Give the studio a decision to help with
A useful opening brief names the occasion, audience, approximate quantity, budget and currency when known, delivery city and date. Add the practical problem: perhaps the gift must fit in a laptop bag or support a training session. Missing details can remain open while the idea develops. You do not need a finished design to begin, and the request should explain whether you want catalogue items, a custom concept or a combination.
Build a coherent proposal
The studio can help organise one to three distinct options, show catalogue product photographs and known estimates, and keep custom components visible when their prices are pending. Choose products and quantities deliberately. Ask for a branded mockup when you need to judge the visual relationship between the logo, products and packaging. That mockup is a concept for discussion; production artwork, dimensions and final decoration details still need the relevant approval.
A hypothetical first session
A marketing manager might write: “Prepare two practical welcome sets for 100 new employees in Baghdad; favour desk use and show any unpriced packaging separately.” Review the proposed functions before requesting extra visuals. Select the useful option, adjust quantities, and save the project. A PDF or read-only presentation can then support internal review. When the direction is approved, send the selected scope for a formal quotation rather than treating the early estimate as a purchase order.
Finish the session with one useful decision
Before ending the first session, write down the preferred direction and the question that must be answered next. It might be the final recipient count, permission to use a logo or a choice between two product functions. Assign that question to the person who can resolve it. Save the project once the current choice is clear, rather than waiting for every detail to be finished. The next visit can then begin with new information and a specific revision instead of another broad search for gift ideas.
Before you move forward
- Describe the recipient and the purpose.
- Keep quantities and currency explicit.
- Separate known prices from pending components.
- Save the preferred direction before requesting the formal quotation.
Common questions
What exactly is free?
The planning assistant and gift proposal workflow are a free service. Physical gifts, production, custom manufacture and separate standalone design services are priced independently.
Does preparing a presentation commit me to an order?
No. Use it to review the idea and known estimates. Ask the team to confirm the selected specification, stock, price and timing before an order is agreed.
Ready to turn the brief into a shortlist? Explore the catalogue or start a project in Brandkom’s free Gift Design Studio.