Briefs come in all shapes and sizes, from the back of a fag packet to a 300-page expanse. To an certain extent, the size of the brief is irrelevant, it's the quality of the information that it provides that counts when it comes to the creative being able to formulate a logical and successful response. The content of a brief varies greatly, it could be a single advert, and entire web site, or a complete re-brand. While the type of brief differs, there is one important aspect that cannot be overlooked... no brief at all. Poorly prepared briefs are bad, but nowhere near as difficult to work with as no brief at all. While it is the responsibility for the creative team to do research under their own motivation, it is impossible for them to generate a direction for said research without a brief. The importance of a brief also lies in detailing the production requirements for the job: format, deadline, colour usage, orientation, platform, even distribution are vital factors to be taken into account in design. If there's no brief, it should come to no surprise that the creative misses something important. From a client-side perspective, the origination of a brief – whether it's written by the client, or by the agency and approved – builds in a level of protection for both parties, and a solid ground to work from. The client understands that the agency has what is required for the creative team to get cracking, and the agency knows it is working to an agreed set of definitions. Obviously , on smaller tasks – like ongoing advertising – the project manager should create an internal brief for each ad. It's not imperative for the client to see these, as they should be based on a larger brief that had previously determined the design and approach of the work. When tight deadlines are introduced into a project that has no defining brief - things go wrong very quickly. With a tight deadline and no clear routes-to-solution, the entire process can fall flat on its face, fast.