In the Age of AI, the Brief Is the New Power Tool

In brief

An RFP is a wish list and a proposal is a pitch; the real work begins only when the team aligns on a shared design brief after the contract is won.
Skipping a true kickoff and a shared definition of success leads to costly misalignment and wasted creativity.
A strong design brief functions as a leadership tool that builds momentum, ownership, and clarity—especially critical in the age of AI, where vague inputs produce noise.
A clear goal ladder—Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics—ensures every tactic supports a strategy and every strategy serves a measurable goal.

In commercial design and strategy work, an RFP is not a proper brief. It’s a wish list from the client. A proposal? That’s a pitch—a sales tool aimed at convincing a selection committee that, based on limited interaction, your team might be able to do the job. If you're awarded the work, the first real task is aligning the team and figuring out what actually needs to be done.

And too often, we skip this step.

We jump into projects without a true kickoff, without a shared definition of success, and without converting everything we’ve learned into a clear, compelling design brief. It’s a common failure—and a costly one.

At a time when organizations invest heavily in designing better customer experiences, they often fail to inspire or align the teams actually delivering that experience. This is where a well-crafted brief becomes a leadership tool. It doesn’t just clarify what to build—it builds momentum, ownership, and creativity.

Why the Brief Matters (More Than Ever)

Now, in the era of AI and agentic design, the brief has more power than ever before. Generative systems—from image models to creative agents—amplify whatever context they’re given. That means a strong brief can launch dozens of meaningful directions in seconds. A vague one just produces noise.

And yet, many teams still fumble around a basic issue: we don’t agree on what terms like goal, objective, strategy, or tactic even mean. Management books and HBR articles vary wildly. So here’s a ladder of definitions that have served me—and my teams—well:

GOALS
Big-picture outcomes. The “what,” not the “how.”

Example: Become a market leader in sustainable transportation.

OBJECTIVES
Measurable, specific, and time-bound steps toward your goals.

Example: Increase EV adoption in key urban markets by 20% this year.

STRATEGIES
The “how.” Your approach to achieving the goal.

Example: Educate consumers about long-term cost savings and partner with local governments for incentives.

TACTICS
The specific actions, tools, or campaigns you’ll use to fulfill the strategy.

Example: Launch a targeted ad campaign, host community demos, roll out a referral program.

In a well-run team or company, every tactic supports a strategy. Every strategy serves a goal. And every role, especially junior ones, should clearly understand how their daily work ladders up to something bigger.

This clarity isn’t just good operations—it’s the foundation for creativity, alignment, and now, for AI-assisted workflows.

Closing Thought

AI gives creative teams more leverage than ever. But leverage is dangerous without direction. A great brief is the new superpower. It aligns people, activates tools, and lets ideas scale—faster, smarter, and with more impact.

Would love to hear how others are using briefs in the age of AI.
Check out the draft of my “goal ladder” visualization—thinking it could be a useful Trello-style web app for strategic planning.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a goal and an objective in a design brief?

A goal is a big-picture outcome (the 'what'), while an objective is a measurable, time-bound step toward that goal. For example, 'become a market leader in sustainable transportation' is a goal; 'increase EV adoption by 20% this year' is an objective.

Why are RFPs and proposals not considered proper briefs?

An RFP is essentially a client's wish list, and a proposal is a pitch aimed at winning work. Neither replaces a proper design brief, which aligns the team on shared definitions of success and actual requirements after the project is awarded.

How does a strong design brief help in the age of AI?

Generative AI systems amplify whatever context they receive. A strong brief gives them clear direction, launching meaningful creative directions in seconds, while a vague brief produces only noise. A great brief is a superpower for scaling ideas faster and with more impact.

What is the 'goal ladder' mentioned in the article?

The goal ladder is a hierarchy that defines Goals (big-picture outcomes), Objectives (measurable steps), Strategies (the approach), and Tactics (specific actions). It ensures every tactic ladders up to a broader goal, providing clarity and alignment across the team.