The Creative Brief is one of the most important documents in engaging a creative firm. Yet is it probably the one document that seems to be the bane of existence for the average Brand Manager. Elusive as it is, an effective Creative Brief can be generated by focusing on three key questions.

#1  Why Are We Here?

There is a reason you picked up the phone and called in the design experts – a decline in sales, a change in positioning, a consumer trend opportunity, and the list goes on. It is important to start a creative brief with an overview of the situation, and the status of the brand in terms of the consumer, the category and the competition. In doing so you set the stage for Question #2.

#2  What Is The Challenge?

Based on the situational landscape, a challenge will emerge. It is important to simply and clearly state the challenge – "consumers can't find our brand," "we've lost relevance," "sales are down." Despite the gloom and doom, by pinpointing your challenge, you can then identify your goal in Question #3.

#3  What Is Your Goal?

Said differently, what is your objective? There is a lot of confusion around the difference between an objective and a strategy (we'll address that question in another post). An objective spells out what you want to achieve, and its important to keep design objectives separate from business objectives. Business objectives identify the goals of the business. Design objectives identify the goal of design, and in many ways address how the brand engages with the consumer and/or the competition.

An example of a good design objective: Drive consumer reappraisal of the brand. In other words, get consumers to think differently about the brand. With this type of objective, the power of design can be focused on enacting a very specific consumer behavior. The situation and challenge provide dimension for the objective, giving it context so that when the dots are connected a clear Visual Strategy can be defined.

Using Visual Strategy Will Get You Promoted

And that is where the experts come in. A single Visual Strategy is all that is needed to ensure a sound and efficient creative exploratory. With the information provided in the Creative Brief as a starting point, we can define a plan of attack for leveraging design to work to address your challenge and meet your goals. We will always be advocates for engaging your Design Consultancy early in the process and full disclosure of all brand-related information. However, when it comes to the Creative Brief, it is important to narrow in on the most relevant information needed to define a Visual Strategy.

So next time you are faced with the daunting task of writing a Creative Brief, steer clear of the Cut and Paste buttons, stick to these three questions and connect the dots. It will not only make the process less painful for you, but will ultimately result in efficient and stellar brand design that will get you promoted.

And if you're still having trouble, let the experts at Spring Design Partners help you craft an effective Creative Brief.