Turning messy kickoff notes into a creative brief
After the kickoff call you have three pages of scattered notes, a filled-in questionnaire, and a Slack thread — and somewhere in there is the actual brief. Writing it up so the whole team and the client work from one clear document is the unglamorous step that gets skipped under deadline, then costs you in misaligned revisions later.
You are a design project lead. Turn my raw intake material into a structured creative brief for a {{project_type}} project. Raw material (client answers, call notes, everything I have — use only what is here): {{raw_notes}} Produce a creative brief with these sections: - Project overview (2-3 sentences) - Objectives — what the design must achieve, as measurable outcomes where possible - Target audience - Key message and positioning - Tone and personality (3-5 attributes) - Deliverables and specs - Mandatories and constraints (must-keeps, brand elements, legal, budget, timeline) - Approvers and key dates Constraints: - Use only what is in my notes. Do not invent objectives, audience details, or deliverables. Where a standard brief section is missing from my material, write "[GAP: ask client]" and list it rather than filling it in. - Flag any place where my notes contradict each other with "[CONFLICT]" and quote both versions. - Keep it to one page. Plain language, no filler.
Fill in your details and the prompt updates live — then copy.
Project overview Redesign packaging for Harborline's four-SKU cold brew line to support a move into premium grocery, launching in spring. Objectives - Read as premium on a crowded grocery shelf from six feet away - Keep shelf recognition for existing cafe customers - [GAP: ask client] target unit price versus named competitors Tone and personality: crafted, confident, warm — not precious. Mandatories: keep the harbor icon and the navy/cream palette; allergen text per FDA; [CONFLICT] notes say both "matte finish" and "high-gloss" — confirm with client.
The full workflow
- Dump all your raw material in — call notes, questionnaire answers, emails — without cleaning it up first
- Run the prompt, then resolve every [GAP] and [CONFLICT] with the client before design starts
- Confirm the objectives are things you can actually show in the work, not vague wishes
- Send the one-page brief back for written sign-off so it becomes the shared reference
Watch out for
Get the brief signed off before you design. The AI can structure your notes but it can't confirm intent — an unresolved [GAP] or [CONFLICT] becomes a round of revisions later.
Strip identifying and confidential details before pasting. Unreleased product names, launch dates, and internal financials are exactly the client information AIGA's standards require you to keep confidential — paste the design-relevant substance, not the secrets.
Where this comes from
Every use case on this site is grounded in real reports from working graphic designers — not invented by us.