Vicky
What is a creative brief?
When you’re outsourcing work, you have to find the best way of communicating your project with others – i.e. knowing how to write a brief.
A creative brief is a list of details about a job, created by clients on Twine, which provides all the information a creative needs to know in order to be hired for a job. Our creative freelancers then use this info to create amazing deliverables to whatever specifications a client requires.
Writing a creative brief, when mastered correctly, will score you some top-quality talent. Here are a few examples of creative briefs that really pack a punch: Illustration, Logo, Animation, Music Production and Copywriting.
In order to ensure success, here’s a simple step-by-step creative brief outline that will help you write the perfect brief.
1. What is your project?
As the owner, you’ll know the ins and outs of this project and may have been working on it for a long time. Remember, your outsourced professional hasn’t.
Simplify your project ideas as best you can – what themes will your project fit into? What past projects from other businesses could you compare it to?
Quite simply, as a product, your project needs to be at least a little recognisable to your creative freelancer. So, look around and find some inspiration. In order for you to have a simple creative brief, you need to build from what’s known – whether it’s a Logo Design, Video Explainer, Pitch Deck…
2. Who is it for?
Your target audience should be considered at all times when you’re creating your project brief. After all, this is going to be the main question your creative freelancer will be asking, as they’ll want to know who they’re working to engage.
Also – who is this project for? Will it be your own personal project? For a business? Part of a collaborative project?
When writing a brief, you should be addressing all of these elements.
3. Why are we doing it?
There could be many reasons your project was formed and it can be as simple as, “to raise brand awareness” or as complicated as “to launch a new product and reach an entirely new audience”.
Your creative brief outline should address exactly why this project is happening so that the freelancer you hire will know the best course of action to take.
4. When does it need to be done?
One of the most important elements of your creative brief format is when the project is to be completed.
The freelancer you hire for the job needs to know this information, as they may be multi-tasking other projects and have a schedule to keep. Not only that, but the turn-around of the project deadlines will affect the freelancers who are pitching.
A clear end date allows trust and a clear understanding over the entire project – let your outsourced expert know you’re in control.
5. Where and how will it be used?
Is this a project for a business or a website? Will the project be important for social media channels like YouTube – or work entirely offline?
Consider all delivery channels, don’t let people do the guesswork. Think of file types, media outlets, everything that could possibly be crucial to the construction and implementation of your project.
Also, consider the longevity of the project, as that will help you decide on the person you eventually hire. They’ll need to know whether the project is a one-off event or whether it will lead to an ongoing stream of work.
Rule number #5 of how to create a creative brief: be transparent!
How to Write a Brief on Twine
Creatives will use the brief to check whether they’ve got the right skills for the job, so write a detailed project specification in the project description box. If they can’t work out what you need, they’ll pass you by.
The more information your creative has the better job they can do. For extra clarity, categorise your creative brief into the following:
- Project Deadline
- Project Budget (hourly rate, day rate etc)
- Software/Hardware needed
- Local/Remote freelancer needed
- Project Goal/Purpose
- Intended Audience
- Style/Genre or Theme (business-related, creative etc)
Your Creative Brief is Their First Impression
Your project brief is there to attract the best creative talent to pitch on your project.
It’s the very first contact your creative will have with you, so your creative brief should be engaging and fun – and make sure to make a good first impression! Remember, the freelancer should want to choose your project and not someone else’s.
Treat it like an advert and convince them to get involved- why should they want in on the action?
Twine is Here to Help
On Twine, we make writing a project brief quick and easy. All you have to do is fill in a few details about your project and you’re good to go!
Your creative brief is then posted up on our project briefs page with our marketplace of over 410,000+ creatives pitching to be involved!
Then, when you’ve received all of those exciting pitches, you can message any creative freelancers that have peaked your attention – they can talk through your project with you and help you visualise your goal.
We also offer a concierge service where a member of the Team team will help you write your project brief and make sure it is as clear and persuasive as possible – sounds good, right?
So, what’s next?
You’re all caught up and now know how to write a brief for your next creative project. We’ve also got you prepared for the next step – choosing the right creative freelancer.
Ready to hire? Browse our network of over 410,000 freelancers and build your perfect project, today.
awork
Stuart Logan
