The First Step: Preparing a Project Brief

While drafting a creative brief can seem like a daunting task, it will make your project both measurable and efficient. By establishing benchmarks and goals at the beginning of the project, you will know exactly what the return on your investment is. This is why the first step of working with a creative agency should always be preparing a creative brief.

The brief is simply a document that details the goals of the project and what the end result should be. By creating a thorough brief, you can assure that the up front planning has been taken into consideration before any design begins. Designers work on a billable hours basis, so you don’t want fundamental issues to surface while the clock is ticking. Designers will use the brief to help determine what the most effective concept and aesthetic would be to achieve the project while staying within predetermined parameters. Taking the time to prepare a thorough brief insures against excessive billable hours in revisions and no surprises in design.

Things to Consider Before Starting the Brief

1. Think about what items you will need to supply to the agency. Are you supplying rough copy? Do you need to gather images (Must be of acceptable resolution)? Have you included a vector version of your logo? Do you have a brand standards guide? By supplying these items up front you can minimize inefficiencies that would occur by having to find them later in the process.
2. Develop a timeline before contacting the agency. A timeline assures receipt of the project in a timely manner without having to compromise on design in order to meet deadlines. Remember to allow time for approvals and revisions. Also, ask the agency if the timeline is feasible for them, in almost all cases something can be done to accommodate a tight deadline.
3. And most importantly, supply the desired outcome not the solution. Remember that you are paying for the creativity and expertise of the agency you’ve hired. While it may be tempting to play art director, ultimately the project will benefit more from letting the experts do their jobs. Instead you should be clear about what is to be achieved so that the designers can concept and plan the best solution to achieve your communication goals.

Please download AssociaDirect’s design brief template to help construct your own brief. If you are unable to answer the questions or are unsure about the best approach, please feel free to contact us. We would be more than happy to help you develop a design direction or complete marketing plan.

Download the Template (.doc Word File)

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2 Responses to “The First Step: Preparing a Project Brief”

1. 
   Sander

   Thanks for creating the essential list of steps to create a project brief. I especially liked the attached word file, bookmarked.

   October 18th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
   

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