What’s a Creative Brief?
What it actually means to “understand the assignment.”
When it comes to creative projects, the creative brief is like your north star. A brilliant one will guide you through each step of the journey; a lackluster one will leave you disoriented about how to get started or move forward. And while we can’t control what kinds of creative briefs are provided to us, our success as designers hinges on our ability to read and interpret them, in whatever state they land in our inbox. Luckily, this ability can be learned with practice.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of how creative briefs can be used, what to expect, and what to do once you’ve received one. Let’s dive in 👇
What a creative brief is, and how it’s used
To put it plainly, a creative brief defines important information about a project in order to guide the creative team to a successful project completion.
It can take different forms: a slide deck, a Google Doc, a PDF, or an email. Regardless of the medium, it’s intended to make sure everyone involved understands key points (more on that below) about what the project is and why we’re doing it. Because of that, creative briefs are usually shown and discussed at the beginning of the creative project, before any work has started.
Strategically, the creative brief also discreetly communicates the client’s expectations. This is why it’s important to understand and follow the creative brief to the best of your abilities — it serves as an agreement, between you and the client, that you’ll fulfill the work as defined. While that may sound intimidating, it can also relieve you of unnecessary or unrealistic expectations from the client that may pop up later in the project. “Let’s add 5 more graphics,” they might suggest. By pointing to the creative brief, you can underscore that it’s outside the scope of work.
Lastly, creative briefs are also often used to solicit designers for work. For example, when an agency is looking for a designer to work on a project, they’ll email over the creative brief in their initial outreach (or after an NDA has been signed, in the case of confidential information). In this scenario, you get to preview what the company is looking for and whether you’d be a good fit for the work. So, what should you expect to find in the creative brief?
What’s included in a creative brief (usually)
Unfortunately, there’s no standardized format for what information the creative brief should include. As a result, you might receive a brief with not enough detail or not the right information. In my own experience, the following points are essential (and if the creative brief doesn’t include them, you should ask the client to do so!):
Project overview and objectives: a summary of the project, including the purpose, goals, and how the deliverables will be used.
Client information: details about the client, including its mission and values.
Target audience: the intended audience for the project, including any demographics or preferences. With this, you can identify whom you’re designing for and what kind of research you might need to do.
Scope of work: an outline of the project’s expectations, requirements, deadline(s), and deliverables. This should also include a timeline, with any milestones and feedback checkpoints.
References: any examples, images, or materials that can be used as inspiration for the creative work.
Budget: how much compensation will be provided for the creative work, and how the compensation will be disbursed (check, bank transfer, etc).
Contacts: who are the main points of contact for the project, like the project manager or members of the creative team.
In short, the creative brief should contain all the necessary information for the designer or artist to get started on the project.
I received a creative brief, now what?
Once you have a creative brief in hand, you’ll first want to assess what information is included. Reference the points above and identify if anything’s missing. I find it helpful to reiterate to myself the key points from the brief, just to make sure I understand what’s expected.
If you received the brief as a work inquiry, you’ll want to determine if you’re a good fit for the project. If so, you can move forward into discussing the brief with the client. If not, it’s a courtesy to let the client know that based on the scope of work, you don’t think you’d be a good fit. (I recommend also offering to refer someone else for the opportunity, if you know any designer(s) who would be interested.)
Regardless of how confident you feel about the brief, it’s always a good idea to discuss it with the client. In many cases, they’ll offer to walk you through it. By taking them up on this, you can also ask clarifying questions about anything that’s unclear or left out of the brief. I’ve always found reviewing the brief over a meeting to be an illuminating conversation, as there are always points that might be glossed over in the brief but that the client wants to delve deeper into.
Though the creative brief is just one step of the creative process, it has a far-reaching impact on each subsequent phase of work. Now that you know what to look for in a creative brief and how to handle one, you can navigate this step more successfully — and even guide your client in the process. Good luck! 🔥
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