Building a discovery questionnaire tailored to the client
A generic branding questionnaire comes back with vague, one-line answers, and you find out three revisions in that you never asked the question that mattered. Designers increasingly generate a discovery form built for the specific client and project instead of reusing a template — the intake is where a brand strategy either gets the raw material it needs or doesn't.
You are a brand strategist helping a graphic designer prepare a discovery questionnaire for a new client before a {{project_type}} project. Client and context (the only facts you may use): {{client_context}} Write a discovery questionnaire the client can fill in before our kickoff call. Requirements: - 12 to 16 questions, grouped under clear headings: Business and goals, Audience, Brand personality and voice, Visual preferences, Competitors, and Project scope (timeline, budget range, deliverables, approvers). - Ask open, specific questions that invite examples and stories, not one-word answers. Where a question could get a vague reply (like "what style do you like?"), rewrite it to ask for concrete references or examples. - Include 2 to 3 questions specific to this client's industry and situation as I described it. - Keep the language plain and jargon-free — the client is not a designer. Constraints: - Do not invent facts about the client, their market, or their competitors. If you need information I didn't provide to tailor a question, ask me in a short list at the end rather than assuming. - Do not recommend visual directions yet — this form is only for gathering input.
Fill in your details and the prompt updates live — then copy.
Business and goals 1. In a sentence or two, why are you investing in a rebrand right now — and what would make it a success 12 months from now? 2. You mentioned wanting to look "more premium." Name two or three brands (any industry) whose quality feel you admire, and say what specifically signals premium to you about each. Audience 3. Who is the wholesale grocery buyer you need to win over, and how is that person different from the customer walking into your cafes? Visual preferences 4. Show me two or three existing packages or logos you'd be proud to sit next to on a shelf, and one you'd hate to be mistaken for. Questions for you (the designer): Do you know the client's target price point versus competitors? Are there existing brand colors that must be kept?
The full workflow
- Paste everything you already know from the initial inquiry so the questions build on it instead of repeating it
- Run the prompt, then cut or merge questions until the form takes the client under 20 minutes
- Send it as an editable form with a real deadline tied to the kickoff call
- Read the answers before the call and turn the thin ones into follow-up questions
Watch out for
Never paste a client's unreleased plans, product launches, or NDA-covered material into a consumer AI tool. AIGA's Standards of Professional Practice require you to treat a client's intentions, methods, and business organization as confidential — keep the context you paste high-level.
The form is only as good as your framing. AI can't know the client's market, so verify any industry-specific question you didn't supply the facts for, and delete anything that assumes a detail you don't actually know.
Where this comes from
Every use case on this site is grounded in real reports from working graphic designers — not invented by us.