We thought it’d be a really good idea to talk to listeners about how to brief a creative, by which I mean how to ensure you effectively get what you want when you are designing a new website, setting up some videos, or even doing some design and print. I don’t know about you but a clearly defined brief can have a host of benefits to a) the person commissioning the work and b) the creative working with that client.

Great idea, it so important. And we’ve got a giveaway for listeners too, haven’t we, if they listen to the end of this podcast?

Yes, we have Liz, but more on that later.

Okay then. So the creative brief could be said to be the foundation of any advertising or marketing. It’s the treasure map that creatives follow, and it tells them where to start digging for those golden ideas. Or at least, it should, if it’s any good.

We understand that people are really busy and it would be so easy to ignore the benefits of preparing a good creative brief. A combination of lack of preparation, increasingly tighter deadlines, bad habits, laziness, poor account management, bad creative direction, and ineffective training, all contribute to this becoming something of a necessary evil.

Yes, so if listeners have followed our other podcasts, and I’m thinking of Podcast 004 ‘What makes your customer tick‘, listeners may have created a buyer persona. Remember listeners, you can still download a copy to work on if you have yet to do so by going to our website www.themarketingmenu.com. This creative brief bit is the next step on from this, I suppose, and is certainly a good idea if you’re spending money with a creative and particularly if you want to get the job done, quickly and easily.

Yes, I suppose we should talk about the merits of doing one before diving straight in.

Yep, so a creative brief is a written explanation – given to a designer – outlining the aims, objectives, and milestones of a design project. It really is a critical part of the design process. It helps develop trust and understanding between the client and designer – and serves as an essential point of reference for both parties. Above all, the design brief ensures that important design issues are considered and questioned before the designer starts work.

That’s interesting because I know quite often people have an idea of what they want but quite often that idea can change once you start talking to others, and of course, different creatives will have a different take on things, and then I guess the goal posts may move so to speak.

Yes, and I think that’s a good point, Liz, because if you are paying others for their expertise, you need to get to know them first to understand their ideas and to see how the conversation rolls because different agencies will have a different way of addressing your issues if they’re savvy and I suppose ultimately you need to choose someone who understands your goals and aspirations and what your vision for that piece of work actually is.

And someone who ultimately gets your brand! So how can you use this idea for your business if you want to develop this area? I know several large companies who fail to take the time to plan this part of the brief and who ultimately risk losing loads of money going down the wrong path. How many times have you heard about websites, or adverts not getting buy in from the management team after all the creatives been done, and a whole lot of money wasted in the meanwhile?

I’m afraid far too many, Liz. I may be being rash but I think the little guys often get stuck with something they’re not entirely happy with because they just can’t afford to spend more money whereas in larger company’s marketers often get frustrated by the lack of buy in from management once they’ve done loads of hard work.

So, this is where the creative brief comes in.