The Creative Brief Template
The exact brief format we send to every new client — structured to surface what actually matters before work begins.
The Creative Brief Template
The quality of a brief determines the quality of the work. This is not a cliché — it is a causal relationship. Ambiguous briefs produce ambiguous work. Briefs that ask the right questions force the kind of clarity that makes good design possible.
This is the brief format we use at Farmer Studio. We send it to every new client at project kickoff. We complete it together, usually across two sessions, and we treat it as a living document that can be revised until the end of the discovery phase.
Section 1: The Business Context
What does your business do, in one sentence? If you cannot answer this in one sentence, this is the first problem we will solve together.
What does success look like in twelve months? Be specific. Revenue targets, user counts, market position statements — concrete is better than aspirational.
What is the single most important thing your new digital presence needs to accomplish? If you answer with more than one thing, pick the most important one.
Section 2: The Audience
Who is the primary audience for this project? Describe a specific person, not a demographic segment. What do they care about? What do they fear? What are they trying to do when they arrive at your site?
What does your audience need to believe before they will take action? Identify the core trust problem your site needs to solve.
What do your competitors' sites do well? List three competitors and the one thing each does that you admire, even reluctantly.
Section 3: The Aesthetic Mandate
Provide five reference sites, images, or objects that represent the visual direction you want. These do not need to be from your industry. An architecture photograph, a book cover, a packaging design — all valid.
What three adjectives should describe the visual tone of the finished work? Choose carefully. "Luxurious," "bold," and "modern" are meaningless without specificity. "Understated," "architectural," and "slow" are actionable.
What must the work absolutely not look or feel like? Negative space in a creative brief is as important as positive space in a composition.
Section 4: The Constraints
What is the timeline, and where is it flexible? Honest timelines produce better work. An artificial deadline produces corners cut that both parties will regret.
What is the budget range? If this question makes you uncomfortable, that discomfort is worth examining before work begins.
What technical constraints exist? Hosting environment, CMS preference, integration requirements, team technical capabilities for ongoing maintenance.
Section 5: The Relationship
How do you prefer to give feedback? Written asynchronously? Synchronous calls? Recorded video walkthroughs? The right process removes friction from the iteration cycle.
Who has final sign-off? Identify this person at the outset. Discovering them at the approval stage is a common source of costly late-stage revision.
What would make this the best creative engagement you've had? We ask this because the answer is almost never about deliverables.
This brief is a starting point, not a cage. The best briefs evolve as we work together. The worst briefs are treated as unchangeable contracts. Send us yours and we'll start from there.