Welcome to the wild, wonderful, and often baffling world of client briefs—where words don’t always mean what they should, expectations change faster than a TikTok trend, and the creative team is often left wondering, “Wait… what are we even making?”
If you’ve ever worked in advertising, branding, design, or marketing, you already know: a good client brief is rarer than a unicorn with WiFi.
• Sometimes, clients don’t know what they want.
• Sometimes, they think they know what they want.
• Sometimes, they change what they want after they’ve gotten what they originally wanted.
It’s a beautiful disaster, and we’re here to break it down.
What is a Client Brief (And Why Is It More Important Than Your Morning Coffee)?
A client brief is supposed to be a clear and structured document that tells an agency, designer, or creative team exactly what the client wants.
But in reality? It’s a puzzle, a riddle, and a stress test—all rolled into one.
A good client brief should include:
✅ The Objective – What’s the goal? Are we selling a product, launching a brand, or making people fall in love with a talking avocado mascot?
✅ The Target Audience – Who are we talking to? Gen Z? Millennials? Boomers who still think Facebook is cool?
✅ Key Messages – What do we need to say?
✅ Tone & Style – Should it be funny? Serious? Edgy? Should it rhyme?
✅ Budget & Timeline – How much money? How much time? (Spoiler: usually not enough of either.)
Sounds simple, right?
WRONG.
Because sometimes, this is what a client brief actually looks like:
❌ “We want something fresh, but nothing too different.”
❌ “We love minimalism, but make it pop!”
❌ “It should feel premium, but affordable.”
❌ “We want a viral ad! But don’t take risks.”
❌ “Just make it look ‘WOW.’”
Translation? Nobody knows what’s happening.
How Client Briefs Get Lost in Translation
Here’s the thing: Clients don’t always say what they mean.
And agencies don’t always hear what was meant.
Example 1: The Logo Disaster
Client: “We want something sleek, modern, and simple.”
Designer: Delivers a clean, minimalist logo.
Client: “Hmm… it’s too plain. Can we add some swirls? Maybe a gradient? And a drop shadow? Actually, let’s add a tagline inside the logo.”
Designer: Creates the Frankenstein version.
Client: “This looks cluttered. Can we go back to simple?”
Designer: Screams internally.
Example 2: The ‘Viral’ Ad Request
Client: “We want a viral campaign! Like that one ad that got a million shares!”
Agency: “Great! Viral usually means something bold, different, and a little risky.”
Client: “Oh no, we don’t want to take risks.”
Agency: “Then… how will it go viral?”
Client: “Just make it viral without doing anything too crazy.”
Agency: Deep sigh.
Example 3: The “Surprise Us” Brief
Client: “We trust your creativity. Do whatever you think is best!”
Agency: Creates an original, mind-blowing concept.
Client: “This is amazing! But can we make it look exactly like what our competitors are doing?”
Agency: Flips table.
Case Studies: When Client Briefs Go Hilariously Wrong
1. Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Ad (2017) – The World’s Most Confusing Protest
Brief (probably): “We want a socially conscious, youth-driven ad that promotes unity.”
Execution: Kendall Jenner handing a Pepsi to a police officer at a protest.
Public Reaction: Global backlash. People were like, “What does Pepsi have to do with activism?”
Lesson: If your brief lacks depth, your campaign might lack impact.
2. The Gap Logo Redesign (2010) – $100 Million Down the Drain
Brief (probably): “We want to modernize our logo!”
Execution: The design team created a boring new logo that looked like it came from Microsoft Word Art.
Public Reaction: People hated it so much that Gap went back to the old logo within a week.
Lesson: Changing things just for the sake of change isn’t always a good idea.
3. The McDonald’s #McDStories Disaster (2012)
Brief (probably): “Let’s create an online campaign that gets people talking about our brand!”
Execution: McDonald’s launched the hashtag #McDStories, expecting positive customer experiences.
Public Reaction: The internet hijacked it with horror stories about bad food, bad service, and bad stomachaches.
Lesson: If you don’t predict how people might twist your campaign, they will.
How to Write a Good Client Brief (Without Causing a Meltdown)
If you’re a client, here’s how to help your agency help you:
1. Be Specific, But Not Too Specific
❌ BAD: “We want something cool.”
✅ GOOD: “We want a vibrant, playful campaign that appeals to Gen Z. Think bold colors, meme culture, and humor.”
2. Define the ‘Why’ Behind the ‘What’
❌ BAD: “We need a new logo.”
✅ GOOD: “We need a new logo because our brand is shifting to a younger audience, and our old one feels outdated.”
3. Give Examples of What You Like
Clients often say they don’t know what they want until they see what they don’t want. Avoid this by sharing reference images, ads, or designs you admire.
4. Respect the Experts
If you’ve hired a creative agency, trust them. Saying, “Do your thing,” and then rejecting everything because it’s not what you imagined defeats the purpose.
5. Budget and Timeline Matter
Want Hollywood-level production on a fast food budget? Not happening.
Want a full-fledged campaign by next Tuesday? Also not happening.
A good brief acknowledges realistic constraints.
How to Decode a Confusing Client Brief (For Agencies & Creatives)
If you’re an agency trying to make sense of a vague brief, here’s your survival guide:
1. Read Between the Lines
• “We want it fresh” = They’re bored of their current branding.
• “We want a viral campaign” = They want lots of engagement but are afraid of real risks.
• “We love minimalism, but make it stand out” = They want clean design but will ask for 15 extra elements later.
2. Ask The Right Questions
If the brief is vague, don’t guess—ASK.
• “What does ‘fun’ mean to you? Can you give an example?”
• “When you say ‘edgy,’ do you mean bold colors or controversial messaging?”
• “Are there brands whose style you admire?”
3. Clarify The No-Gos
Clients rarely tell you what they don’t want—until you present it.
Before you start, ask:
• “What are some styles, colors, or themes you dislike?”
• “Are there any references you absolutely want to avoid?”
Key Takeaways
1. A bad brief = a bad campaign. Clarity is everything.
2. Clients must know what they want. If they don’t, the agency must help them figure it out.
3. Creatives must decode vague language. Learn to read between the lines.
4. A great campaign starts with a great brief. And a great brief is one that leaves zero room for confusion.
So, the next time someone says, “We need something that just… pops!”—take a deep breath and ask, “Can you define ‘pop’?”
Honest Reviews 