Is It a Brief?
Guiding Clients: The Difference Between an Idea and a Creative Brief
TL;DR crowd can watch/listen here.
Every couple of days we get messages that arrive labeled as “creative briefs.” And every week, a good portion of them are not briefs. They’re thoughtful, earnest, detailed ideas, but an idea is not a brief. An idea is the starting point.
Here’s an example with the client, brand and specifics changed for privacy…natch!
The “brief” said:
“We need two design options for a holiday event. Something authentic, fun, and captures the spirit of this city. Think multi-mural line art. Guests will color it in. Include food, monuments, cultural icons, logos, and incorporate our brand logo. We need black-and-white and color. And we need it in three days. What’s your rate?”
It’s written with enthusiasm (we love). It’s written with care (we also love). But it’s not a creative brief. It’s a mood board in paragraph form.
What’s missing:
There’s no sketch.
No sample layout.
No reference to the artist’s existing style or portfolio.
No license terms.
No revision structure.
No clarity on how the logo should be integrated.
No stakeholder list.
No budget.
Without those things, the artist, agent, producer and rep cannot (legitimately) scope the work, the client cannot get reliable pricing, and everyone ends up playing creative telephone with a deadline looming.
Most people were never actually taught how to write a creative brief. They were taught how to write a request. But those two documents do different jobs.
What a real creative brief does:
It tells the artist what success looks like. Not adjectives like authentic or festive. Actual direction: “We want X in the center, Y surrounding it, and here are three reference images for tone.”
It outlines boundaries. Budget, timeline, revisions, sign-offs, usage, and the level of complexity expected.
It connects the ask to the artist’s body of work. If you want to hire someone be sure point to the three pieces (at least) that inspired you/ you want your project to echo.
It tells the truth about the ask. If you need something in three days, clarity becomes the currency.
When a brief is actually a brief (not an idea, not a vibe, not a brainstorm) you set the artist up to win. You save yourself time and money. You reduce friction. And your chances of getting what you want increase dramatically.
This is what we do at Much Creative under our “Guiding Clients” pillar. We transform vague requests into real, functional briefs that artists/groups can execute. We make sure the vision is clear, the scope is defined, and the talent feels supported, and none of us are scrambling.
When the brief is strong, the work is strong. And everybody wins.
For more information on how we work with agencies, brands, marketing firms and organizations to guide the creative process book an intro call here.
PS: They totally ghosted us and never responded to two weekend emails + a Monday am follow up. That is another post entirely✌