businessman making thumbs up
Design and advertising agencies use creative briefs to establish a client’s vision for an art project. The project generally affects the development of the company’s brand or the brand of one of its products or services. Consequently, there is a dependency relationship between branding and creative briefs, where the brief drives the development of brand components.
A company’s brand is probably its most important intangible asset. It is the way in which consumers distinguish the company’s products from those of the competition. Brand recognition takes a company’s products out of the realm of the generic and into the enviable realm of customer loyalty based on reputation and an established standard. There is a series of brand components of a company, including name, logo and slogan, which are often developed together with internal or external artistic professionals whose work is to stick to the management vision and crystallize it in tangive expressions in a variety of media.
Creative briefs are tools used by art professionals that allow clients to specifically define their vision. It is usually a series of questions designed to require the customer to put their expectations into words. A creative brief provides direction to the artist, ensuring that the result of the artist’s work is in line with the client’s thinking.
The relationship between branding and creative briefs is simple. Creative briefs are typically used to develop all aspects of a brand. Using a summary ensures a level of consistency that transcends artistic variation. No matter how many artists work on the components of the brand over time, the brief allows the company to control certain aspects of the end result. For example, the briefing will typically brief a newly hired creative professional on the exact colors used in the company logo so that a consistent presentation can be made with the website.
Branding and creative briefs also have a reciprocal relationship in terms of professionalism. The better the creative brief, the more likely the client will land a top-notch job. Creative briefs work much like project roadmaps, setting out the vision and expectations. A clearer map with better directions gets you to your destination faster and with less hassle.
There are many companies, especially small ones, that do not use this type of tools to enhance the creative process. Therefore, the relationship between branding and creative briefs is not absolute. Management may commission quality branding work based on verbal instructions and general guidance. Often a business owner cannot write a vision or does not have a specific vision in mind. In these cases, the artist has ample room to brainstorm until something reaches the client.