Define Your Project Goals

February — Creative Briefs

What is a creative brief? A creative brief is an answer to the question “what are the goals for your project”.

Your Creative Brief acts as a road map, for the client and Design team. Building a strong creative brief is important for a project with impact.

The founding pillars for any creative brief are the goals and the accompanying questions. Try to be as concise as possible when answering questions for the brief. Answer them without being written into a corner before the “creative” has even started.

What is a Creative Brief? A Creative Brief is an answer to the question “what are the goals for your project”

Goals are important, and can inform your client how valuable you are as a designer. Good goals are agreed upon by both you and the client. These act as a safety net, keeping all parties on the same page. Surprise, a business also work best when people don’t assume anything about deliverables. These goals will help keep your client and you on track and honest. This will always save time and money for both parties. As a designer, you shouldn’t be designing stuff just to make it look nice. Working with the brief creates something elegant.

I like to follow these nine goals:

Background — Who are the clients.
Overview — What is the project.
Objectives — What kind of feedback are we looking for this project.
Target Audience — Who are we marketing to?
Message — What is the project saying, what needs to be communicated. Why is it a compelling reason to believe.
Competition — What is the difference between us and them. what are they telling the people we aren’t.
Visual Breakdown — Is there a style guide. Do we use older visuals, or are we creating something new.
Deliverables — What will be delivered at the end of the project from the creative team
Deadline — when is this due?

Using these, we can create a set of goals, and guidelines for a landing page that points to a newsletter signup.

Working with clients on briefs like this, or ones even more “defined” can be great. It provides the framework to design with purpose and intent. It becomes your responsibility to make your work fit in the client’s branding.

Creative Briefs are important. They need time and thought to be good road maps, but save time and money later on down the road.