The most expensive sentence in a Dubai web project is “we’ll know it when we see it.” It sounds open-minded. It is how you pay twice: once for a design that guessed, and again for the real one after the partners finally agree. A brief is not a corporate ritual. It is a one- or two-page note that names the goal, the pages, the examples, the number people will tap, and who owns the domain.
ITZ asks for this so ITZ does not invent it on a call, then watch the invention get rejected in week five. You can send a WhatsApp voice note. You can fill a document. You cannot skip the decisions. The visual version of the same discipline is wireframes and sitemaps. Missing scope is how cheap quotes turn expensive — hidden cost.
Goals you can check later
Write one primary job for the site. Examples that work: “Get villa fit-out enquiries on WhatsApp,” “Take admissions tour bookings,” “Let procurement download a capability pack.” Examples that do not: “Raise the brand,” “Be number one on Google,” “Look international.” Those may be hopes. They are not a brief. If SEO matters, say which phrases are honest for your trade and city. If ads are already running, say so — the landing path is then part of the site.
Pages, examples, and the number people will tap
List the pages. Paste two or three live URLs you like — and one you do not, with a reason. Put the WhatsApp and call number in the brief so they are not a late surprise. Pages every UAE site needs.
Who writes, who signs off, who is on leave
Name one decision-maker. Name who supplies copy and photos. If three partners must approve colour, say so — it will cost calendar. A large agency may match that process. A senior studio can work inside it; it will not pretend it is free.
Languages
English only, Arabic later, or both at launch. A widget is not both. Bilingual.
Budget range is a kindness
A range in AED lets ITZ propose a site you can actually buy. “Competitive” and “best quality” collect quotes that are not for the same product. You do not need to show your ceiling to every bidder. You do need to know whether this is brochure territory or custom-app territory. How the price is set lives in the cost guide. It does not publish a rate card. If the range is tight, cut pages, not quality of the remaining ones.
Domain ownership belongs in writing
Frequently asked questions
How long should a web design brief be?
One or two pages, or a voice note that covers goal, pages, examples, number, languages, budget range and ownership. Length is not professionalism. Decisions are.
Do I have to name a budget?
A range is enough. Without one, you collect apples-to-oranges quotes and pay twice when the real number appears.
What if we do not have copy yet?
Say who will write, and by when. “You do the words” is a line item. Silence is a delay. ITZ can draft; someone who knows the trade still has to approve.