I always use a creative brief when working on new projects with clients, whether a new logo or website design.  It helps me to focus in on what they need, their likes and dislikes, and their goals.  So what is it?

A creative brief is a series of short questions I give to a client to ponder and fill out so I can make sure the creative projects meet what they are looking for.  Some of the questions are:

• What is the name and type of business?
• What kind of colors do you like?
• How do you want people to feel when they look at your logo or visit your website?
• What kind of font styles do you prefer?
• Please list a few websites or logos, you like the design of and why?
• Who is your competition and how are you different?

I then read through the answers to get a much better idea of a business’s brand and how they want to be perceived.  I use this information to gather photos for a website, design a layout, and pick out fonts.  Many new clients have told me that just by answering these questions they were able to much clearer about the goals of their business.  So, it is a good thing for both of us!