Creative Brief Template — 10 sections digital agencies actually use
A free, copy-and-paste creative brief template for web, design and branding agencies. Send it to a client before discovery, use it as your internal kickoff doc, or let BriefHQ fill it in for you automatically.
What is a creative brief?
A creative brief is a short agreement between an agency and a client at the start of a project. It captures the goal, audience, scope, brand voice, deliverables and timeline so the team can design and build without guessing — and so scope creep has somewhere to bounce off. The template below is the 10-section structure we recommend for every new engagement.
Need the deeper guide? Read: What is a creative brief?
1. Project overview
Set the basic facts — what's being built, for whom, by when.
- Q1.What is the project, in one sentence?
- Q2.What does success look like 90 days after launch?
- Q3.What's driving this project now (vs. last year)?
- Q4.Is there a hard launch date or deadline?
2. About the business
Understand the company so the site reflects who they actually are.
- Q1.What does the business do, in plain English?
- Q2.How does it make money?
- Q3.Who are the 2–3 closest competitors and what do they do well?
- Q4.What's the one thing you do better than anyone else?
3. Target audience
Pin down exactly who the site needs to convert.
- Q1.Describe the ideal customer in one paragraph.
- Q2.What problem are they trying to solve when they land on this site?
- Q3.What's the typical buying journey — minutes, days, weeks?
- Q4.What objections come up most often in sales conversations?
4. Goals & success metrics
Move past 'looks nice' into measurable outcomes.
- Q1.What's the single most important action a visitor should take?
- Q2.Which metrics will tell you this project was a win?
- Q3.What's the rough monthly traffic target after launch?
- Q4.What conversion rate would feel like a success?
5. Scope & deliverables
Lock the boundaries — what's in, what's out, what's optional.
- Q1.How many pages / templates does the site need?
- Q2.Which integrations are required (CRM, payments, scheduling…)?
- Q3.What's explicitly out of scope?
- Q4.Are there phase-two ideas we should park for later?
6. Brand, voice & content
Avoid the 'guess what I meant' loop on copy and visuals.
- Q1.Do you have brand guidelines, or do we create them?
- Q2.Three adjectives that describe the brand's voice.
- Q3.Who will provide the copy — you, us, or both?
- Q4.Where will photography / video come from?
7. Design references
Show, don't describe — collect concrete visual anchors.
- Q1.Share 3 sites you love and why.
- Q2.Share 1 site you hate and why.
- Q3.Any colours, fonts or imagery that are non-negotiable?
- Q4.Any accessibility requirements we must hit?
8. Technical requirements
Surface the constraints before you start building.
- Q1.Preferred CMS / platform (or open to recommendation)?
- Q2.Hosting — existing setup or do we manage it?
- Q3.Languages, regions or currencies to support?
- Q4.SEO, analytics or tracking that must be migrated?
9. Stakeholders & approvals
Remove the 'who has the final say?' confusion early.
- Q1.Who is the single point of contact day-to-day?
- Q2.Who has final sign-off on design and copy?
- Q3.How fast can feedback be turned around?
- Q4.Are there other teams (legal, brand, IT) who must approve?
10. Budget & timeline
Match expectations to reality before you write a proposal.
- Q1.What's the budget range for this engagement?
- Q2.Is the budget approved or still in discussion?
- Q3.Ideal kick-off date and target launch date?
- Q4.Any external dependencies that could move the timeline?
Want this filled in for you — for every project?
BriefHQ sends this to your client, then turns their answers into a polished brief automatically. Free for 14 days.
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