A creative brief is the shortest document in a project and the one that saves the most time. It captures what the work needs to achieve and for whom, so every concept can be judged against the same page.
Fill it in with the client, not for them. The conversation it forces is half its value.
- 01
Background
What is happening in the business that makes this project necessary right now. Two or three sentences.
- 02
Objective
The one thing the work must do, ideally measurable.
Example wordingGet existing café customers to try Larkspur beans at home: 2,000 bags sold in the first quarter.
- 03
Audience
Who you are talking to, what they believe today and what you want them to believe after. Be specific: a person, not a demographic.
- 04
Single-minded message
The one thing the audience should remember. If you need "and", you have two messages.
Example wordingThe coffee you love at the café, made just as well in your kitchen.
- 05
Proof points
Facts that make the message believable: awards, numbers, ingredients, process.
- 06
Tone
Three adjectives, and one thing the work should never feel like.
- 07
Mandatories
Logo rules, legal lines, product shots, partner marks, accessibility requirements: anything that must appear.
- 08
Deliverables, budget and timeline
Formats and sizes, the budget range and the key dates, including when the brief itself is signed off.
- Bag design for 3 SKUs
- 6 social loops, 1:1 and 9:16
- Budget $8,000 to $12,000
- Concepts in 2 weeks, final art in 5
- 09
Approval
Who signs off the brief and the work. One named decision maker saves weeks.
Mistakes to avoid
- Several objectives with equal weight.
- An audience defined only by age and income.
- No named decision maker.
- Skipping sign-off on the brief itself.
Questions about this template
- Who should write the creative brief?
- Usually the account lead or strategist drafts it with the client in the room, then the client signs it off.
- How long is a good creative brief?
- One page, two at most. If it runs longer, the thinking is not finished yet.
- Should the brief include a budget?
- Yes. A range is enough, and it stops concepts from being designed for a budget that does not exist.
Use this template in HubSign
It opens in the block editor with every section above, ready to send, sign and invoice.
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