The perfect print brief and why great campaigns start here

So, what is a print campaign? It’s your brand in motion. It’s a strategic, visual experience designed to communicate a particular message in the physical world. One of the advantages of using print for campaigns is that you can use massive scale, innovative materials, and impactful placement to capture attention, prompt action, or build awareness.

But with so many moving parts to coordinate, it’s crucial to align every element meticulously. That’s why every standout print campaign starts with the perfect brief. As the ultimate blueprint for success, i gives everyone on the project, from creative to production, absolute clarity on what the end goal is and how everyone is going to get there. This way, you can keep timelines on track, confidently manage costs, and prevent problems from arising later down the line. Even better, it empowers you to push creative boundaries without risking the impact of the final delivery – wowing your audience and boosting client confidence at every step.

To begin your brief, you need to ask yourself one question: what are you trying to achieve? It might be that you’re a charity focused on improving brand awareness, an event organiser hungry to drive ticket sales, or a retail giant promoting a new product or offer. Whatever your goal, be clear on your purpose and define your objectives early to keep the whole process moving – on time and on budget. Clear scope will ultimately help us to offer you the right print solution too. Our vast expertise in print media means we can translate your requirements to get you the perfect result, keeping your ROI and value in mind.

What’s more, strong and clear-cut objectives will not only provide direction to aid your print production planning, but also give you measurable success criteria. By setting goals early on in the process, everyone involved in the campaign has a shared definition of success. For agencies, that means better client reporting and tangible ROI, and for direct clients, it brings the confidence that your budget is well spent on a campaign that is delivering results.

Know your audience

Print interacts with the physical world. The chance to make an impact can be fleeting, so to make sure your message lands, you need to know who you’re talking to and where they’ll see your campaign.

Understanding your audience shapes everything – from the creative to the materials and finishes you choose. A strong brief needs to go beyond demographics; you need to define behaviours, mindset, and how a customer will interact with your campaign. For instance, if your audience are commuters, you’re going to need to consider formats with high visibility and quick readability. You’ll only get a few seconds of their attention, so make it impactful. If your audience is in a retail environment, think about more close-range engagement. That might be the use of tactile finishes, vibrant colours or perhaps some 3D elements. The more informed you are about your audience, the more you can use your print product to engage them and nail your original objective, whether that’s conversion, awareness, or anything in between.

Your creative vision sets the tone for the whole campaign. If your vision is precise and definitive in your brief, this allows your print partner to accurately align the production. Going for a premium and sleek aesthetic? Or do you need to be bold and disruptive? We’ll talk to you about the materials and finishes that most suit your approach to make sure that everything about your campaign is cohesive and on brand.

Getting the details right

Dominion’s production experts have mastered the art of choosing the right materials and finishes for your needs. The perfect material can take your print from good to absolutely unforgettable – and who doesn’t want that?

We understand how to balance your goals to achieve maximum visual impact while meeting the practicalities of the environment your print products reside in.. This means if it’s an outdoor campaign, we can make recommendations about specialist coatings and weather-resistant substrates. If it’s indoors and under bright lights, we might instead recommend a matte finish to ensure your print product is perfectly readable and truly pops. 

In your brief, make sure to include information about your chosen campaign location, such as:

• Site photos or geographical references

• Measurements, dimensions, and surfaces

• Access restrictions or installation windows

The more we know about the space, the more we can plan for any challenges and curb them before they arise.

At Dominion, we thrive on precision – precise design, precise print, and precise timelines. To ensure your brief hits the mark, you need to get realistic about your deadlines. Not only that, but you need to communicate them early on in the process to ensure everyone is on the same page. 

We always advise building in approval buffers too for things like artwork, site visits, or prototypes. This helps to give you, and us, enough time in the process to make changes or get sign off. Understanding how to keep print project timelines on track is a whole other ball game. But with careful consideration and the expert support of a full-circle print partner, it’s a highly rewarding role that makes the entire rollout seamless.

Let’s talk money (early)

Sounds like an obvious one, doesn’t it? But your budget isn’t only about the cost –it’s about clarity. Being transparent allows us to understand your priorities and find creative solutions with maximum value. It helps us to identify where to invest to create the greatest visual impact, and where to look for smart efficiencies that keep the C-suite happy.

The sooner you talk to us about budgets, the more we can help. We can advise on where to spend, where to save, and how to make your budget work harder for you.

Why a great brief matters 

Preparing a comprehensive and well-defined brief at the start of your project pays dividends in the end. A strong brief saves time, money, and unnecessary stress. It also avoids costly revisions, prevents production delays, and ensures the final output matches your creative vision. 

A great brief also empowers collaboration. It turns your print partner into a trusted extension of your team. Working with a full-circle print partner like Dominion makes it even easier. We manage every element, from idea to installation, takedown and beyond. That’s why we’re trusted by leading brands like Cadbury’s, River Island and Jaguar Land Rover; we turn even the most complex projects into a breeze.