How To: Write A Strong Creative or Digital Project Brief

2 Oct' 19 | By Amanda Smith

Get it right and your agency will deliver first time – no mistakes.

Writing a creative or digital brief in an agency can be particularly hard. So where do you begin? A good brief is one that inspires, is clear, sticks to one goal, has supportive constraints and inspires others to take on the project. Here are our top 5 ‘ignore them at your peril tips that any novice or expert ought never to exclude from a brief.

The Business Case: This part of the brief will encourage you to precisely outline what the problem is that you are addressing with a new campaign or project. Make sure you have a clear objective, avoiding jargon and any internal lingo. Write with your creative agency in mind; give an obvious and detailed description, so they can fully understand all of the factors they need to consider to achieve your goal.

Measurement: What impact do you want to make with the project? Include facts, figures and success indicators.

Competition: Investigate what your competition are doing and describe how they are achieving results.

Target Audience: Take your audience into consideration – is the project you’re commissioning targeted and tailored towards your target market? This is particularly important when making big decisions like whether building your website to work on mobiles/tablets is just the latest fad, or something you really need to consider.

Budget: Supplying a budget guide is always tricky, especially if you’re not sure how much it is likely to cost. With that being said, giving your design agency an idea of a budget will mean they can better tailor their recommendations to your expectations. If you don’t have a fixed budget, then a price bracket such as ‘between £2,000 to £4,000’ will be the best solution.

Ultimately, a creative brief should inform your agency as best as you can, so you can work together towards a shared goal: growing your brand and business.