How to build a project brief template for creative teams

Kick off creative projects with clarity and alignment

In this guide, you’ll build a project brief template that helps creative teams capture all the essential details before starting a new project, from objectives and audience to deliverables, tone, and deadlines. You’ll also learn how to automate next steps and organize submissions in a project dashboard.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your project brief form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or choose the Project Request or Creative Brief template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create, describe your goal:

“A project brief form for creative teams to collect client details, objectives, and deliverables with auto-task creation.”

Why this matters: structured briefs reduce back-and-forth communication and prevent project misalignment.
📘 Learn more: How to create any form using Magic Create in Formaloo

Step 2 — Add essential client and project info

Start by gathering foundational details:

• Client name / company
  
  
• Contact email
  
  
• Project title
  
  
• Project type (Logo design, Website redesign, Campaign, etc.)
  
  
• Brief summary or background
  
  

💡 Tip: add placeholders like “e.g. Refreshing our summer brand campaign visuals.”
📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 3 — Capture creative objectives and goals

Include focused questions to clarify expectations:

• What’s the main goal of this project?
  
  
• Who’s the target audience?
  
  
• What’s the core message or feeling you want to convey?
  
  
• Are there specific KPIs or success metrics?
  
  

💡 Pro tip: mark these as required fields, they form the foundation of every creative decision.
📘 Learn more: How to customize text field and long text field

Step 4 — Add deliverables and specifications

Use multi-choice and upload fields to collect precise details:

• Deliverables needed (e.g., Logo, Social ads, Website banner, Video)
  
  
• Format or dimensions (upload guidelines if available)
  
  
• Reference files or examples (upload field)
  
  
• Brand colors or assets to use (upload field)
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to add and edit folders in your dashboard

Step 5 — Include timeline and approval details

Add fields for scheduling and review workflow:

• Requested start date
  
  
• Deadline or delivery date
  
  
• Approving manager / stakeholder
  
  
• Review round limit (optional)
  
  

💡 Tip: use date fields and conditional logic to ensure realistic timelines.
📘 Learn more: How to add advanced logic to your form

Step 6 — Automate notifications for new briefs

In Settings → Advanced logic or Notify tab, create automated emails:

• To project manager: new brief submission with all project details.
  
  
• To creative lead: assigned project summary.
  
  
• To client: confirmation that the request was received.
  
  

Personalize messages with variables like @project_title, @deadline, and @client_name.
📘 Learn more: How to create and send custom email templates

Step 7 — Add logic to auto-assign creative leads

Use Advanced logic to assign projects automatically:

• If Project type = Branding → Assign to Design Lead.
  
  
• If Project type = Social Campaign → Assign to Marketing Team.
  
  
• If Budget > $5000 → Notify Creative Director.
  
  

📘 Learn more: What is on-update logic and how it works

Step 8 — Build a creative project dashboard

In your Results → Responses tab, create a visual management dashboard:

• Table view: track projects by client, type, or deadline.
  
  
• Kanban view: group by project stage (New, In progress, Review, Delivered).
  
  
• Charts: analyze number of briefs by department or month.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board
  
  

Step 9 — Create a project portal for your team

From your workspace, build a Creative Projects Portal.

Add pages such as:

• Submit a new brief
  
  
• Active projects (by department)
  
  
• Project calendar or tracker
  
  
• Archived projects
  
  

Set permissions so clients can submit briefs while creative teams track them internally.
📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access

Step 10 — Use AI to summarize briefs and extract insights

Enable AI Analyze to generate summaries and insights for your team:

• “Top client goals this quarter.”
  
  
• “Most requested project types.”
  
  
• “Average project turnaround time.”
  📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze
  
  

Pro tips

• Add Memory Forms so recurring clients’ details auto-fill.
  
  
• Use linked rows to connect briefs with corresponding design requests or approval forms.
  
  
• Automate follow-ups with on-update logic when projects move stages.
  📘 Learn more: What are linked rows and how to use them
  
  

Example scenario

A client submits a Brand Refresh Brief outlining goals, tone, and deadline. The form automatically routes it to the design lead, sends HR a copy for contract setup, and logs it on the Kanban board. AI Analyze later summarizes recurring needs, most clients request “visual consistency and modern tone.”
📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI

FAQ

1. Can clients edit their briefs after submission?
   Yes, enable edit access or create a portal where they can view and update submissions.
   📘 Learn more: How to let users view and edit their own data in your portal
2. Can I track the progress of each brief?
   Absolutely, use Kanban and on-update logic to automate status changes.
3. Can I generate PDF summaries for clients or managers?
   Yes, create branded PDF templates for project summaries.
   📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates

Your creative brief system is live, bring structure to your ideas

You’ve built a project brief template that aligns your team and streamlines creative requests. Keep evolving it with automation, AI summaries, and dashboards to make every project kickoff effortless.
📘 Learn more: How to personalize ending pages and email notifications with AI

Last updated October 2025

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