Week 2 Page 3: Step 2
STEP #2: Meet with the Client and Complete a Creative Brief
When you meet with your client for the first time, you have to make sure you gather the essential information you need to plan the site. It helps to develop a set of questions, often called a Creative Brief, to make sure that key information is not overlooked. Many designers customize the questions in this brief during their research phase (step #1).
Here is an example of a very thorough creative brief: http://limeshot.com/documents/Website-Creative-Brief-Reader.pdf
Links to an external site.
Please note that it is copyrighted material. Be sure to scroll down through the pages!
Project Considerations:
These are some of the important considerations for a design project:
TOPIC:
What is the project? Why does it need to be done? What is the nature of the business for which you are creating the design?
PURPOSE (Why are we doing this project?):
What are the primary needs? What are the top objectives?
TARGET AUDIENCE (Who is it for?):
Research the target audience (interview client and do independent research: read statistics or market research, view competitors' site, talk to potential users).
Consider the following aspects of your target audience:
Demographics (age, gender, educational level, profession, income bracket),
Culture (multinational, language, culturally appropriate icons, navigational metaphors, colors - taboo colors, formats - dates, names, symbols)
Disabilities (text size, color choices, sound levels - control, interaction speed, special input devices)
Interests - what is appropriate content? (level of detail, vocabulary, multiple pathways, games, trivia, humorous touches, jokes)
TARGET DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGY (Where and how will it be used?):
What kind of technology will be used to display this site? Devices (desktop and laptop computers, i-pads, smart phones), primary platform (Windows/Mac), speed of computer, web access (DSL, cellular), browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome etc.). What kinds of display media are acceptable (for example: Flash does not run on i-pads)? (Try to avoid including fancy bells and whistles for the sake of it.)
CONTENT (subject matter, information, media in document):
What is the message? What kind of visuals do we need?
Is there existing content: What format is it in? What condition is it in? How much is usable? Does it need updating or converting?
What about new content? Who will create content? Are there copyright/usage issues? (secure copyright permissions early)
What is the best way to organize the content to meet objectives/goals of project?
CLIENT NEEDS/PREFERENCES:
Communication is IMPORTANT!! Listen to your client and take good notes (see list of questions and recommendations in you textbook on pages 2-3). Find out about their design preferences, colors, sites they like (this will help you develop a moodboard or style guide later in the design process). What are their expectations? Make sure you establish a clear understanding of the scope of the project before starting it.
BUDGET (time and money):
How much time do you anticipate spending on the project? What is the going rate for web development in your area? Who is responsible for decision making and payment? How will you structure payment? (A word of advice… write and sign a contract and be sure to require a deposit BEFORE you start or at least a partial payment part way through the project.)
DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES:
What is needed to complete the various aspects of the project? Does the site require intensive coding, animation, illustration and graphics, forms, shopping carts etc? These questions define the tools you use to develop the site and any outsourcing you may need to do. For example, will you need people with certain skill sets, e.g. programmers?
HOST/DOMAIN:
Does your client need a place to host their site? Select a web hosting solution that is appropriate for the needs of site and the client. For example, if the client wants to maintain their own site consider using a CMS (Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress, Squarespace for example). If they already have a domain name and host, find out the appropriate details about it. Is it current or does it need renewing? Does the client have the information to access the current web site or does a previous developer/designer have those details?
APPROVALS:
Who is the main contact? Who exactly is approving the work?