· Kingtoons Studio
How to brief a web designer in Lagos
A short brief saves weeks. Here is what Kingtoons Studio needs before drawing the first page of a Nigerian company website.
Start with the business, not the colours
A useful brief says who the site is for and what that person should do next. A courier wants a tracking box. A school wants an admissions path. A jeweler wants a private viewing request. If the brief only says "make it modern", the studio has to guess, and the first round of pages will miss the point.
Write one sentence for the visitor: "A parent in Ikeja should request a school tour." That sentence decides the home page. The rest of the site supports it.
What to send before the first call
- The legal name of the business and the name you want on the site
- The city you serve, and whether you also work outside Lagos
- Three sites you like, and one sentence on what you like about each
- The pages you already know you need
- A date you would like to launch, even if it can move
- Who will reply when we ask about copy, prices, or photos
Photos of the real premises, products, or team matter more than stock images. If you do not have them yet, say so. We can launch with a smaller set and add photographs later.
Pages that almost every company needs
Most briefs land on the same spine: home, services or products, about, proof of work, and contact. A school adds admissions. A dealer adds stock. A clinic adds practitioners and a visit request. Name the extra pages in the brief so they are quoted, not discovered halfway through.
Also say what the site should not do. If you do not take card payments yet, we will not build a checkout you cannot operate. If staff will not update a blog, we will not promise a newsroom.
Copy, naira prices, and who approves
Send the words you already use with customers. A price list, a menu, a service sheet, or a WhatsApp reply is better source material than a slogan written for the brief. Mark anything that is still a draft.
Say who can approve a page. If three people must agree, the schedule needs that time. One approver is faster.
How Kingtoons Studio uses the brief
We read the brief, then reply with the pages we recommend, what is out of scope, and how the work will be handed over. Custom design is quoted separately from the ready-made websites in the marketplace. Management after launch is a different agreement, so it is named on its own.
If you are not sure a custom site is the right spend, read when a ready-made website is enough, or look through the marketplace and send an enquiry on the listing that is closest.