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These five pages contain a variation of the intake form (sometimes known in my world as a “creativebrief”) that I require all of my consulting clients to submit prior to our starting work together. The truth isthat while it’s an essential information-gathering tool for me, completing it is also a useful exercise for them: many people have told me that they found doing the homework almost as valuable as they did myanalysis and prescriptives (dang it all, anyway! How dare they?!)The best advice I can give you as far as filling it out is this: go slowly and give it your full attention. If youtreat this work seriously, not only will you come up with a good, basic starting point for building your brand platform on your own, you’ll be light years ahead when it comes time to sit down and work with agraphic designer, web developer or copywriter. Plus, it’s fun! I swear! (A lot, as anyone will tell you.) xxx c
 1. What is the current name of your product/service/brand/idea?2. Who do you see as your core audience?
 
3. Whom do you see as your competition (friendly or otherwise, and feel free to interpret“competition” as you like)?
 
 
 
4. In your perfect world, where do you see this product/service/brand/idea in two years?Five? Ten?
In two years…In five years…In ten years…
5. Draft a ten-second statement, or “Verbal Business Card” that sums up what your business(idea/product/service/etc.) stands for.
(visit for more info: http://bit.ly/VerbalBizCard)
6. Now draft a longer “mission statement.” Make it as clear as you can, even if it looks boring.
 Seriously—don’t worry about being clever, or even interesting. First drafts are more useful if they are boring but clear than they are if they are witty at the expense of clarity.
 
 
7. Come up with 5–7 samples of brand image you like, admire and/or feel is in alignment with your own.
 These can be logos, websites, print ads, whatever. They can be different industries, or even personal brandsand NOT businesses. Remember, words count, too! Feel free to include language that floats your particular boat: copy with a tone you really like, taglines that really speak to you, etc. You can just list the brands here, but I encourage you to create a “swipe file,” either on spare sheets of paper you attach to this document, in athree-ring binder with clear plastic sleeves,Grab pages ripped from magazines, catalogues, etc; business cards or flyers; printed out pages from theInternet; paint chips, gum wrappers—GO CRAZY!!!This will help you to come up with a basic color theme or typeface ideas for now, and it will be outrageously helpful to you when you finally bring a designer and/or copywriter on board.
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