How to Brief a Showit Designer So the Build Goes Smoothly

Hiring a Showit designer can be an exciting step for a photographer, creative professional, coach, or small business owner. A professionally designed website can turn your ideas into a polished online presence, but the success of the project depends on more than the designer’s skills.

The information you provide before the build starts can have a major impact on the process.

A vague brief can lead to unnecessary revisions, unclear expectations, and delays. A thoughtful brief gives your designer a much clearer understanding of your business, audience, brand, content, and goals.

Whether you are starting from scratch or redesigning an existing website, knowing how to brief a designer can make the entire project easier.

Why Your Showit Designer Needs a Detailed Brief

A designer can create the visual structure of your website, but they cannot automatically know what your business needs.

They need context.

For example, a wedding photographer and a branding photographer may both need portfolio pages, but their customers, services, messaging, and website structure can be completely different.

Your brief gives the designer the information they need to make appropriate decisions.

It should explain:

• What your business does
• Who your ideal customers are
• What services you offer
• What makes your business different
• What you want your website to achieve
• What pages you need
• What visual style you prefer
• What content you already have

The more clearly these points are explained, the less guesswork is required.

Start With Your Business Goals

Before discussing fonts, colors, or animations, explain what you want the website to accomplish.

Your main goal might be to:

• Generate enquiries
• Showcase a photography portfolio
• Sell creative services
• Build an email list
• Promote a personal brand
• Attract local clients
• Publish educational content
• Establish credibility

You may have several goals, but identify the most important ones.

For example:

Primary goal: Generate wedding photography enquiries.

Secondary goal: Build organic traffic through helpful blog content.

That information gives the Showit designer a better understanding of what the website should prioritize.

Define Your Ideal Client

A website should be designed for the people you want to attract.

Describe your ideal client as clearly as possible.

You might explain:

• Their approximate stage of life or business
• What service they need
• What problems they are trying to solve
• What matters when choosing a provider
• What type of experience they expect
• What questions they usually ask

For example, a wedding photographer might primarily work with couples who value documentary-style photography and want a relaxed experience.

That information can influence the tone, imagery, navigation, and overall Showit web design.

Explain Your Brand Personality

Your designer needs to understand how you want your brand to feel.

Possible characteristics include:

• Elegant
• Minimal
• Editorial
• Warm
• Playful
• Modern
• Sophisticated
• Artistic
• Relaxed
• Bold

Choose several words that genuinely describe your business.

Then explain what you do not want.

For example:

We want: Editorial, refined, warm, and personal.

We do not want: Corporate, overly formal, flashy, or heavily animated.

Negative examples can be surprisingly useful because they help prevent the project from moving in the wrong visual direction.

Share Visual References Carefully

One of the easiest ways to communicate a design preference is by showing examples.

Collect several websites that you like.

Do not simply send twenty links and say, “I want this.”

Instead, explain what you like about each example.

For example:

Website A: I like the typography and large image sections.

Website B: I like the simple navigation.

Website C: I like how the services are presented.

This gives your designer specific information rather than asking them to copy another website.

The goal is to identify design characteristics that fit your brand.

Explain What You Do Not Like

Your references should not only show what you want.

If there are design choices you strongly dislike, mention them early.

For example:

• Too many animations
• Tiny text
• Dark color schemes
• Large navigation menus
• Full-screen video
• Busy layouts
• Excessive pop-ups
• Generic stock imagery

Knowing these preferences before the build begins can prevent unnecessary revisions later.

Create a Sitemap Before Design Starts

One of the most useful things you can give a Showit designer is a basic sitemap.

A simple photography website might include:

• Home
• About
• Weddings
• Experience
• Portfolio
• Investment
• Journal
• Contact

A creative agency might need:

• Home
• Services
• Work
• About
• Process
• Testimonials
• Blog
• Contact

The exact structure depends on your business.

The important thing is to decide which pages are actually needed.

Do not create pages simply because another website has them.

Provide Your Content Early

Designers can create layouts more efficiently when they know what content will actually appear on the page.

If you provide placeholder text and later replace it with much longer copy, the layout may need significant changes.

Prepare as much of the following as possible:

• Headlines
• Body copy
• Service descriptions
• About text
• Testimonials
• FAQs
• Pricing information
• Contact details
• Calls to action

You do not necessarily need every sentence finalized before the project begins, but your designer should understand the approximate amount and type of content.

Prepare Your Photography and Images

For photographers and visual businesses, images are a major part of the website.

Create a folder containing your strongest images before the design process starts.

Organize them logically.

For example:

Homepage

Weddings

Portraits

About

Brand Photography

Blog

Also identify which images are your favorites.

This saves your designer from having to search through hundreds of files to determine which photographs represent your brand best.

Think About SEO Before the Design Is Finished

SEO should not be added as an afterthought.

