10 ways to handle creative briefs

How we respond to design briefs is the single most important factor in creating successful graphic design. If we ignore them, failure is guaranteed. Conversely, if we follow them slavishly, the most likely outcome is mediocrity. But if we learn to question them and challenge them, then at least we have a chance of producing work that has conceptual depth, and does the job it's supposed to do with flair and originality.

The most important aspect of a brief is the person, or persons, who issued it. In other words, there is always 'someone' behind a brief - a living human being with thoughts, prejudices, fears and concerns. In our haste to get work in the door, it's easy to forget this. You can't interrogate a brief, and it's only by speaking to the brief's creator that you will squeeze out additional information, which is the catalyst for great work. Briefs come in all shapes and sizes - some good, some bad; some comprehensive, some skimpy. Let's look at how to deal with them€¦

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

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