Free guide · Building Better Briefs

Better briefs. Better work.

Most work that misses was briefed to miss.

A free field guide to the five building blocks of a brief that gets better work from agencies, freelancers, partners and AI tools. The method behind our Brief Clinic, taught to adidas marketing.

Cover of the Building Better Briefs field guide
Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park, reflecting the skyline and the crowd beneath it
The brief that leaves room for something iconic

"Design an iconic centerpiece for our new park: something that gives the city a landmark, reflects Chicago back to itself and invites people to become part of the art."

One of five ways to ask for the same thing. The guide walks through all five.

Get the Guide

15 pages · PDF · Free

Does your team send briefs to agencies or partners?

We'll only use your details to send the guide and the occasional note about briefing. Unsubscribe any time.

InsideWhy the work misses

Most underperforming work is a briefing problem, not an execution problem.

InsideFive briefs, one request

Five ways to ask for the same thing, and the one that gets you something iconic.

InsideThe five building blocks

The Ask, Background and Objectives, the Audience, Messaging and Execution, each with a before and after.

InsideTools to use today

The Brief Back, a ten-point check and a one-page brief to fill in.

Want It on Your Team's Real Work?

2 to 3 hoursBrief Clinic

Bring a live brief. We score it, run the Brief Back and rewrite it with your team, then teach the method so the next one starts sharper.

For marketing teamsBuilding Better Briefs, live

The full method taught to your team, using your own projects.

Let's fix the brief.

A 20-minute call is the fastest way to know which path fits.

See ways to workBook a call