Important Questions to Ask Before Starting a Creative Project

It’s easy to get frustrated when you spend time, money and other resources on a creative project that ends up not turning out how you envisioned. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way—if you have a plan. Before starting a creative project, think about each step and ask yourself the following questions in order to keep each and every project on target for success:

Know the board (guidelines/specs): Gather any mandatory information that must be included, and have a list of deliverables. Which medium or format will the project be in? Are there any limitations, restrictions or disclaimers? What is the timeline and budget?

Aim (objective): Know what the project is before you start. Gather parameters and scope. When does it go live? Is there time needed to test or review it? What are you looking for in a design and why?

Target (audience): Who is your target audience? Are they students? Young professionals? Tech-savvy gamers? What do they think of your product or service? What are the demographics? What are the main differentiating character factors?

Shoot (goals): Which goals are you working toward for this project? What are your top three objectives? What are you trying to say with this piece? How will you measure your success?

Bull’s eye (visuals): Which aesthetics will capture your vision? Do you want to develop new images or use existing ones? If they will be new, what does the brand look like? Which images, fonts, colors and copy will you use? And why?

Having answers for every one of these questions listed will ensure your project hits the target – every time!

Do you have additional advice on which questions to ask/answer before launching a creative project?