Garbage In, Garbage Out
By
The other day, a colleague of mine complained about a creative group he and I both have used for separate projects multiple times recently. He complained how they actually weren’t that creative, didn’t get what he wanted with the first design, etc. He wasn’t pleased with them, so he started using someone else he knew. He was raving about this new agency, complimenting their proactive approach, how they “got” what he was going for, how they were completely different than the other group he had used.
Which was funny, because I have been using the first group a lot lately, and they’re doing good work. What could be the difference?
The difference is in direction. More accurately, upfront direction.
I know for a fact that my colleague doesn’t do a creative brief justice (if he does one at all). It’s not a knock; it’s just not his thing. So he tosses a wish over the wall to a creative group with the expectations that they will get it immediately, and that all the unspoken needs and wants in his mind will somehow be captured.
I know this because my career has taught me the importance of spending time on a thorough creative brief for designers. To clearly define the purpose and target of a piece. To vividly establish the boundaries, inform the designer for his benefit, and then step back and let him do his thing within those boundaries. That’s why I’ve had a good experience with this design group.
As I’ve mentioned before, designers can really benefit from constraints. Your job is to establish those constraints.
Too often, our own tight deadlines/procrastination/frantic schedules prompt us to throw together a request in an email, write a couple sentences, push “Send” and then mark it off our list. I promise you that spending an extra 30 minutes on a brief, equipping your designers with the information you know they need, will save you days in the long term.
What are some of the more unique points of information you like to put in a creative brief?
