A weak brief wastes the first round of design. This creative brief template gives a studio or in-house designer what they need to start well: the background and the problem, the people you want to reach, the one message, the tone, the mandatories, what you want delivered and when. Each section has its own page, so the brief is easy to read, approve and refer back to when feedback arrives.

The sample is a worked brief for Thistledown Digital, a software company rebuilding its free-trial pages after sign-ups fell from 8.4% to 6.1%. It shows a real budget of $64,000, two review rounds and a launch date. Replace the background, audience figures, message, mandatories, deliverables and dates with your own, then name one decision-maker.