Coast Design

A creative brief is the best starting point:

Background
Provide a brief history, context and a general overview. e.g. Company background, project information, summary of how the need for this project has come about; research findings, new initiatives, new business products and services etc.

Target audience
Who are we primarily talking to? Be specific as possible. Demographics: gender skew, age range, ethnicity, income level, job description and role, location, industry etc. Psychographics: Values, personality, goals, motivators, challenges, frustrations, opinions, attitudes, interests, lifestyles. Explain any unusual or unique attributes about the target audience. Who is the secondary audience? Please also name any other stakeholders to consider e.g. suppliers, government etc.

Communication objective(s)
Current State: What the audience thinks today.
Desired State: What is single most important message you want the target audience to take from the activity – the one sentence that summarises your unique selling point. Why should they choose you? What do you want them to do?
Audience Insight: What are the key insights that could lead to changed attitudes or behaviors. e.g. What are the features, benefits and value of what you do? Prioritise the top 5 features and/or facts about the program/service and its value to the target audience?

Who are your competitors?
List your top 3 competitors then jot down the first two or three words that come to mind associated with each.

Assignment
Is the assignment holistic (create a new brand) or is it specific (advertising campaign) or a combination of both? What is the best way to send the message? e.g. logo, diagram, poster, PowerPoint, email, infographic, video, event, social media, PR etc. Is it a combination of these? Where do you want this to be first unveiled?

Personality, voice and visual style
List of adjectives that describe the look and feel of the assignment, for instance, voice: professional, high-level, down-to-earth, assertive, confident, warm, witty, reassuring, eloquent, simple, humorous, etc.; visual style: bold, bright, energetic, soft, textured, ornate, understated, nostalgic, futuristic, minimalist, etc. If possible, provide examples to give direction to the visual style e.g images, links etc.

Mandatories
Those items that must be included e.g. logo, colour palette, photography, typeface(s), shapes, patterns etc. It is best to provide as few constraints as possible. We usually specify the brand guidelines as the only mandatory. There may be legal or regulatory mandatories as well.

What is the timing and budget?
When would you like a first draft? When does it need to be delivered? Factor in some time to allow for production if required. What’s your budget? Has budget has been set aside for production? e.g. printing, programming etc.

Listen
Ask questions
Experience the brand
Research
Ideation
Development
Presentation
Feedback
Amendments
Deliver
Feedback
Start again

See point 2: 'What questions might you ask a client when starting a new project?'

I help brands shine using strategy, creativity and design.

I've always preferred working directly with the client and in a typical design studio this isn't always possible - clients tend to go through an Account Manager which can end in tears. In addition, i've always been hands-on tools which means your talking to the person who is creating and producing your work.

I've had Coast Design for more than 20 years now and loved every minute. I've worked with a range of clients from giants like Telstra and Tourism Australia to the local boxing gym around the corner. Everyone gets the same treatment.

Experienced
Smart
Rigourous
Quality
Affordable
I care, a lot!

I provide my services online and remotely. Meetings are typically held via video conference e.g. Zoom. I have clients throughout Australia and overseas including the USA, Canada and the UK. I also visit clients on-site if required.

I do the majority of my work remotely. When visiting suppliers and clients locally, interstate or overseas, i abide by the rules and regulations of the local authority.