Free creative intake form
The creative intake form
that ends mid-project surprises
A structured, 8-section questionnaire that captures everything before a project kicks off — goal, audience, deliverables, brand assets, budget, and who approves. Copy it, print it, and reuse it on every client. Free, no sign-up.
No sign-up required
Why an intake form beats a kick-off call
The single most common cause of project delay is not the work itself — it is starting the work, then stopping repeatedly to chase information that should have been captured up front. The brand assets that arrive in week three. The extra approver discovered at the finish line. The spec that was "obvious" to the client and invisible to you.
A creative intake form is the front door that prevents this. It forces the important questions to be answered in writing before anyone starts, gives you a record to refer back to, and makes the client do the thinking early rather than mid-project. The most valuable question on it is the simplest one: who has final approval? Knowing that on day one prevents the most expensive surprise on the last day.
The creative intake form template
Select & copy, or print this pageCreative intake form
Client: ____________________________
01Contact & decision-makers
- ▸Company / client name
- ▸Main contact and email
- ▸Who has final approval on this project?
- ▸Any other stakeholders who must review?
02Project goal
- ▸What are we creating, in one sentence?
- ▸What is the goal? What should it achieve?
- ▸How will you judge whether it worked?
03Audience
- ▸Who is this for?
- ▸What matters to them?
- ▸What do we want them to do?
04Deliverables & specs
- ▸Exactly what do you need produced?
- ▸Formats, sizes, and quantities
- ▸Where will it be used?
05Brand & assets
- ▸Do you have brand guidelines? (attach)
- ▸Logos, fonts, and assets available (attach)
- ▸Anything we must include or must avoid?
06References
- ▸Examples you like, and why
- ▸Examples you dislike, and why
- ▸Competitors or work to be aware of
07Timeline & budget
- ▸Deadline / launch date
- ▸Any fixed milestones
- ▸Budget range or fixed fee
08Access & logistics
- ▸Accounts or tools we will need access to
- ▸Legal, compliance, or technical constraints
- ▸Anything else we should know?
What each section captures
Ask only what changes how you will approach the work — and always ask who approves.
Decision-makers
Who has final sign-off, and who else must review. The most valuable answer on the whole form — it prevents the unknown-approver disaster on the last day.
Goal
What the work is for and how success is judged. A clear goal is what lets you evaluate the work against a standard instead of taste.
Audience
Who it is for and what matters to them. Shapes every creative decision that follows the moment work begins.
Brand & assets
Guidelines, logos, and fonts gathered upfront — so you are not chasing a brand pack in week three of the project.
Deliverables
Exact formats, sizes, and quantities. Confirms the full list before work starts, so nothing is quietly assumed.
Timeline & budget
Dates and numbers in writing. Sets expectations on both scope and spend before the first deliverable exists.
How to use the intake form
Four steps from enquiry to a fully briefed, ready-to-start project.
Send it on enquiry
Share the form as soon as a project looks real. Completing it is a light commitment test — and it front-loads the thinking onto the client.
Review the answers
The gaps tell you where to dig. A client who cannot answer the goal or the approver has not defined the project yet.
Turn it into a brief
Use the captured answers to write the design or creative brief everyone agrees to before work begins.
Reuse it every time
Make it your standard intake so every project starts the same organised way, with the same paper trail.
Who uses this intake form
Anyone who takes on creative projects and wants to start organised instead of chasing details.
Agencies & studios
A standard intake for all new work. Everyone who touches the project works from the same captured information, not a half-remembered call.
Freelancers
A completed intake form makes you look professional and prevents the "I thought that was included" disputes that eat freelance margins.
In-house teams
Use it to brief internal requesters properly, so marketing and design are not starting work on a Slack message and a vibe.
Related templates & guides
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know.
A creative intake form is a structured questionnaire a client or stakeholder completes before a project starts. It captures the goal, audience, deliverables, brand assets, constraints, budget, and — critically — who has final approval. It is the front door to your process, and a good one prevents the most common source of delay: stopping mid-project to chase information that should have been gathered up front.
Great intake. Now make review and approval just as organised.
FileFeedback takes the project from intake through to a documented sign-off — pinpoint feedback on the work, versions in one place, and an approval you can point to.
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