Creative direction
Creative brief: what it is, what it should include and an example so you don't get the wrong idea back
Updated November 5, 2026
A creative brief is a short document that tells an agency or team what has to be achieved, for whom, with what message, by when and on what budget. It doesn't propose the idea: it gives the starting point so the idea solves the right problem. It usually fits on one or two pages.
What a creative brief is and what it's for
If you ask someone for "a cool video for social", they'll bring back something they think is cool. A creative brief exists to avoid that. It's the document where you put in writing what problem the brand has, who it wants to speak to, what that person has to understand at the end and within what limits people are working.
Google often mixes three terms. "Brief" and "briefing" are used almost the same; sometimes "briefing" is reserved for the meeting where the document gets explained, and "brief" for the document itself. A "creative brief" focuses on the idea and the message, unlike more technical or commercial ones.
Why does it matter so much? Because nearly all the time lost on a creative project is lost because of what nobody said at the start. The sentence "this isn't what we had in mind" in the third round of changes usually means nobody wrote down what was in that mind.
A good brief does three things: it brings everyone at the company together around one decision, it gives creatives a specific problem rather than a wish and it leaves a criterion for judging the result. If someone later says they don't like the idea, you can go back to the page and ask whether it does what was asked. That takes the heat out of a lot of arguments over taste.
It isn't bureaucracy. With a small brand it can be a twenty-line email. What matters is that it's written down and that whoever decides has read it.
What elements it should include
These are the elements we use and the ones we look at when a client sends us theirs. Not every project needs them all, but it's worth asking yourself about each one.
What's happening now. The context in two or three sentences: who you are, what's going on in your market and why you're doing this now.
Goal. Just one thing, if possible, that can be checked. "Getting better known" is a wish. "Getting January bookings up and having people understand that we also open in the mornings" is a goal.
Who we're talking to. One person works better than a segment: what they do, what worries them, what they believe about you today and what they should believe tomorrow.
The message. If the person only remembers one sentence, what is it? This is the hardest point, and the most valuable one.
Why they'll believe us. Data, clients, facts: what backs up the message.
Tone and brand. How the brand talks, references you like and those you don't, and your brand manual if you have one. A few specific references tend to be more useful than a lot of adjectives, and a moodboard helps even more.
What gets delivered. Pieces, formats, lengths and languages, and where they'll be published.
Limits. Real deadline, budget or at least an order of magnitude, and whatever is mandatory or forbidden: legal matters, logos, sectors where something can't be said.
Who decides. One person who gives final approval. If this line is empty, everything else is in danger.
An example of a creative brief
It's the first thing people ask on Google, so here's one. The brand is invented, so you can copy the structure without getting tangled up in someone else's data.
What's happening now: we're a backpack brand from Barcelona, two years old. We sell online, mainly to people who see us on social. Now we're launching an anti-theft model and we want people to understand why it's worth having.
Goal: launch the model in spring and make sure anyone arriving on the page knows within ten seconds what it's for.
Who we're talking to: Ana, 29, rides a motorbike around the city and travels often. She's been robbed once already. She likes streetwear and doesn't want to look like a tourist.
The message: the backpack you can carry around the city without thinking about it.
Why they'll believe us: hidden zips, cut-resistant fabric and street tests we can show.
Tone: direct, urban, with humor. We like the pace of sports ads. We don't want fear or a news bulletin tone.
What gets delivered: one main piece of thirty seconds, three versions for social, product photography and street photography.
Limits: delivery on March 1. Budget to be given in the meeting. No third-party brands on show and no simulating real crimes.
Who decides: the marketing director, in two rounds.
Notice what's missing: the idea. It doesn't say "a guy runs through the Gothic Quarter with the backpack". That's the agency's job. We worked on a very similar real commission with BCNaPieDeCalle and La Bunker: three spots with one universe, each about a different aspect of the product. What you see on screen comes from having answered these questions first.
Types of brief and how to present one
"What are the types of brief?" is another frequent question. There are several, depending on who writes it and what it's for. The client brief is what the brand gives the agency. The creative brief is what the agency writes for its team, and it usually sums up the former on a single page with a very fine-tuned message. Then there are brand, design, media, social and video briefs, each with its own detail. If your project is a specific video, there's a dedicated guide in how to write a video brief.