Tell your designer whether organic search is an important part of your marketing strategy.

You may already have target topics or keywords for important pages.

For example:

• Wedding photographer in Austin
• Branding photographer
• Family photographer
• Creative web design
• Portrait photography

Your designer does not need to write your SEO strategy, but understanding the intended page topics can help them create layouts with enough room for useful content.

This is particularly important when working on Showit website designs that rely heavily on visual elements.

A page should not become so minimal that there is no space for meaningful information.

Discuss Mobile Design From the Beginning

A website is not finished when the desktop version looks good.

Ask how the design will translate to mobile.

Discuss:

• Mobile navigation
• Image cropping
• Typography
• Button placement
• Spacing
• Section order
• Gallery layouts
• Contact forms

Showit gives designers considerable visual control, but that flexibility means the mobile version still needs careful attention.

Ask your designer to show you important mobile layouts during the review process rather than waiting until the final stage.

Decide Who Is Responsible for What

Many website projects become confusing because responsibilities are not clearly defined.

Before the project starts, decide who handles:

Design

Copywriting

SEO

Image preparation

Domain settings

Analytics

Forms

Blog setup

Launch

For example, your designer may handle the Showit build while you provide the copy and photography.

Alternatively, you may hire separate specialists for SEO and content.

Write down these responsibilities so everyone understands what they are expected to deliver.

Establish a Revision Process

Revisions are a normal part of website design.

Problems occur when there is no agreed process.

Ask your Showit designer:

• How many revision rounds are included?
• When do revisions happen?
• How should feedback be submitted?
• What counts as a revision?
• What happens if the project scope changes?

Instead of sending scattered feedback through multiple messages, collect your comments into one organized document whenever possible.

This makes the process easier for everyone.

Avoid Changing the Brief Every Few Days

Once the project begins, you may see new ideas that you want to add.

Some changes will be necessary.

But constantly changing the direction can slow down the project.

For example, if you initially request a minimal editorial website and later decide you want a colorful, animated design with completely different navigation, the designer may need to rebuild major sections.

Try to make important decisions before the design phase starts.

Small adjustments are normal. Completely changing the strategy halfway through the project is much more expensive in time.

Discuss Functionality Early

A website may require more than static pages.

Tell your designer if you need:

• Contact forms
• Email signup
• Scheduling
• Blog integration
• Portfolio galleries
• Pricing sections
• Client questionnaires
• Testimonials
• Social media feeds
• Custom interactions

Some features may require additional tools or setup.

Mentioning them early allows the designer to plan around them instead of trying to insert them into an almost-finished website.

Create a Clear Approval Process

Decide who has the final say on the website.

If multiple people are involved, appoint one person to collect feedback and communicate with the designer.

Otherwise, the designer may receive contradictory instructions from several people.

For example:

One person wants a minimal homepage.

Another wants more text.

Someone else wants additional animations.

A single decision-maker can help keep the project moving.

What to Include in Your Showit Design Brief

A useful brief can follow this structure:

Business Information

• Business name
• Industry
• Main services
• Location
• Years in business
• Main competitors

Website Goals

• Primary goal
• Secondary goals
• Desired visitor actions

Audience

• Ideal customer
• Their needs
• Their concerns
• What influences their buying decision

Brand

• Brand personality
• Colors
• Fonts
• Logo
• Visual preferences
• Designs you dislike

Website Structure

• Required pages
• Navigation
• Calls to action
• Blog requirements

Content

• Website copy
• Images
• Testimonials
• FAQs
• Pricing or investment information

SEO

• Target topics
• Important service pages
• Target locations
• Existing URLs
• Existing search traffic

Technical Requirements

• Forms
• Email marketing
• Scheduling
• Analytics
• Domain
• Integrations

Project Details

• Deadline
• Budget
• Revision process
• Responsibilities
• Approval process

Questions to Ask a Showit Designer

Before hiring someone, it can also help to ask practical questions.

For example:

Have you built websites for businesses similar to mine?

How do you approach mobile layouts?

How do you handle SEO considerations during the build?

Will I be able to edit the website myself after launch?

What is included in the project?

How do revisions work?

What happens after launch?

The answers can help you understand how the designer works and whether their process matches your needs.

Final Thoughts

A successful Showit web design project starts before the first page is designed.

Your Showit designer needs a clear understanding of your business, audience, goals, content, brand, and technical requirements. The more useful information you provide at the beginning, the easier it becomes to create a website that actually fits your business.

The goal is not to control every design decision.

Give your designer the information and direction they need, explain what matters most, provide useful references, and remain open to professional recommendations.

With a clear brief, organized content, realistic expectations, and a defined revision process, your designer can focus on creating Showit website designs that look polished while also supporting the actual goals of your business.