Logos: method, size, placement and artwork
Logo method must be stated first, because a printed logo, an embroidered logo and an applied logo need different artwork, different sample checks and sometimes different garment colours. State the method for each garment and each colour, send the artwork with the first brief, and state the logo size and placement in words and measurements that the supplier can follow without guessing. A logo note that says only the brand name will come back with questions about method, size and placement, and those questions will delay sampling by a full round. Colour matters for logos as well. A logo that is clear on a dark garment may need a different treatment on a light garment, and a logo that works on a top may need a different size on leggings or shorts. List logo notes per garment and per colour, so each sample can be checked as a branded garment, not only as a plain garment with a logo added later.
Colours: palette, assignment and references
A colour palette is not a brief until colours are assigned to garments. List the palette once, then assign each colour to the garments it covers, and send a colour reference for each brand colour. A colour name alone will be interpreted differently by different suppliers, and a sample judged against a colour name the buyer never sent will fail even when the garment itself is correct. For gym ranges, also state whether tops, leggings and shorts must match exactly in colour, or whether some colours apply only to some garments. Matching is a decision, not a default, and a range briefed without a matching note will be sampled in combinations the buyer never intended. When a colour is changed after sampling, treat it as a new sample check, not as a minor change, because colour changes can affect logo treatment and fabric feel as well.
Sizes: runs, sample sizes and team splits
State the full size run for each garment, and name the size to be sampled first for each garment. A gym range sampled only in a middle size may hide fit problems at the ends of the run, and a team order sampled without a size split cannot be planned at all. For team orders, state whether sizes are listed by person or by size run, and whether names or numbers are needed on any garment. Personalisation changes sampling and labelling, so it must be in the first brief, not added after a plain sample has been approved. For retail gym ranges, state whether the size run is the same for every garment or differs by garment, because tops, leggings and shorts often need different runs even within one brand range. A size note that covers the whole order with one run will be wrong for at least one garment.
Sampling and confirmation steps
After logos, colours and sizes are listed, ask the supplier to confirm the brief line by line, and to name any line that needs new development, extra artwork or a different timeline. That confirmation turns a customization enquiry into a sampling plan, and it shows early whether every custom line can move together or whether some lines need a separate plan. Share your quantity and target date to get MOQ and lead time for your order, and ask how the supplier will check custom details on samples: logo clarity, colour accuracy, size fit and label placement, each as a separate check. A custom sample should be judged as a branded product, with labels and tags checked alongside the garment, not as a plain garment that will somehow become branded later.
Checklist to copy into your brief
Copy this checklist into the first brief, and fill in each line. Logo method, size and placement per garment and per colour, with artwork attached. Colour palette with references, assigned to garments, with a matching note. Full size run per garment, with the sample size named and a team split if needed. Labelling and packaging expectations for resale or private-label orders. Quantity band and target date, with a request for MOQ and lead time for your order. Certificate document request, naming the styles it must cover, if documents are needed. A brief that passes every line of this checklist can be sampled without a clarification round, because the supplier will have artwork, references, sizes and a confirmation plan from the start. Keep a copy of the completed checklist with the order, so later messages about colours, logos or sizes can be checked against the first brief instead of against memory, and so any change after sampling is recorded as a change with a reason, not as a quiet correction that confuses the sample history.
From guide to brief
Turn this guide into a brief by naming the scene, the garments, the construction, the colours and sizes, and the logo placement, then share your quantity and target date to get MOQ and lead time for your order. Certificates available upon request.