. You should mark your sketch with the approximate sizes for:

  • the depth of the shaft,
  • the carrying load of the skip and the mass of the counterweight,
  • the approximate size of the winding drum,
  • the approximate height of the headgear and the sheave wheel, and
  • the approximate sizes of the mining cage and skip.

Note : You might have to do a bit of research on your own.

Have another look at the scenario titled "An opportunity to tender for a mining contract," at the start of this chapter.

Write the design brief. Use the following questions to help you:

1. What is the opportunity you are tendering for? (½)

2. What do you need to do to tender for this project? (½)

3. Write the design brief in the space below. Start your paragraph with:(1)

We are going to design and make ...

Write a list of specifications and constraints

4. Think about people : Write down at least two things that the mine winch system must do for people . How should it help the mineworkers? What should it do, or not do, for the local people who live near the mine? (1)

5. Think about purpose : What is the headgear for? What must it do? How fast must it travel? How far? How much weight does it need to carry? Write down at least two things about the purpose of this mine-winch system. (1)

6. Think about safety: What will happen if something goes wrong? What must your system have to try to prevent things from going wrong? What things must your system have to deal with emergencies when something does go wrong? Write down at least two things that w ill help to ensure that your design is safe. (1)

7. Think about the environment: Write down at least two things to help the environment when you design and make this headgear system. (1)

8. Think about appearance : Do you think appearance matters when you design something such as headgear? Can your head frame's appearance help you to win the tender? Write down at least two things about the way you want your headgear to look. (1)

9. Think about costs: What can you say about your costs for this project? Do you want the most expensive and the best of everything, or the cheapest and simplest, or something in-between? (1)

Next week, you will do Week 2 of your mini-PAT. You will form engineering companies, evaluate ideas and choose the best idea. You will draw your solutions and begin to prepare your company's tender.

Your company prepares a tender

This is the second week of the mini-PAT for mechanical systems in Grade 8. During this week, you will form your own engineering company.

Then you will combine all of the ideas you came up with last week, and choose one idea to for your tender.

You will present this tender to the mining joint venture company, Platinum Stars, later in this mini-PAT.

Platinum Stars will only accept tenders from companies. That means that you cannot submit a tender as an individual person.

A company is formed when two or more people come together for business reasons or goals.

Your business goal will be to do engineering work for Platinum Stars.

Form a company(20 minutes)

1. Choose your company partners by arranging yourselves into teams of 3 to 5 people. Write down the names of each company member. This list of names will need to appear on your tender document. Also write your ID number next to your name.

2. Write a mission statement: Write one short sentence saying what your company will do, how you will do it, who you will do it for, and why you think you will be able to do it well. Start your sentence with the words:

‘We at Underground Mining Engineers aim to ...

Evaluate: choose and combine the best ideas (40 minutes)

Combine your specifications and constraints.

Look at the specifications and constraints that you did last week. They won't be exactly the same. Make a new list that includes the best of everyone's specifications and constraints. Everyone in the team should write this list in their workbooks.

1. Think about people : (1)

2. Think about purpose: (1)

3. Think about safety: (1)

4. Think about the environment: (1)

5. Think about appearance: (1)

6. Think about costs: (1)

Combine your head frame and sheave wheel ideas

Look at all the sketches you made last week of the head frame and sheave wheel. Use your specifications and constraints and discuss which combination of ideas will work best.

1. Now make a sketch of your company's final design in the space below.[5]

Make: draw your head frame (60 minutes)

Look at Figure 5. It is a working drawing for a small head frame design.

This view shows:

  • the size of the sheave wheel,
  • the height of the sheave wheel, and
  • the distance between the front and back legs.

1. Draw your head frame in the grid below. Use Figure 5 to help you. You should show all the dimensions for the main parts of your head frame design.

Note : You may need to add triangulation to make your structure stronger.

You don't have to draw this to scale.

Don't show dimensions. [4]

Make a 2D scale drawing

2. Now use rulers and set squares to draw a more accurate version of your company's head frame design. Use the grid below. [5]

Suggested scale for a small head frame: 1 cm = 1 m.

Suggested scale for a larger head frame: 1 cm = 2 m.

Make a 3D isometric drawing

The picture in Figure 6 shows a 3D isometric view of a head frame design. The drawing has been done on isometric grid paper, using instruments such as rulers and setsquares.

Isometric means equal measure.

One little triangle in this grid, represents 50 cm in each direction of the real structure.

