The best projects I’ve worked on started with briefs that were surprisingly short. Not vague — short. They answered a few questions clearly and left room for the rest.

The essentials

Who is this for, and what should they feel? What is the one thing that must be true when we’re done? What’s the budget and the real deadline? That’s most of it.

What to leave out

Colour preferences, font suggestions and mood boards pulled from competitors. They narrow the thinking before it’s started. Share the problem, not the solution you imagine.

A template

Write one paragraph on the business, one on the audience, one on the goal, and a list of constraints. If it fits on a single page, you’re ready.