Design request form template you can copy
Eight fields that make a design request clear on the first send. Copy the form, and a short version for quick jobs.
Most design requests arrive as a one-line message and a reply thread. The designer asks questions, you answer, a day goes by. A design request form template fixes that: one form, answered once, and the designer can start.
The design request form template
Copy this into a form tool, a doc or a ticket template.
DESIGN REQUEST
1. Request name: [short and clear]
2. Goal: what should happen after someone sees this? [one sentence]
3. Audience: who is it for? [one type of person]
4. What do you need: [formats, quantities and sizes]
5. Must-haves: [copy, logo, links, legal lines]
6. Reference: one you like and one you do not, and why.
7. Deadline: [date] and priority: [1 = first]
8. Approver: [one name]
Files attached: [links to copy, images, brand files]Each field answers a question a designer would otherwise ask. Goal and audience set the direction. Must-haves stop late changes. A reference you dislike is as useful as one you like.
Why a form beats a message
Michael Hawley wrote in UXmatters (4 July 2011) that open requests for feedback produce scattered replies, and that three to five focused questions work better. The same idea applies to requests. Specific questions get specific answers. Andy Budd's advice in Smashing Magazine (8 February 2023) is to frame the problem before the solution. The goal field does that.
A short version for quick jobs
Not every request needs eight fields. For a small change, use five.
QUICK REQUEST
What: [one line]
Why: [the goal]
Size or format: [details]
Due: [date]
Approver: [name]Fields people forget
Accessibility. If text must meet a contrast level, say so. WCAG 2.2 level AA asks for 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text; see the WCAG 2.2, contrast minimum.
File types. Say what you need back: source files, PNG, PDF.
Where it will run. A story, an email and a banner differ.
Who must see it before it ships, if anyone besides the approver.
Priority is the field that matters most
When you send many requests, put them in order. We work requests one at a time, in your priority order, and you can send as many as you want. A clear number in field 7 means the right thing is done first.
Make the form easy to use
Keep it to one screen.
Use short field names.
Put an example answer in each box.
Link to your brand kit so nobody asks for the logo.
If you prefer to fill in a single page, use our creative brief generator or the creative brief template. For feedback after the first draft, see how to give design feedback.
Want a designer who works from a form like this? Book a call.
A filled example
This is the same form filled in for a made-up coffee roaster. It shows the right level of detail.
DESIGN REQUEST
1. Request name: November launch post
2. Goal: 150 people open the new roast page from Instagram in two weeks.
3. Audience: remote workers who buy coffee online.
4. What do you need: one square post and three story frames.
5. Must-haves: product photo, the line "Roasted this week", link sticker, logo.
6. Reference: Like, our September post, calm and spacious. Dislike, crowded sale posts.
7. Deadline: Friday 14 Nov. Priority: 1.
8. Approver: Sam
Files attached: product photos, brand kit link.
Where to keep requests
Use one place. A shared board, a form that creates a ticket, or a single inbox all work. What does not work is requests spread across chat, email and calls. Keep the history, so you can see what was asked and when.
If you send many requests, review the list each week and re-order it. We work requests one at a time in your priority order, so the order you set is the order you get.
Quick answers
Who should fill it in? Whoever knows the goal best, then the approver checks it. It should not be filled in by someone guessing.
What if I do not know a field? Write "not sure" and say what you do know. An honest gap is better than a made-up answer.
How long should it take? Five minutes for the short version and about ten for the full form. If it takes longer, the idea is not ready yet.
Review the form every quarter
Ask your designers which fields they find useful and which they skip. Remove anything that is never read. Add a field if the same question comes up three times in a month. A form that fits how you really work gets used, and one that does not gets ignored.
What we could not verify
The form and the short version are our own templates. We did not measure how much time they save. The article summaries come from the pages' text.
Written by Sachin Rathor
Founder, noondesk. I drop AI & design tricks a few times a month for fast-moving marketing teams. Write to me at sachin@noondesk.com.
