Why Fill Out a Creative Brief for Law Firm Website Design?
And How Thorough Input Maximizes Your Results
If you’re a client seeking a web design, one of our first steps is to send you a Creative Brief to complete. Your response might be one of the following:
- “What Creative Brief?” (Code for: “I vaguely remember seeing that in my inbox.”)
- “Really, guys? I don’t think you understand that I barely have time to use the restroom during the day.”
- “If I need to fill out a Creative Brief then I’ll do it, no big deal.”
Although all of these responses are different, they have one thing in common – the power of a thoughtfully completed Creative Brief is often underestimated.
Successful Law Firm Websites Begin with the Creative Brief
Every super-impressive site you’ve seen in PaperStreet’s portfolio was a direct result of the client’s commitment and attention to filling out our Creative Brief. Rethink your commitment and attention when you need to complete your brief. Here’s why:
- The Time Factor.
We understand you are busy, we really do. And we know that you have an incredibly demanding job that rarely allows you to squeeze in other tasks. However, we can’t stress enough that a little time up front (maybe an hour or two) spent on the Creative Brief saves a lot of time (days of delay) later in the process when we can’t seem to “nail” the design for you, and you can’t put your finger on why. - Invite Us Into Your World.
We’re designers, not mind readers. In addition to the fact that we are in completely different industries, we can’t intuitively know your differentiating factors or what kind of design would best represent your brand unless we know more about you. I’m not talking about the kind of information that may already be plastered front and center in your existing marketing material. After all, isn’t everyone “experienced” and “tough”? No, I’m talking about the kind of info that answers why you were thinking about a case during your family dinner, or what factors really fueled your success in a saturated market. - Help Us Help You.
At PaperStreet Web Design, we purposely ask you questions about your future so we can help you grow into it. Sometimes, just distinguishing where you’re looking to go aids us in conceiving solutions to best support that goal, rather than only addressing the current problem/assignment at hand. - Be Specific.
Providing specific examples as to why your firm is revered, or what makes you unique, is worth its weight in gold within the brief. Why? Essentially, a website tells a story. The more detailed and personal you can get, the more a user can connect with you.Listing specific websites that you like and the reasons why is also something we request in the Creative Brief and find tremendously helpful. Although we will never closely resemble another example, it gives us an idea of what you’re attracted to and what elements we can consider when designing your site. - Trust
Trust the process, trust our abilities, trust our talent, and lastly, trust that we know the designs and concepts that will work best for you and your goals. Trust is a necessary element to a successful relationship, and as your design firm, we are your partners in actualizing one of your most powerful marketing tools, your website.
It is in your best interest to put a lot of thought into completing your Creative Brief and not rushing through it for the sake of checking it off your list. Just remember that your website is an investment in the future of your firm and you literally have a say in its success!
