Ad Agency Creative Brief Template: Project Brief Example
A project brief describes what is being built and what it needs to accomplish from the agency's perspective. It translates what the client told you through an intake form, a kickoff call, or a document they sent into a structured specification your team can use to plan, price, and commit.
What is a project brief?
A project brief is not a creative brief, which focuses on the execution approach. It is not a statement of work, which is a legal document. It sits between the two: the operational foundation of the project that defines what is being built, for whom, under what constraints, and by when.
A good project brief is specific enough that two people could read it independently and commit to the same scope. If two people reading the brief would disagree on what is included, the brief is incomplete. The example below shows what a complete brief looks like, and why each section matters.
A real project brief example, annotated
Hartwell Outdoors: E-commerce Site Rebuild
The project name includes the client and the specific deliverable. Not 'website project.'
Rebuild the Hartwell Outdoors e-commerce site in Shopify to improve mobile conversion rates. Target: 25% improvement in mobile add-to-cart rate within 90 days of launch.
The objective is specific and measurable. It gives both parties a shared success criterion, not a direction, a target.
Outdoor enthusiasts, 28–45, primarily US-based. Existing customers who shop via mobile. High purchase intent but high cart abandonment on the current site.
The audience description is specific enough to inform design decisions. It explains the problem (mobile cart abandonment) alongside the demographic.
Redesigned homepage, collection pages, and product detail pages. Mobile-first design files in Figma. Shopify theme development (custom, not template-based). Integration with existing Klaviyo and Gorgias accounts. 3 months post-launch support: bug fixes only, not feature additions.
Every deliverable is named. The post-launch support is qualified: bug fixes only. That qualifier prevents a 'feature additions' conversation three months in.
Brief sign-off: March 15 · Design review (R1): April 5 · Design approval: April 19 · Development complete: May 17 · QA: May 17–30 · Launch: June 1
Milestones are specific and sequential. The client can see dependencies. 'Launch: June 1' without the milestones above is not a timeline. It is a deadline.
€42,000 (fixed price, scope as defined above)
A specific number, not a range. This brief is past discovery, and the number has been committed. The qualifier 'scope as defined above' links the price to the deliverables list.
Maya Chen (Head of Digital) reviews. CEO James Hartwell has final approval on homepage design. Legal not involved.
The final approver is named. The scope of their authority is defined (homepage design). Legal involvement is confirmed as absent, preventing a late-stage discovery.
Existing Shopify Plus account. Klaviyo integration must remain. No platform change.
Three constraints, all specific. 'No platform change' eliminates a category of scope expansion before it can be suggested.
Download the free project brief template
The template below is modeled on the annotated example above. Use it as your agency's standard brief format, or adapt it to the specific requirements of each project type.
# Project Brief **Project:** [Client name: Project type] **Client:** [Client name] **Agency:** [Agency name] **Brief date:** [Date] **Version:** [v1.0] ## Project Objective [What does success look like? Include a measurable outcome and a timeframe.] ## Target Audience [Who is this for? Be specific about demographics, behavior, and the problem they have that this project addresses.] ## Deliverables [List every output with format, platform, and any qualifiers. Include what is explicitly not part of this scope.] ## Timeline - Brief sign-off: [Date] - [Milestone]: [Date] - [Milestone]: [Date] - Launch / final delivery: [Date] ## Budget [Fixed price or range. Link the number to the scope defined above.] ## Approval Chain Reviewer: [Name, role] Final approver: [Name, role, scope of authority] Legal / compliance involved: [Yes / No] ## Technical Constraints [Platforms, integrations, hosting, and anything that cannot change.]
What makes a project brief complete?
Clariva scores project briefs against 8 coverage dimensions. A brief is complete when all eight are present and specific:
Frequently asked questions
What is a creative brief template?
A reusable document structure that defines project objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, and approval chain before work starts.
How long should a project brief be?
One to three pages. Length is not the goal; completeness is. A brief that covers all eight dimensions in one page is better than a vague five-page document.
What is the difference between a creative brief and a project brief?
A creative brief focuses on the execution approach (tone, visual direction, messaging). A project brief defines the operational scope: what is being built, by when, for how much, and who approves it.
What makes a project brief complete?
A complete brief covers eight dimensions: objectives, audience, deliverables, timeline, budget, stakeholders, technical constraints, and approval chain. Every missing dimension is a risk.
Skip the template. Generate it automatically.
Clariva generates this document from a brief description or existing document, scored, validated, and ready to use.