Bellow are guidelines for anyone wishing to write the perfect creative brief. When engaging in a new project we want to get the ball rolling quickly, layout expectations early and agree time-scales and budgets. 

Removing ifs, buts and maybes from the process greatly increases the chances of the designer surpassing the client’s expectations and the development of a lasting relationship. 

 

Bellow are guidelines for anyone wishing to write the perfect creative brief. When engaging in a new project we want to get the ball rolling quickly, layout expectations early and agree time-scales and budgets. 

Removing ifs, buts and maybes from the process greatly increases the chances of the designer surpassing the client’s expectations and the development of a lasting relationship. 

Feedback is welcome and will be considered for addition to this document, which is pulled together from a range of sources and personal notes. Please forgive the lack of citation/credit. Sources will be updated in future.

The Creative Brief

Don’t let the question predict and/or hide the answer. It is very important when creating a brief for a creative project not to be overly prescriptive as it will limit the possible creative outcomes. Trust the team and the creative process to deliver unexpected results that fill your requirements.

Overview

• What your organisation does?
• What your niche market is?
• How you fit in your industry sector?
• General project information?
• Aims & Objectives?
• Desired Deliverables?

Market

Detail on desired target market, including demographic information where possible.

• Choose a typical audience member or group and profile including; occupation, age range, gender, what their day looks like etc.
• How will they use your product?
• What do the audiences believe or think?

Messages, Features, Benefits and Values.

• List top desired (these may include must have/mission critical) features and/or facts about the product and its value to target audiences.
• Who is the competition?
• How should this product stack up against the opposition?
• What is the primary message?

Budget and Schedule

• Has the budget been approved?
• Is establishing the budget part of the brief?
• What is the product release date?
• Are there specific milestones that need to be achieved?
• What is the due date for the finished project?

Process

• Who is the primary contact for the project.
• What content will you be providing? logos, style guides, measurements.
• What are the internal review and approval processes.
• Who will sign off on the final design.
• How many revisions are expected? (unlimited is not an option)
• What format will the final design need to fill.

1. Good design is innovative.
2. Good design makes a product useful.
3. Good design is aesthetic.
4. Good design makes a product understandable.
5. Good design is unobtrusive.
6. Good design is honest.
7. Good design is long-lasting.
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
9. Good design is environmentally friendly.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity 

Education is killing creativity and making people who are ill prepared for the future.

See also 

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.