As an in-house web and graphic designer I deal with colleagues requesting resources from the creative team every week. These requests offer the marketing team a wide range of options for future work. From sales enablement PowerPoints to updating HR email templates, most public-facing documents hit our desk at one point or another. With the introduction of the creative brief, our marketing team aims to add some structure to this process. In this post, I will explain what a creative brief is, why you need one, and the essential elements to create a successful brief.

Clients I’ve worked with expect their stuff to look good and work as designed. And most don’t sweat the process. Nor should they. That’s the designers job. But informing the client and setting expectations is integral to your success as a designer.