How do you present a brief? We think it's better to present it than just to send it. Book half an hour with whoever is going to work on it, explain it out loud and let people ask questions. Questions are the best sign: they reveal what's taken for granted and isn't written down. Then have the person receiving it give it back to you in their own words.
That last step has a name, the "counter-brief", and it's very useful. The agency rewrites what it has understood, sometimes with changes: "we think the problem isn't that people don't know you, it's that they can't tell who you're for". If that happens, it's a good sign. It means someone is thinking about your problem and hasn't just settled for executing.
What about templates? The Canva, Asana and similar ones that come up on Google help you not forget anything. The risk is filling them in for the sake of it. A ten-section form with generic answers helps less than three well-thought-out paragraphs.
The most common mistakes when writing a brief
We see a lot of briefs, and the mistakes repeat.
Asking for the solution instead of explaining the problem. "We want a viral video with an influencer" has already decided on the format, and that might not be what you need. Better to say what you need to achieve. Whoever produces it will suggest ways of getting there, including that one if it's right.
Talking to everyone. "Our audience is people aged 18 to 65" tells nobody anything. The more specific the person, the easier it is for the idea to have force.
Wanting to say everything. If the message has six points, there's no message. You have to choose one, and that's the hardest thing about a brief, because it usually forces someone at the company to give something up.
Not stating the budget. The reluctance is understandable, but without an idea of the money, the agency guesses. It may come back with something impossible or fall short. You don't need the exact figure: an order of magnitude is enough to think seriously.
Changing the goal along the way. If it changes, rewrite the brief and tell people. And if it makes sense, adjust deadlines and money.
And writing it alone. The best brief has been through the person who'll make the final decision and through whoever deals with customers. They know what people really ask. Twenty minutes with the sales team can give you the message you've been hunting for weeks.
If you don't know how to write it, we'll do it together
You don't have to bring us a perfect document. Many clients arrive with one sentence, and that's normal: writing briefs isn't your job. Part of what we do at Bostak is help you find out what's really being asked for.
Albert Murillo, our creative director, usually starts with questions that seem simple. What has to change after this? Who has to see it? What should they understand within ten seconds? With that we write a short brief and approve it together before thinking of any idea. From there comes the creative concept and then the production, with the same team.
We've done it on very different projects. With Qilimanjaro, a quantum computing company, each piece has to work for investors and for attracting talent at the same time, without losing scientific rigor. With NouVelleMaison's Aires de Grandeza, the task was to translate classic style reinterpreted with irony into a fashion film, an editorial and a lookbook. Very different commissions, and both begin with the same thing: deciding who has to understand what.
Do you have a half-finished project or just a sentence? Book a free diagnosis: in half an hour over a video call, we help you sort it out and tell you how we'd approach it, whether you're in Barcelona or elsewhere in Europe. You leave with a clear starting point, whether you work with us or not. See also how we work on our creative agency page.
FAQ
What is a creative brief and how do you write one?
It's a short document stating what has to be achieved, for whom, with what message, by when and on what budget. You write it by answering those questions on one or two pages, without proposing the idea, and checking it with whoever makes the final decision.
What elements does a creative brief include?
Context, goal, audience, main message, why people will believe it, tone and references, pieces to deliver, deadline, budget, constraints and who approves. Not every project needs the same amount of detail.
What are the types of brief?
The client brief, which the brand provides; the creative brief, which sums up the job for the team; and more specific ones such as brand, design, media, social or video. They differ in who writes them and how much detail they need.
What's the difference between a brief and a briefing?
They're used almost interchangeably. Often the "brief" is the document and the "briefing" is the meeting or explanation of it. What matters is that it's in writing and that whoever decides has read it.
What is a counter-brief?
It's the version the agency sends back with what it has understood, sometimes with changes or another take on the problem. It catches misunderstandings before anyone thinks of ideas. If it suggests something you hadn't seen, that's a good sign.
Do I need a brief to work with Bostak Films?
No. If you have one, great; if you only have a sentence, that's fine too. We ask you the questions, write it and approve it with you before thinking of ideas. It's part of our job.
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