That means that a line that crosses 10 triangles is 500 cm or 5 m long.

This view shows all three dimensions of the structure. You can see the sizes and the detail of the height, width and length.

3. Make a 3D drawing of your own head frame on the isometric grid below. [6]

How much will it cost?

To win a tender, you will have to show that your design is going to be the best and the best value for money. The table on the next page will help you to work out a tender budget.

Design: make a list of materials and work out thebudget(30 minutes)

  • Look at your head frame drawing. Calculate the total length of steel column you will need for the legs of the head frame. Then enter the total length into the Quantity Needed row of the table. Calculate the cost of the total length of steel columns that you need to buy and enter the amount into the table.
  • Calculate the total length of steel you will need for the cross braces and enter this total into the table. Calculate the cost of the steel needed for bracing.
  • Complete the rest of the table. Enter quantities you will need and calculate the cost estimate for each item.
  • Your project advisor says that you will need one project manager, one engineer, four artisans, four semi-skilled workers and 12 unskilled workers on the project, and that it will take six months to complete. Calculate the labour cost estimate for each of these workers.
  • Calculate the "subtotal" for each of the three cost categories, namely "steel for the head frame", "lift components" and "labour".
  • What will your total project cost be? Add up all of the subtotals of the different cost categories to calculate the total project cost.

Mark allocation

  • good estimates of materials quantities(1)
  • correct calculation of labour quantities (person/hours) (1)
  • calculations of cost estimate per item(2)
  • calculation of subtotal and total project cost(1)

cost per unit

quantity needed

cost estimate

steel column

R500 per metre

steel for cross braces

R20 per metre

sheave wheels

R 150 000

winch and motor

R 1 200 000

cable

R 100 per metre

cage and skip

R 350 000

project manager

R 30 000 per month

engineers

R 30 000 per month

artisans

R 25 000 per month

semi-skilled workers

R 20 000 per month

unskilled workers

R 12 000 per month

Make a model head frame (30 minutes + 60 minutes)

Now it is time to make a model of your head gear. You will need to make several different parts:

  • the head frame with its sheave wheel,
  • the mine winch, and
  • the model lift.

In this activity, you will make the first part, the head frame.

Remember : Your teacher will watch you while you make your model to see how well you:

  • work as a team,
  • measure and mark things properly,
  • cut and join parts accurately and with thecorrect tools,
  • finish and decorate your model, and

Safety tips:

Never play with cutting tools. Never point the sharp end at someone else. Keep your tools neat and clean and in good working order. Do not spill glue or leave the lid open as the fumes are poisonous.

Not everything you try will work well. So don't beafraid to change your designs to improve them as you go along.

Make the steel columns

You can make your steel columns using cardboard. Look at Figure 7 to help you. You can make round or rectangular columns depending on the former you use:

  • If you use a rectangular former, you will get a channel. A strip of wood 2 cm × 1 cm will workwell for this.

A former is a shape that can be used to make tubes. For example, when you wrap a flat sheet over a rectangular former, you make a tube with a rectangular cross section.

1. Choose how you will make your columns and thenmake all the pieces you will need for your model. Have another look at Figure 7 to help you. (1)

Make the cross braces

You can make cross braces by joining flat pieces of corrugated cardboard together. You can use tape or glue to join the flat pieces. Look at Figure 8 to help you. Figure 8 shows three types of cross braces: angle irons, T-beams and I-beams.

2. Decide which of these cross braces you need for your head frame. Then make the cross braces you need. You will use these cross braces and the columns you made earlier to make a model of your head frame. (2)

Make flat frames

Look at Figure 9. This figure shows one side of a frame.

  • T-Beams have been used to join the vertical and the sloping column.
  • Cross bracing has been added to strengthen the lower half of the frame.

3. Carefully cut your beams to the right size and shape to fit neatly between the columns. Then glue or tape them on. (2)

4. Cut your angle sections so that they can fit across the columns. Trim the ends so that the outside of the angle can be joined to the side of the column, but remember that the angle has to fit neatly between the columns. (2)

5. When you are happy with your first side frame, make the second inexactly the same way. (1)

Join your side frames

6. Now make your head frame by joining your two side frames together. (2)

Make a sheave wheel

Look at the pictures shown in Figure 10. They show two ways to make a model sheave wheel:

  • You can use a round cardboard box, such as the ones used to pack cheese triangles.
  • You can cut three circles from corrugated cardboard and sandwich them together.

