Graphic design client questionnaire
Ask a client what they want and they describe a solution. Ask these questions and they describe the problem, which is the thing you can actually design against. The must-avoid question alone will save you a full concept round.
Free to copy and use. Nothing to download, no email required. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
Ask what they hate, not just what they like
Clients find it much easier to name what is wrong than what is right. “Show me two brands in any industry you dislike, and say why” gets you a sharper brief than any moodboard exercise, because dislikes are specific and instant. It also surfaces the unspoken veto — the colour the founder's ex-company used, the typeface that reminds someone of a bad rebrand.
Find out where the work will live before you design it
A logo that only works at 800px in a Figma frame is a liability. Ask about the smallest and largest applications — app icon, embroidery, vehicle livery, conference banner — and about single-colour and reversed-out use. These constraints shape the design from the first sketch and they are almost never volunteered.
Get the adjectives, then get the anti-adjectives
Ask for five words the brand should feel like, then ask for three it must never feel like. Pairs are more useful than lists: “premium but not exclusive”, “friendly but not childish”. That is a brief you can defend a decision against in a review, which is what turns a subjective critique into a productive one.
The intake form template
Copy the whole thing, or select the parts you need. The numbers and dates are examples — change them to yours before sending anything.
Graphic design client questionnaire
GRAPHIC DESIGN — CLIENT QUESTIONNAIRE
The more specific you are here, the fewer rounds we will need later.
Where a question does not apply, write "n/a" and move on. Rough answers
beat blank fields.
— BASICS —
1. Company name, as it should appear in the work
[ ]
2. Your name, role, and email
[ ]
3. Website and social handles
[ ]
4. What does the business actually do, explained to someone outside your
industry?
[ ]
— THE BRIEF —
5. What are we designing? Tick all that apply.
( ) Logo / wordmark ( ) Full brand identity
( ) Brand guidelines ( ) Packaging
( ) Print collateral ( ) Presentation template
( ) Social templates ( ) Signage or environmental
( ) Other: [ ]
6. Why now? What changed?
[ ]
7. Is this a new brand, a refresh of an existing one, or a rescue of
something that is not working?
( ) New ( ) Refresh ( ) Rescue
If refresh or rescue: what specifically is failing?
[ ]
8. What must carry over from what exists today? (Colour, mark, name,
equity you cannot afford to lose.)
[ ]
— AUDIENCE AND POSITIONING —
9. Who is the primary audience? Age, role, context, and what they
already believe about you.
[ ]
10. Who are your three closest competitors, with links?
[ ]
11. What do you want people to think when they see this that they do
not think today?
[ ]
12. Five words the brand should feel like:
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
13. Three words it must NEVER feel like:
[ ] [ ] [ ]
14. Complete these: "Premium but not [ ]."
"Friendly but not [ ]."
"Modern but not [ ]."
— TASTE —
15. Show me [3] brands you admire — any industry — and say what you
admire about each. Links are fine.
[ ]
16. Show me [2] brands you dislike, and say why. This is the most useful
question on the form.
[ ]
17. Anything that is off the table? A colour, a style, a typeface, an
association you must avoid — including for reasons that are not
about design.
[ ]
— APPLICATIONS AND TECHNICAL —
18. Where will this appear? Tick everything, including the awkward ones.
( ) Website ( ) App icon ( ) Social avatars
( ) Business cards ( ) Packaging ( ) Merchandise / embroidery
( ) Vehicle livery ( ) Signage ( ) Trade show stand
( ) Print ads ( ) Email ( ) Video / motion
( ) Other: [ ]
19. What is the smallest and largest size it needs to work at?
Smallest: [ ] Largest: [ ]
20. Does it need to work in a single colour, and reversed out on dark?
( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) Not sure — please advise
21. Which final file formats does your team need, and who will be using
them? (Printer, web developer, in-house marketing, agency.)
[ ]
22. Do you have licensed fonts already, or does the budget need to cover
licensing? Note: fonts are licensed in your name, not mine.
[ ]
— PROCESS —
23. Who gives final sign-off?
Name and role: [ ]
24. Who else must review it, and are any of them likely to be brought in
late?
[ ]
25. What is the deadline, and what is driving it?
Date: [ ] Reason: [ ]
26. Budget range for this work:
( ) Under $[2,500] ( ) $[2,500]–$[7,500]
( ) $[7,500]–$[20,000] ( ) Over $[20,000]
( ) Not set — advise me
27. Anything else I should know?
[ ]
—
Next step: I will send a scope with deliverables, [2] included revision
rounds, a timeline, and a fixed price within [2] business days.
[Your name] · [you@yourstudio.com]This is a practical starting point rather than legal advice. Terms like late fees and payment periods are regulated differently depending on where you and your client are, so check anything you plan to enforce.
Send it as an intake link from PaloWorks
Your client fills in the brief on a link before you quote, and the answers land on the project. A new workspace starts with a question set for its trade, which you edit to yours — short answer, pick one, pick any, or a date, and any question can be optional. It does not import this page's questions: add the ones you want to your form.
Free for one client and three active projects. Pro is $19/mo for unlimited clients and projects.
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