Creative brief template
A creative brief is the single page that gets the client, the strategist and the designer pointing the same way before anyone opens a design tool. Vague briefs are where revision rounds come from. This one forces the decisions that matter - audience, message, and what success looks like. Copy it below, or collect briefs from every client in a branded intake flow.
0/3 filled - the rest of the [prompts] you finish in your copy.
CREATIVE BRIEF Project: [project name] Date: [date] Client: [Client name] Prepared by: [Agency name] 1. BACKGROUND [Where the client is now and why this project exists. 2-3 sentences.] 2. OBJECTIVE [The single most important thing this work must achieve, tied to a result. e.g. "Lift demo sign-ups from the homepage by 20%."] 3. AUDIENCE [Who it is for - their role, their context, what they care about, what is stopping them.] 4. THE MESSAGE [The one thing the audience should think, feel or do. If they remember one thing, this is it.] 5. DELIVERABLES - [Deliverable - format, size, where it runs] - [Deliverable] 6. TONE & MANDATORIES - Tone: [e.g. confident, plain-spoken, not corporate] - Must-haves: [logo, legal line, brand colours, the CTA] - Avoid: [anything off-limits] 7. SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE [How you will know it worked - the metric or the reaction.] 8. PRACTICALS - Budget: [amount or range] Deadline: [date] - Approver: [name] References: [links to inspiration]
pick a version, copy it, or download as .docx or .pdf — then make it yours.
How to fill it in
One objective, not five
A brief with five priorities has none. Name the single most important outcome - everything else serves it.
Define the audience as a person
'Small business owners' is not an audience. Their role, their context and what's stopping them is.
Nail the one message
If the audience remembers one thing, what is it? Deciding this up front prevents the 'can we add one more point' spiral.
Make success measurable
'Looks great' isn't success. A metric or a specific reaction is what lets you defend the work later.
List mandatories early
Logos, legal lines, the CTA - the boring must-haves cause the most rework when they only surface at round two.
A filled-in creative brief
A realistic, filled-in version - so you can see what good looks like before you start.
CREATIVE BRIEF Project: Homepage refresh Date: 6 Apr 2026 Client: Acme Roasters Prepared by: Northwind Studio 1. BACKGROUND Acme's new packaging is live, but the homepage still looks like the old brand and demo sign-ups have flattened. 2. OBJECTIVE Lift demo sign-ups from the homepage by 20% before the Q3 push. 3. AUDIENCE Independent cafe owners, time-poor, sceptical of "premium" claims - they want proof it sells, not adjectives. 4. THE MESSAGE Acme helps your cafe pour a better cup and sell more of it. 5. DELIVERABLES - New homepage design (desktop + mobile) - A hero section and a 3-step "how it works" 6. TONE & MANDATORIES - Tone: warm, plain-spoken, confident - Must-haves: new logo, "Book a demo" CTA, wholesale badge - Avoid: stock-photo coffee cliches 7. SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Demo bookings from the homepage up 20% within 6 weeks of launch. 8. PRACTICALS - Budget: $12,000 Deadline: 30 Apr 2026 - Approver: Dana Park (CMO) References: 3 links shared in the portal
Common mistakes
- Writing a brief with five 'top' priorities - which means none.
- Describing the audience as a demographic instead of a person with a problem.
- Skipping the one-message decision, so every stakeholder adds their own.
- Leaving 'success' undefined, then arguing about taste in revisions.
- Surfacing mandatories - logo, legal, CTA - at round two instead of in the brief.
Collect the brief without the back-and-forth
Chasing a brief over email gets you half-answers. Forge turns it into a branded intake form every client completes in one link - so the brief lands complete, in your team's hands, and the project starts aligned.
Frequently asked questions
What is a creative brief?
A short document that aligns the client and the creative team before work starts - the objective, audience, message, deliverables and what success looks like.
Who writes the creative brief?
Usually the agency (account or strategy lead), with the client's input and sign-off. The client approving the brief is what turns it into real alignment.
How long should a creative brief be?
One page. A brief that runs to five pages isn't a brief - the discipline of a single page is the point.