We've received briefs that were one sentence. We've received briefs that were 40 pages. Neither is ideal.

A good brief is not long. It just answers the questions that actually matter, and it does not assume the designer already knows your product.

Start with the “why” and the exact moment

Not “we need animations for our app.” Where exactly. What screen. What moment in the user journey. What is the user doing when they see it.

Here is the difference:

“We need a loading animation for the data sync screen in our mobile app, shown while the user waits for their first import to complete.”

That one sentence gives the platform, the context, the user's likely headspace, and a rough sense of duration.

Say where it will live, technically

Platform matters. Web (React) is different from iOS native. React Native behaves differently again. A marketing page is its own world.

Format, file size, how the animation is triggered, and even what “smooth” looks like all depend on where it is shipping.

If you are not sure what your developers need, ask them before you send the brief. One quick question up front can save a week of back-and-forth later.

Bring references (and explain what you like)

This is the most valuable thing you can include, and the thing clients most often leave out.

Find three to five examples from anywhere: other apps, Dribbble, YouTube, competitor products. What matters is that they are close to the vibe you want.

Send the links with a sentence for each one that says what you are reacting to. The pace. The energy. The style. The level of detail.

References are not about copying. They give the designer a calibration point. “Like this, but faster” or “this energy, but more minimal” is infinitely more useful than “we want something fun.”

Share your brand assets (or just screenshots)

A Figma link to your design system if you have one. Your colors. Your fonts. Any existing animations or motion guidelines.

If you do not have formal brand guidelines, send three or four screenshots of your product. That is usually enough for someone good to match your visual language.

Spell out the requirements you actually know

Output format: Lottie JSON, MP4, GIF, or a mix. Dimensions. Whether it loops or plays once. Whether it needs to respond to user interaction. Any file size limits your developers care about.

If you do not know the technical constraints, ask a developer before the brief goes out. It takes two minutes and it prevents the most common revision loop.

Give the real deadline

Not the deadline you would ideally like. The deadline where something breaks if the animation is not done. These are often different, and designers need to know which one they are working to.

What not to send

• A detailed description of exactly how you imagine it should move, frame by frame. Unless you have a motion background, this usually constrains the designer without improving the outcome. Describe what it should communicate and how it should feel, then let the designer solve the motion.

• A mood board with 30 references that contradict each other. Three to five focused references that share a sensibility beat 30 random ones.

• The words “something simple.” Nothing is simple in animation. Simple-looking is often the hardest to pull off.

A quick template you can copy

• What it's for: [screen, moment in journey, what the user is doing]

• Platform: [Web / iOS / Android / React Native / Marketing page]

• Number of animations: [how many + one line each describing what it does]

• Output format: [Lottie JSON / MP4 / GIF + any size constraints]

• Playback: [loops / one-shot / on trigger / interactive]

• Brand assets: [Figma link or screenshots]

• References: [3–5 links + what you like about each]

• Deadline: [the real one]