A brief that says "the usual"
An account manager messages the studio: "Can we get some social assets for the spring promo, similar to last time, need them Thursday". The designer asks which sizes. Which channels. Is there copy yet. Does "last time" mean the spring promo last year or the summer one. Is the new logo in use. The account manager is in a client meeting and answers two hours later.
The designer guesses at a few things to keep moving. On Thursday the client asks why the assets are the wrong size for their new LinkedIn format and why the old logo is on them. The work is done again on Friday.
Why briefs arrive incomplete
- The account manager is busy and knows the client so well that the context feels obvious.
- There is no standard brief for each job type, so what is asked depends on who is asking.
- Brand guidelines, logos and past work are scattered across shared drives and old emails.
- Client input, such as copy, product images or offer details, has not arrived yet, but the job is briefed anyway to hold a slot.
- Deadlines are given as the client deadline, with no time for internal review or amends.
The brief is where the agency's knowledge of the client should be handed to the studio, and it is often the thinnest document in the whole job.
What thin briefs cost
Designers and copywriters spend time asking questions and waiting. Work is started on guesses and redone, which uses up amend rounds the client has not even seen yet. Deadlines are squeezed because the real start was later than it looked. Studio staff get frustrated and account managers get defensive, which is not a great mix in a small agency.
The brief intake we build
- Job types are defined once, such as social assets, display banners, email template, print item or video edit, each with the details it needs: sizes, channels, copy source, deadline for first draft and final.
- The account manager fills in a short form for the job type in Slack or a web form. Required fields cannot be skipped, and the form explains why each one matters.
- The client's brand pack is attached automatically from a central record: current logos, colours, fonts, tone notes, and the do-not-use list.
- Past similar jobs for that client are linked, so "like last time" becomes a specific file.
- Missing client inputs are listed. The job can be booked, but it is marked as waiting on the client with a named owner, so the studio does not start early by mistake.
- A complete brief goes into the studio queue in your project tool, with an internal review date set before the client deadline.
| Common gap | How the intake closes it |
|---|---|
| Sizes and channels | Required fields per job type |
| Which logo or brand version | Current brand pack attached from the client record |
| "Like last time" | Links to previous jobs for that client |
| Copy not ready | Job marked as waiting on client inputs |
| Only a client deadline | First draft and internal review dates added |
A language model can read the account manager's free text and suggest the job type and missing items, but the form itself does the checking. It is simple on purpose.
The studio with better briefs
Designers open a job and find the sizes, the copy, the right logo and two examples of past work in one place. Questions still happen, but they are about the idea rather than the basics. Account managers spend a few minutes on the brief instead of an afternoon answering messages. The client sees the right thing first time more often, which leaves the amend rounds for actual creative feedback.
Is your studio briefed like this?
- Briefs arrive as a Slack message or a forwarded client email.
- Designers regularly start work without sizes, copy or deadlines.
- "Like last time" is a common phrase in briefs.
- Work is redone because the wrong logo or format was used.
- Briefs are sent before the client has provided the inputs.