For both methods, a plastic straw has been used to make a bearing through the middle of the wheel. This bearing will make the wheel turn easily on its axle or shaft.

7. Make you own sheave wheel. Try to make it as close to the correct scale size as you can. Use Figure 10 to help you. (1)

Mount the sheave wheel on an axle and fit it to the frame

Your sheave wheel has to turn easily. It needs to have an axle passing through the centre of the wheel. You can use a dowel stick, about 4 mm in diameter, or a long nail (about 60 cm long) for your axle.

Look at the picture in Figure 11. A sheave wheel has been added to the top of a head frame in the following way:

  • The axle is taped onto the top of the head frame.
  • The wheel, with a straw through its centre, can rotate freely on the axle.
  • Extra pieces of straw ha ve been added to keep the wheel in the centre of the ax le.

8. Now add your sheave wheel to its head frame. Use Figure 11 to help you. (2)

Will your axle bend? Have a look at the axle supporting your wheel. This axle will have to carry all the weight of the lift. Does it have enough support? If the distance between the axle and the supports are too long, then it will bend and might break.

If you need to, add extra supports for the axle at the top of the head frame.

Next week, you will complete your mini-PAT. You will make a winch and a lift and then you will present your tender.

Communicate a headgear tender

This week is the last week of your mini practical assessment task for mechanical systems in Grade 8.

You will make your mine winch and add it to the head frame you completed last week. Then you will add a lift, commonly called a cage, to your model.

After testing your system and adjusting it, you will collect all the work you have done so far for this mini-PAT, and use it to prepare a tender presentation to present to the tender board of the Platinum Stars Mining Company.

Complete your model: make a winch and cage (20 minutes)

Do you remember investigating crank winches in Chapter 4 and in this chapter? Look at Figure 12 again. It shows you how to make a model mine winch yourself.

  • The winding drum for this mine winch was made from a toilet-roll cardboard tube.
  • The winch drum has been put onto a 2 l plastic ice-cream tub. This will be the winch house.
  • This winch does not have a motor attached. Instead it uses a crank handle. But if you have a motor, then you can connect a belt drive or a gear system to the winch's drive wheel instead.

Here are a few important things to remember when making a mine winch such as this one.

  • The drum has to turn when the crank handle isturned. That means that the shaft that connectsthe small wheel with the crank handle to thewinding drum must be tightly attached to thedrum, and to the drive wheel. You can use glueor tape to make sure that the shaft is firmly stuck onto the drum and wheel.

Shafts and axles:

The centre of a wheel is called a shaft when it turns with the wheel.

When the centre of the wheel stays still and the wheel slides over it, it is called an axle .

  • The rope or string must be firmly attached to the winding drum and it must not be able to come off. Imagine what would happen to the lift cage if it did.

1. Make a winch drum of your own. Remember it must be able to lift and lower a cage into the mine.

Will your cage be square or round? You can use a paper-towel tube for a round cage or any square box for a square cage. Tie your lift cage to the shaft side of the sheave wheel. [2]

Test your head gear

With your cage and your winch attached to the head frame, you now have a complete system. Test your system to ensure that you can lift and lower miners, and lift mined ore from a shaft underground.

Evaluate the head gear (10 minutes)

Evaluate your solution

Look at the model your team has made.

1. Do you think the head gear is suitable for transporting miners to a depth of 500 m underground, and for lifting mined rock samples from underground? Explain your answer.

2. What have you done to ensure that your system will be safe?

3. What have you done to make your headgear look good so that the community will not complain about the mine ruining the area?

4. Do you think the environment will be damaged in any way by your structure?

5. Why should the tender board choose your head gear?

6. Are there any things the tender board won't like?

Present your solution to platinum stars (90 minutes)

Prepare your tender.

1. Prepare a team presentation to the tender board of the Platinum Stars Mining Company. Each member of your team should talk about one of the points below:

  • Your head frame ideas. This person should show the sketches and drawings you did while designing your head frame.
  • Your winch idea. This person should show the sketches and drawings you did while designing your mine winch.
  • The budget. This person should talk about the costs of making your headgear.
  • Why the tender board should choose your solution. This person should use your 3D model to convince the tender board that your solution is the best.

Present your tender

2. Now present your tender bid to the tender board. (3)

Evaluate different tenders

3. While listening to other people's tender presentations, write down some of the best points about their tenders.

4. Which tender do you think should win? Explain your decision.

Remember : To be good at evaluating you must show that you can judge other people's work objectively. (1)

COMMENTS

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