Briefing a map designer correctly is one of the most underestimated steps in creating effective business maps. In the U.S., where maps are used heavily in executive decks, investor materials, sales presentations, dashboards, and marketing assets, a weak brief almost guarantees a weak outcome. Not because the designer lacks skill, but because maps amplify ambiguity. If the brief is unclear, the map will be too.
This guide explains how U.S. businesses should brief map designers so the final output supports clarity, credibility, and decision-making rather than confusion and rework.
Understand that a map brief is not a design request
Many briefs fail because they focus on what the map should look like instead of what the map should do.
A bad brief sounds like:
- “We need a U.S. map with our locations.”
- “Make it interactive and modern.”
- “Show all our data points.”
A good brief starts with intent:
- What decision should this map support?
- Who is viewing it?
- In what context will it be used?
In U.S. business settings, maps are not decorative visuals. They are communication tools. The brief should reflect that.
Step 1: State the business objective in one sentence
The most important part of the brief is the objective.
Examples of strong objectives:
- “Help executives understand where revenue growth is concentrated.”
- “Show investors our national footprint without revealing operational detail.”
- “Highlight expansion opportunities based on unmet demand.”
If you cannot summarize the objective in one sentence, the project is not ready to be briefed. Designers cannot compensate for missing intent.
This step alone eliminates most unnecessary iterations.
Step 2: Define the audience precisely
U.S. companies often assume “everyone” is the audience. That is almost always wrong.
Specify:
- Executive leadership
- Investors
- Sales teams
- Clients
- Internal operations
- Public website visitors
Each audience has different tolerance for detail and different expectations. A map designed for executives will look wrong to analysts, and vice versa. The designer needs to know who they are optimizing for.
Also clarify whether the audience is familiar with the data or seeing it for the first time.
Step 3: Explain where and how the map will be used
Maps behave very differently depending on context.
Include details such as:
- Slide deck, PDF, website, dashboard, or print
- Zoom presentation or in-person meeting
- One-time use or reusable asset
- Static or interactive
For U.S. business use cases, this matters enormously. A map meant for a Zoom board meeting should be designed very differently from one meant for an interactive product page.
If this context is missing, designers are forced to guess, and guessing leads to rework.
Step 4: Clarify the geographic scope and resolution
Never assume the designer knows what geography matters.
Be explicit about:
- National, regional, or local scope
- States, metros, counties, ZIP codes, or custom regions
- Whether Alaska and Hawaii should be shown
- Any regions that must be emphasized or de-emphasized
U.S. geography is visually deceptive. Large states dominate space but not necessarily business importance. If certain regions matter more strategically, say so upfront.
Step 5: Specify what data matters and what does not
One of the most common briefing mistakes is dumping data and letting the designer decide what to show.
Instead, prioritize:
- Primary metric to visualize
- Secondary context, if any
- Data that should explicitly be excluded
For example:
- “Revenue by state is the main metric. Customer count is secondary context. Ignore operational capacity for this map.”
Designers are excellent at visual communication, but they are not mind readers. They need guidance on what data drives the story.
Step 6: Share the intended takeaway, not just the data
This is where many U.S. business briefs fall apart.
Do not just share data. Share what you believe the data is saying.
Examples:
- “The takeaway should be that growth is overly concentrated.”
- “We want to show that our footprint looks national, even though revenue is regional.”
- “The map should make it obvious where we should not expand.”
Even if the designer challenges your interpretation, this gives them a starting point. Without it, they may design a map that is accurate but misaligned with leadership expectations.
Step 7: Define success and failure upfront
A professional brief explains how success will be judged.
Examples:
- “An executive should understand the message in under five seconds.”
- “The map should work clearly when screenshared on Zoom.”
- “It should be readable when exported as a PDF.”
Also clarify what would make the map unacceptable:
- “Too many labels”
- “Anything that looks like a default Google map”
- “Anything that requires verbal explanation”
This saves time and prevents subjective disagreements later.
Step 8: Provide brand and visual constraints
Maps are brand assets in U.S. business communication.
Include:
- Brand color guidelines
- Typography standards
- Existing slide or design references
- Examples of maps you like or dislike, with reasons
Avoid vague feedback like “make it pop.” Be concrete. Designers work best with constraints, not open-ended preferences.
Step 9: Clarify the level of accuracy required
Not all maps need the same level of geographic or data precision.
Be explicit about:
- Whether approximate locations are acceptable
- Whether aggregation is preferred over exact points
- Whether the map is illustrative or analytical
For presentations and marketing, clarity often matters more than precision. For operational tools, the opposite may be true. Designers need to know which side of that line they are on.
Step 10: Define iteration and approval process
Many map projects stall due to unclear ownership.
Specify:
- Who gives feedback
- Who has final approval
- How many review rounds are expected
In U.S. organizations, map projects often attract opinions from many stakeholders. Without a clear decision-maker, designers receive conflicting feedback and the map degrades with each revision.
A clean approval structure protects both the designer and the outcome.
Common briefing mistakes to avoid
Avoid these patterns:
- “Just make it look good”
- “We will know it when we see it”
- “Show everything, we might need it”
- “Let’s decide the message after the map”
These approaches almost always result in bloated, confusing maps that satisfy no one.
Conclusion: good briefs create good maps
Briefing a map designer is not a formality. It is a strategic act.
In U.S. business environments, where maps influence executive decisions, investor confidence, and customer perception, the quality of the brief directly determines the quality of the outcome.
A strong brief:
- defines the decision
- identifies the audience
- clarifies context
- prioritizes data
- states the intended takeaway
- sets success criteria
At mapsandlocations.com, we see the difference immediately. Clients who brief with intent get maps that work. Clients who brief with ambiguity get maps that require endless revision.
If you want, we can provide a reusable map briefing template tailored for U.S. business teams, or help you audit and rewrite your existing briefs so your designers can deliver stronger results faster.