How to use website examples in your design brief
Review website examples by customer task, content and mobile layout. Write useful reference notes without copying a brand or inventing performance claims.
Robert TicknerWeb designer, Melbourne
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You find a website you like and send the link to your designer. That is a useful starting point, but “make ours like this” leaves the important choices unclear.
Explain what works for you and why it fits your business. A strong reference note identifies the service information, customer task or layout choice you want to discuss. It does not ask the designer to copy another business’s identity.
Start with a comparable customer task
Look for a site that supports a similar decision. A restaurant visitor finding a menu has a different task from someone comparing a specialist professional service. A shop checkout has different requirements again.
Our completed client website previews let you compare industry tabs and desktop-and-phone presentation. Use them to discuss design direction. Judge claims about commercial performance only from supporting records, not from the preview alone.
The custom website guide helps translate those observations into your own structure and editing requirements.
Describe the useful detail
Instead of “I like the whole site”, write a note such as: “The service cards make it clear which page I should open” or “The menu and booking link are easy to find on a phone”.
Be specific about the task. The Home page guide explains common routes into service information, while the mobile checks help inspect the same task on a smaller screen.
If a feature depends on another tool, describe the function rather than assuming you need the same tool. The designer can assess what fits your platform and budget.
Compare the information, not only the appearance
Read the service explanation. Does it identify scope, customer fit and next steps? Is the evidence relevant? Can you find the contact details without guessing?
The professional web presence guide helps assess those details. A polished layout may still leave important questions unanswered, while a simpler page may make the service much clearer.
Do not infer the business’s enquiry results from your opinion of the design. A screenshot is a design reference, not a conversion study.
Record visual preferences as choices
Note the qualities you want to discuss: readable type, generous spacing, useful colour contrast or a clear main action. The colour guide and typography guide explain how those preferences become repeatable website rules.
Include what you dislike too. A busy opening animation or small navigation text may give the designer a useful limit. Explain the problem without treating your personal preference as proof that the other website performs badly.
Use a reference worksheet
On a small screen, scroll the table to view every column.
| Reference note | What it tells the designer |
|---|---|
| Customer task | The action the example supports |
| Content choice | Information placed at a useful point |
| Layout choice | How the page makes the task clear |
| Visual preference | Type, colour, spacing or imagery to discuss |
| Difference from our business | What should change for our offer |
Complete the worksheet for two examples rather than collecting twenty links with no explanation. The brand brief guide gives those notes a place alongside your own logo, audience and service facts.
Keep your own identity at the centre
Borrow a useful principle, such as a clear service route or readable booking section. Use your own content, approved images and business information.
Our custom website design service works from that brief. If you want to discuss reference sites, send Robert the links and the specific choices you like. The conversation can then focus on a website that serves your business.
Robert Tickner
Founder and web designer, Web Design Studio Melbourne
Robert works directly with small businesses on website design, content structure and local SEO. His approach starts with the business offer and the customer’s next step.
First published .
Prepared with AI assistance. Examples labelled illustrative are not client results.
