Creative brief template
Provide a concise overview of a creative project to guide marketing and design in their execution
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About the creative brief template
Product managers and product marketers use creative briefs to outline essential details for upcoming campaigns and launches. This template helps you define objectives, key messages, brand voice, deliverables, and more. By providing creative teams with clear guidance, you ensure consistent and unified messaging across all channels. The result? Collateral that aligns with business goals and resonates with your target audience.
Included in the creative brief template
This creative brief template includes built-in capabilities such as:
A menu of classic whiteboard features (including shapes, sticky notes, grids, and emojis)
Quick access to best practices and a pre-filled creative brief example for guidance
Inline comments to gather feedback, questions, and ideas from teammates
Presentation frames to easily share your work
Overview of the creative brief template
Use this whiteboard template to help steer the creative process. Capture information such as goals, target audience, customer truths, and logistics (e.g., launch date and budget) in one accessible document. This ensures marketing teams and external agencies have the information they need to create on-brand, impactful materials.
As you build your brief, invite input from other stakeholders — like UX designers and brand managers — to understand their priorities and constraints. Encourage open discussion and feedback to foster stronger collaboration between product and marketing.
How to use the creative brief template
Capture the essence of your marketing program or campaign to guide creative work.
1. Establish context: Explain why the campaign or program is important. Provide an overview of your objectives, key messages, audience, launch date, budget, and so on.
2. Set clear guidelines: Specify mandatory inclusions related to logo usage, color palette, typography, and tone. List your deliverables and channels to guide the creative team's approach.
3. Inspire creativity: Include visual or written examples to help illustrate the desired style, look, or feel you want to achieve. This will help inspire the teammates responsible for creating the content.
4. Review and refine: Share your creative brief with internal stakeholders and external agencies. Be ready to clarify or include additional information based on any questions or feedback. The goal is to align everyone on exactly what you want to deliver.
FAQs about the creative brief template
Why is a creative brief important?
A creative brief does more than align teams on goals and deliverables — it sparks creativity and sets the tone for the project. By outlining the "why" behind a campaign and capturing unique insights, a creative brief inspires teams to think strategically and stay focused on what matters most. It also serves as a reference point throughout the project, helping everyone stay grounded in the original vision while adapting as needed to changes along the way.
What are some creative brief best practices?
Focus on clarity and relevance. A great creative brief distills the essential information without overloading the team with unnecessary details. Collaborate early with key stakeholders to gather input, identify priorities, and refine the brief before sharing it widely. Aim to balance the big picture — the overall vision and goals — with actionable details that guide execution. Finally, ensure the brief is accessible and adaptable. It should remain a useful reference point as new insights or challenges arise.
Who is this creative brief template for?
This template is ideal for aligning product managers, marketers, designers, and creative teams. It gives everyone a central place to reference as you develop content for campaigns, product launches, or other marketing initiatives — all of which require a unified vision and consistent messaging.
Is this template free to use?
Yes. To use this creative brief template, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Aha! Whiteboards. (You can also try this template in Aha! Roadmaps if you need a complete product management solution.) Easily customize the template to suit your needs, then share it with as many people as you want (for free) to streamline collaboration.
