Begin with the projects you want next
A useful redesign brief starts with a business decision: what do you want the next version of the studio to be hired for? A portfolio can be beautiful and still attract work that no longer fits. Before choosing fonts or references, name your priority services, preferred project types, service area, and the parts of your process that clients need to understand.
For example, a studio shifting toward full-service furnishing may need to explain procurement and installation more clearly. A designer moving toward larger renovations may need to show collaboration and scope. These are planning examples, not results promised by a particular design. Use your actual sales conversations to decide what belongs in the brief.
Choose projects for relevance, not just quantity
Select a small group of projects that represents the work you want to repeat. For each, gather approved photographs, image credits, the client brief, your role, scope, and a short explanation of the design decisions. Confirm what location detail the client is comfortable sharing. Do not publish an exact address simply to make a page feel local.
A useful project story helps a reader understand how you think. It should connect to a service page that explains what hiring you involves. If a gallery includes a rendering, mood board, or unbuilt concept, label it. A prospective client should be able to distinguish completed work from a visual proposal.
Separate the service decision from the image gallery
Write down what each service includes, who it suits, what the process looks like, and how a client begins. Full-service interior design, furnishing, and a standalone consultation may require different explanations. Ask your website partner to show how these pages connect to relevant projects and how a visitor gets back to the inquiry path.
If you share an investment minimum or typical timeline, use information you can stand behind and explain the conditions. Avoid publishing an invented range just because a template expects one. A clear description of fit is useful even when pricing needs an individual conversation.
Plan the first inquiry before designing the form
List the information you need to decide whether an initial conversation is worthwhile: project location, rooms or property type, scope, timing, and budget context if appropriate. Keep the first form short enough to complete on a phone. Detailed specifications and large file uploads can wait until there is a reason to request them.
Explain what happens after submission using your real process. A consultation request should not imply an immediate booking if someone still needs to review the project. Test the confirmation message and email delivery before launch, and make sure someone on the team is responsible for responding.
Ask how the redesign will handle existing search visibility
Before a rebuild, inventory the current pages and check which ones receive relevant search visits or valuable links. Keep useful URLs where practical. If a page moves, plan a permanent redirect to the most relevant replacement. Sending every old project to the homepage can leave both visitors and search systems without the expected content.
Your proposal should identify responsibility for copy, image preparation, metadata, redirects, mobile checks, and launch verification. Ask how the site will be updated afterward. A portfolio-led website should remain workable when the next photographed project is ready, without requiring another full redesign.
Send a brief that makes proposals comparable
Share your current URL, priority services, selected projects, content availability, integrations, and desired launch timing. Ask each partner to distinguish the initial rebuild from ongoing SEO or content work. Compare the actual page and implementation scope, not just a total price or an assurance of more traffic.
Reverie Green works on website design and SEO for interior design businesses. If your portfolio has outgrown its current presentation, bring the site and a few representative projects to a redesign conversation. The starting point is what the studio needs the website to explain and who it should invite to inquire.
What to carry forward
- Define the projects and services you want before selecting design references.
- Pair approved project imagery with scope, context, and relevant service links.
- Include inquiry design, content responsibilities, and URL migration in the brief.
