Assumptions about the problem to be solved lead to solutions that don’t solve anybody’s problem

A handy decision tree for better creative briefs

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.” — Richard Feynman

Visit almost any creative department in the world you’ll find that everybody there operates according to a simple, universal, can’t-avoid-it-truth:

Creation is not the act of the unfettered and free. Creation is the act of embracing constraints.

This comes as a surprise to some. It comes as a mundanity to others. But regardless of its reception, its truth has significant consequences for how creative work gets done. Especially when you’re doing that work for clients.

In agency land, the constraints that we embrace are called creative briefs. And if you’re not creating thoughtful-as-f*ck creative briefs, you’re just relying on assumptions that’ll come back to haunt you in the end.

Good briefs save time and money

At the center of its double-spaced, sans-serif’d heart, every brief is about saving the agency and the client time and money.