# Creative Communications Patterns

Proven approaches for creative production that delivers quality on time and on brand.

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## 1. The Creative Brief Framework

**The pattern**: Standardize briefs to ensure complete, actionable direction for every creative project.

**How it works**:

Essential brief elements:
1. **Background**: Why are we doing this? What's the context?
2. **Objective**: What do we want the audience to do?
3. **Audience**: Who specifically are we talking to?
4. **Key Message**: The one thing they should take away
5. **Support Points**: Reasons to believe the message
6. **Mandatories**: What must be included (logo, legal, etc.)
7. **Tone**: How should it feel?
8. **Deliverables**: Exactly what assets, what specs
9. **Timeline**: Key dates and milestones
10. **Success Criteria**: How will we know it worked?

**Why it works**: Aligned expectations. Fewer revisions. Faster approval. Creative can push back on unclear briefs. Everyone accountable to the same document.

**Indicators for use**: Every creative project, no exceptions.

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## 2. Feedback Protocol

**The pattern**: Structure feedback to be specific, actionable, and consolidated.

**How it works**:
1. Designate one feedback collector per project
2. Set review window with hard deadline
3. Collect all stakeholder feedback before sending
4. Consolidate and de-duplicate
5. Categorize: mandatory changes vs suggestions
6. Tie every comment to brief objectives
7. Send in structured format, not scattered comments

**Feedback format**:
```
Issue: [What's the problem]
Location: [Where in the asset]
Why: [How does this fail the brief]
Suggestion: [Potential solution or direction]
Priority: [Must fix / Should fix / Consider]
```

**Why it works**: One voice to creative. Actionable direction. Reduces back-and-forth. Respects creative time.

**Indicators for use**: Any creative review process. Projects with multiple stakeholders.

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## 3. Master-to-Variant Workflow

**The pattern**: Create master assets designed for adaptation to multiple channels and contexts.

**How it works**:
1. Design master asset with all elements
2. Build in layers/components for easy modification
3. Define variant matrix: channels × sizes × messages
4. Create adaptation templates
5. Produce variants efficiently from master
6. Track all variants for consistency

**Example**:
- Master: Hero video (16:9, all scenes, full message)
- Variants: Stories cut (9:16), 6-second bumper, silent autoplay, with/without CTA

**Why it works**: Efficient production. Consistency across touchpoints. Easy updates (change master, regenerate variants).

**Indicators for use**: Multi-channel campaigns. High volume asset needs. Frequent creative updates.

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## 4. Creative Testing Framework

**The pattern**: Test creative systematically before full investment.

**How it works**:
1. Create multiple concepts at low fidelity
2. Test with target audience (qual or quant)
3. Identify winning directions
4. Invest production budget in validated concepts
5. Continue testing at full production

**Testing approaches**:
- Concept testing: Rough storyboards, mock-ups
- Qualitative: Focus groups, 1:1 interviews
- Quantitative: A/B testing in market
- Diagnostic: What's working and why

**Why it works**: De-risks creative investment. Kills weak concepts early. Data supports creative decisions. Reduces subjective battles.

**Indicators for use**: Major campaigns. High-production-cost assets. New creative directions.

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## 5. Asset Library System

**The pattern**: Build and maintain a searchable library of reusable creative assets.

**How it works**:
1. Define taxonomy: asset types, campaigns, usage rights, status
2. Ingest all assets with metadata
3. Enable search by attribute
4. Track usage rights and expiration
5. Show usage history
6. Archive outdated assets
7. Make library the default source before creating new

**Why it works**: Reduces duplication. Faster turnaround. Leverages past investment. Ensures rights compliance.

**Indicators for use**: Organizations producing high volumes of creative. Multiple teams/agencies creating assets. Long-running brands.

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## 6. Approval Workflow Automation

**The pattern**: Define and automate the approval process with clear stages, roles, and SLAs.

**How it works**:
1. Define approval stages: creative review → brand review → legal review → final approval
2. Assign roles to each stage
3. Set SLA per stage (e.g., 48 hours)
4. Automate notifications and escalations
5. Track metrics: approval time, revision rounds, bottlenecks
6. Enable parallel approvals where possible

**Why it works**: Predictable timelines. Accountability for delays. Visibility into status. Reduced bottlenecks.

**Indicators for use**: Organizations with multiple approval stakeholders. Projects with tight deadlines. Scaling creative operations.

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## 7. Platform-First Design

**The pattern**: Design for the primary platform's constraints first, then adapt.

**How it works**:
1. Identify lead platform (where most impressions will be)
2. Design to that platform's constraints: dimensions, length, sound, interaction
3. Test in-platform context, not just on design canvas
4. Adapt to secondary platforms with intentional design, not just resizing
5. Kill elements that don't translate

**Why it works**: Assets optimized for where they'll actually appear. Avoids the "resize disaster." Forces clarity about primary use case.

**Indicators for use**: Any multi-platform campaign. Especially when platforms have very different constraints (TV vs Stories).

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## 8. Creative Operations Calendar

**The pattern**: Plan creative production against a calendar that accounts for all dependencies.

**How it works**:
1. Map campaigns and content needs
2. Work backward from launch dates
3. Include all milestones: brief, kickoff, first draft, revisions, approvals, delivery
4. Account for dependencies: copy before design, design before production
5. Buffer for revisions and contingency
6. Publish calendar and hold dates sacred

**Why it works**: Realistic timelines. Visible workload. Prioritization based on deadlines. Reduced fire drills.

**Indicators for use**: Any creative team or operation. Especially high-volume or multiple concurrent projects.

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## 9. Creative Playbook

**The pattern**: Document proven creative approaches, templates, and examples for the brand.

**How it works**:
1. Catalog successful creative with performance data
2. Extract patterns: formats, hooks, structures that work
3. Create templates for common needs
4. Document brand dos and don'ts with examples
5. Update based on new learnings
6. Train new team members and partners on playbook

**Why it works**: Institutional knowledge captured. Faster onboarding. Consistency across creators. Builds on what works.

**Indicators for use**: Growing creative teams. Working with agencies or freelancers. Brands that have learned what works.

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## 10. Modular Creative System

**The pattern**: Build creative from interchangeable components that can be mixed and matched.

**How it works**:
1. Identify common creative components: headlines, images, CTAs, logos, backgrounds
2. Create libraries of each component type
3. Define assembly rules (what goes with what)
4. Enable rapid assembly of new variants
5. Test component performance to optimize library

**Example (Ad creative)**:
- 10 headline variants
- 8 image options
- 3 CTA buttons
- = 240 possible combinations
- Test to find winners, expand on those

**Why it works**: Scale creative testing. Rapid iteration. Learn what components drive performance. Efficient production.

**Indicators for use**: Performance marketing. High-volume testing. Channels where variety matters.
