A good metaphor for a bad brief can be provided in a similar form to a tried and trusted joke format. Picture this:

A client walks into a bar and says “The usual please”, nodding vaguely towards the lager they had last time.

The bartender places the lager on the bar.

Client: “Actually I wanted the IPA”.

The bartender pours a pint of IPA.

Client: “I only wanted a half”

The bartender pours a half and says “That’ll be £2.50 please”.

Client: “And a Guinness…”

The above is a good example of how not to ask for something. But quick thinking before letting fly with your request can save a lot of time and frustration for everyone involved. So, with that in mind, here a few dos/don’ts to consider when writing a brief for your creative team.

When briefing your creative team, do:

- Explain who it's for and what you'd like to get from the project: It might be a house building client who is after a postcard to promote an open day.

- Provide size and orientation requirements: such as an A5 landscape postcard, for example. Yes, this really is needed up front.

- Provide the required information: Has copy been provided? Is it currently being written? What dates, times, and contact info will people need? Does space need to be left for an address?

- Tell the team what imagery is required: Product shots, lifestyle photos, or something else? Are the supplied images high-res? The last point is important, as low-res images are usually not good enough.

- Explain what it needs to look like: Does it need to follow a specific campaign template, or is a more general approach preferred?

- Provide examples if something similar already exists: If you have a copy from the client, you can provide that, or if you know of the internal location, make sure to include this, too.

- Provide any required technical specifications: Publications and websites often have specific requirements for bleed, crops, file sizes, and more.

- Give a realistic deadline: It's likely that other jobs are already scheduled or being worked on. Queue jumping, just like in the pub, is frowned upon.

When briefing your creative team, don't:

- Fall victim to mission creep: If at all possible, avoid altering or adding to the brief while the job is in progress.

- Make assumptions: Creatives won’t instinctively know exactly what you want, so avoid leaving things open to interpretation.

- Say “I will know when I see it”: This is not a good look.

So, to sum up:

“A pint of Guinness and a half a pint of IPA, please”.

When you're briefing your creative team, it's important that you have everything on your side in order first. Make sure all the key information and specifications are in hand, set firm parameters to avoid the dreaded mission creep, and collaborate with your team to establish realistic deadlines, so they can do their best work.

Clarity is key, and when your brief is as clear as possible, it's much easier for the creative team to do what they do best.